It’s finally time to put your parka away and book a well-deserved spring break vacation.
Not sure where to thaw out after a long, cold winter? The travel site Kayak compiled a list of the 10 most popular spring break getaways, based on the destinations that saw the greatest surge in searches between March 1 and April 30 last year.
SLIDESHOW: Top 10 Last-Minute Spring Break Destinations
For almost all of the destinations, the most affordable time to go was during the last two weeks of April. Additionally, Kayak says that if you book within one month of your trip, you’ll get the lowest median airfare.
California and Florida dominate the list, with eight of the 10 destinations. Arizona and Nevada account for the remaining two.
David Solomito, Kayak travel expert and director of brand marketing, says that this is the first year that all of the destinations on the list are in the U.S. He says this list shows that people are searching for warmth and “easy, breezy travel with no passports.”
Another trend in spring break travel is the rising presence of social media. Instead of just heading to the beach, people are interested in visiting cities that have more going on so they have more interesting pictures to share with their social media followers.
“People are looking for “unique and well-rounded experiences that are Instagram-worthy. People are sharing their trips with hundreds and thousands of people on social media, not just people they’re on the trip with,” Solomito says.
Related: 8 Tips to Save on Spring Break Travel
Wherever you choose to spend your spring break, there are some tricks to getting the best price. According to Andrea Graziani, the chief marketing officer of the personal travel valet service DUFL, flights that depart on a Wednesday, Thursday or Monday are usually the least expensive, and the best days to return are Tuesdays and Wednesdays. She advises against booking travel on the weekend, when it’s most expensive to fly. For accommodations, Airbnb or VRBO, the vacation rental site, provide options that are typically less expensive than hotels, she says.
And if you see a deal you like, Solomito suggests that you go for it and not wait around for a better one because the deal won’t likely be around for long. “These deals change day by day,” Solomito says.
