Minnesota winters can be long, and by the time March rolls around, many residents are clamoring for a break from the cold.

A spring break trip might feel like the perfect solution, but then comes the onerous task of vacation planning.

Determining what destinations fit your budget and interests can be overwhelming. There are endless possibilities, which is paralyzing if you don’t know where to begin.

Being proactive and flexible with your destination can lead you to find both affordable and adventurous options, whether you want a road trip to the North Shore or a beach vacation in Mexico. Here is some expert advice for your next getaway:

Kyle Potter, executive editor at the Thrifty Traveler, said Minnesotans tend to start planning spring break trips around December, but you can start even earlier to find better deals.

Airlines, hotels and vacation rentals are all generally open for booking 11 months in advance, so travelers could start planning now for spring break 2026.

Potter said many people book spring break trips around the holidays because they worry booking early might cause them to miss out on a better deal, which isn’t necessarily the case. If you book a flight and the fare goes down, travelers can contact the airline to for a reimbursement of the difference, usually in the form of an airline flight credit.

Antonia Grant, the Minnesotan creator of the travel blog Knead to Roam, said to track flight prices for a few weeks before booking to gain a good understanding of where prices are and where they go

Potter said Google Flights is the best website for tracking flights. The website allows travelers to send flight alerts to their email when prices for a selected route and timeframe drop.

Google Flights also sends travelers to book directly with airlines, unlike other third-party websites.

“If you cut out the middleman, whether it’s Expedia or Travelocity, you have your ticket live directly with the airline,” Potter said. “If something goes wrong with your flight, you don’t have to call up Expedia and then have Expedia call your airline to sort it out, which solves a lot of problems in the long run.”

Leaving the all-or-nothing attitude behind when planning a trip can open you up to better deals.

Altering your arrival and departure, even by just a couple of days, can bring you cheaper prices for flights, Grant said.

Being open to less popular destinations can also save you money, Grant said. Finding hidden-gem locales that match the vibe you want your trip to have is a great strategy.

Google Flights allows users to input specific dates and destinations into their database but notifies users if it is cheaper to move your trip a few days before or after you initially planned.

A common misconception is there is a day of the week that is cheapest to book flights, Potter said. There are, though, days that are cheaper to fly on: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

“Everybody wants to leave on a Sunday or Monday and return on Sunday. That’s what everybody does, and the airlines know it, so they price their flights accordingly,” Potter said.

Potter said avoiding those days can “easily save a couple hundred dollars” on domestic flights.

“If you’re talking about Mexico or the Caribbean and let alone Europe, it can mean saving $300 or more per ticket,” he said.

To stay flexible with travel dates, wait to request time off from work until you’ve booked or know exactly what flights you want to take, Potter said.

Sun Country and Google Flights both offer flight maps where travelers can look at various destinations to see cheap fares for their preferred arrival and departure dates.

Airlines have added and taken away seats from flights to different destinations through the years, indicating popular vacation spots.

The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) said of all airlines flying out of Minneapolis-St. Paul from December to March in the past year, seats on flights to Dallas increased by 21% and seats to Phoenix increased by 5.6%. Meanwhile, seats on flights to traditionally popular spring break spots Orlando and Cancún decreased by 10% and 8%, respectively, in the same period.

Seats to some destinations with smaller airports grew exponentially in the past year. For Jackson Hole, Wyo., there were about 3,000 more seats. Aruba also added about 8,000 seats, according to MAC.

Minnesota-based Sun Country Airlines, which specializes in affordable leisure travel, offers flights around the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean. Travelers can use the deals tab on its website to find round-trip flights starting at $140 per person for certain destinations in Florida. International round-trip flights to places in Mexico or the Caribbean start at $240.

Grant said understanding your budget helps to inform which destinations best suit your needs.

If you want a beach vacation, flights will be your biggest expense. If you are interested in hiking, you should evaluate what weather you want during your trip. Being OK with colder temperatures opens the door for road-trip destinations like Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, which trades out airfare costs for gas money.

Communicating your budget and needs when traveling with friends is also key when planning a vacation, said Susan Gleissner, Minnesotan travel blogger at This Big Wild World.

“Discuss what happens when someone cancels,” Gleissner said. “Too often, this isn’t discussed early on, and the rest of the group gets stuck with a higher bill than expected when a group member cancels at the last minute.”

Between short-term rental options like Airbnb or VRBO and hotels, the latter are generally the cheaper option. That’s especially true when traveling as a single-family unit, said Lindsey Ranzau, Minnesota-based writer for the blog Look About Lindsey.

“Anytime I’m traveling with a group or multiple families, I always choose Airbnb because you’re splitting the cost, so it tends to be cheaper,” Ranzau said. “When I go with my family, hotels tend to be cheaper, and there are amenities comparable to or better than Airbnb.”

Hotels are more likely to allow parties to drop off their luggage before their check-in time than Airbnb, something Ranzau said was a convenient benefit.

Potter recommended Google Hotels, similar to Google Flights, to compare hotel prices in your destination city so you can find the most affordable and high-quality accommodations.

Unless you’re booking an all-inclusive resort, make sure you leave room in your travel budget for entertainment and food.

For students, finding activities with student discounts, like museums, can be a good way to save money once at your destination, Grant said. Similarly, if a family member is in the military, those veteran discounts can help.

Travelers can also find senior and youth discounts for different attractions.

Looking for resources before you leave is integral to budget travel as well. If you want to visit Minnesota state parks, libraries in some counties offer free seven-day state park passes, meaning you do not have to pay for entry.

For national park trips, families with a fourth-grader can apply for a free pass to enter national parks for a full year.

AAA members are eligible for various discounts to restaurants, baseball games and theme parks for food and entertainment while traveling.

AAA members can also find deals on rental cars if you need transportation once you reach your destination.

Food costs vary based on location, but there are strategies to save on food during your vacation.

If you’re staying in a home rental with a kitchen, going to the grocery store to cook a few meals is a good way to save money, Grant said. If you prefer hotels, Grant advised choosing one with a complimentary breakfast amenity to eliminate needing to pay for one meal a day.

Researching restaurants before your trip can help you find places in your budget, Grant said, so you don’t hurriedly choose a more expensive option when you’re hungry and sun-drunk after a day at the beach.

Rachel Hoppe is a University of Minnesota student reporter on assignment for the Minnesota Star Tribune. Her email is rachel.hoppe@startribune.com.