Spring Break 2026: Tips & Advice

March 13, 2026

What a winter we’ve had – and though we are all looking forward to Spring Break, recent weather and major geopolitical events have us all a bit shaken and feeling vulnerable. Below is what I do to control my travel experience as much as I can.

Whether you are traveling solo or with your family/friends, these tips are based on my 26 years of travel.

Spring Break: General Tips

1. How to prepare to fly during a government shutdown.

I follow my airline, airport AND local news stations! I follow local news in my area as well as the area of the airport I’m traveling to in order to keep me as up to date as possible. You also want to go the websites or apps of your airport to see if they have updated TSA security wait times. A lot of them do, but when a government shutdown happens, the TSA app will not be actively managed and instead give you historical data.

We may still be in a government shutdown, which can also affect TSA personnel with longer security lines as a result. My tip for peak travel times like Spring Break is to be walking thru the doors of the airport two hours before the BOARDING time of your flight. But some passengers report being asked to arrive at the airport three to four hours before the flight.

2. Keep up to date with the weather forecast.

Remember that weather is something you are traveling FROM, TO, or THROUGH, and bad storms can pop up anywhere. Keep an eye on the forecast and have a plan B in case flights get delayed or canceled.

What do I do? I make a list of potential alternative flights or another airport to fly into. If I can’t fly direct, I look for flights that connect through hubs (think Delta/Atlanta or United/Newark). Hubs have higher flight frequency than smaller airports. I also look for Mainline aircraft (big planes), not regional jets that are more prone to cancellations or severe delays.

3. Double check what your accommodation offers.

Always double check what your accommodation offers in terms of toiletries and extras. Nothing is more annoying than not packing something you think the hotel will have only to show up late at night, and it’s not in the bathroom. Plus, always check if there is an indoor pool to pack the suits – these are parent gold!

I’d also triple check what a hotel’s breakfast offerings are. So many hotels these days no longer offer complimentary breakfast or no longer offer an open restaurant with a breakfast buffet. This may not be obvious until you try to go eat your first morning there!

4. Clean-up your house before you leave.

Have everyone put all hands on deck to do some light spring cleaning before you leave. This way, you all come home to a nice, fresh house and the transition back into normal life is much smoother.

Tips for Flying During Spring Break…

1. Make sure you have at least one outfit to keep warm in

Besides the weather at home maybe taking a turn for the cold, airplanes and airports are often kept chilly as well. Even if you’re planning to go somewhere tropical like the Florida Keys or British Virgin Islands, make sure your kids have a light winter jacket or fleece to wear. Also mittens and a hat don’t take up much room; toss them into your suitcase just in case.

2. Try to pack carry-on only

If you can swing it, pack carry-on only. This goes doubly for anyone with a connecting flight. I know this can be difficult, but the more you can fit everything into a smaller suitcase, the smoother your entire flying experience will be.

Think of it like this. Someone who has a bag to check-in has to wait in the baggage drop, TSA, and baggage claim lines (and if you’re flying internationally, you also have customs lines). If you’re flying carry-on only, you only have the TSA line.

If you need help packing like a pro, just check this post for how I manage it.

3. Take advantage of those LOOOONG terminal walks

Long flights are tough for anyone who gets restless. Take advantage of those long terminal walks to stretch your legs before boarding. The great thing about airports is the constant buzz – between browsing shops, grabbing a snack, or just people watching, there’s always something to do. If you want to make it fun, try a quick game of airport “I Spy” or create your own little travel challenge.

4. Bring your own food and a water bottle.

Lines at restaurants or food kiosks can be long enough that you may not have time to wait and get something to eat. Be sure to bring your own food and snacks so you don’t start entering that hangry mood somewhere thousands of feet up in the air. I also recommend bringing a water bottle since most airports have some sort of refillable system now.

5. Practice patience and make the best of it.

Not to be trite, but it’s always a good idea to remember practicing patience and trying to make the best of any situation. What’s that saying? We can’t control everything around us, but we can control how we react. Being impatient or getting upset and angry doesn’t improve anything, but it definitely makes everyone a little more uncomfortable.

For example, on our last family trip to Colorado, we had to wait THREE hours for our car rental. Now, that could’ve easily been three hours of us all being grumpy and irritable. However we, alongside many other families in our same situation, just made the best of it. We had food and books to help keep everyone entertained; my son even took a nap on our luggage. Kids pick up cues from us on how to handle situations and tend to follow suit.

Tips for Those Who are Driving for Spring Break…

1. Pack a cooler full of food and drinks.

If you’re driving, stuff the biggest cooler you can find with all the food and drinks you love. It’s much easier to pull out some sandwiches and seltzers from a cooler in the back seat than to try to find somewhere to pull off and grab a bite to eat.

2 . Opt for places right off exits instead of Highway Travel Service Centers

Now when you do have to pull over, I always think it’s better to follow an exit rather than pull off in one of the Highway Travel Service Centers. I swear those centers are always packed or closed for construction.

Most major exits will have some restaurants, convenience stores, and gas stations nearby, and I’ve always found them much less crowded.

3. Prepare an emergency kit.

Whether you’re planning a spring break road trip for families, friends, or just yourself, you always want to have an emergency kit for your car. Safety wise, this means having flares, candles, and first aid kits. I also have blankets, extra winter gear, a shovel, ice melt, and non-perishable snacks like beef jerky and peanut butter. As I said above, spring weather can be really unpredictable!

4. Put together a list of great podcasts, books, or playlists you can all listen to.

Figure out how long your trip will be and put together a list of podcasts, audiobooks, and playlists you can turn on to keep yourself entertained. Better this than spending time fiddling around while on the road to find something. I love Wow in the World, David Walliams’ Marvellous Musical Podcast, and America History Hit.

If you want to go the extra mile, pre-download everything in case you hit some dead zones.

5. Invest in a really good battery pack.

It’s always good to have a fully charged battery pack for those moments when you don’t have any outlets or need to charge devices on the fly. I carry a 24,000maH portable. It’s a small brick but it charges phones, earbuds, tablets, e-readers, AND laptops. It’s truly been a lifesaver.