Spring 2026 is one of the better times we’ve seen to book international travel in a few years. While some destinations are down big, a few are running more expensive than last spring.
If you’re planning travel, this is one of the better booking windows we’ve seen since pre-pandemic pricing normalized. But the gap between cheap and expensive destinations is wider than usual which means where you go matters more than when you go.
Latin America and North Africa are where the value is right now, parts of Europe are cheaper than last year, and Southeast Asia is more expensive
The biggest surprise is how aggressive Caribbean pricing has been especially out of the East Coast and Florida. We’re seeing sub-$200 fares to places like Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Aruba consistently, which is not typical for spring travel at this point in the booking cycle.
One thing we are watching closely is that fuel prices are a wildcard right now. With oil pushing higher, airlines will eventually have to adjust. But fares haven’t caught up yet which is why this current window matters more than usual and being flexible can really help you find those deals.
Recent deals we’ve seen:
- Newark → San Juan from $116 (avg ~$320)
- JFK → San Juan from $136 (avg ~$340)
- Fort Lauderdale → Aruba from $198 (avg ~$400)
- Fort Lauderdale → Montego Bay from $214 (avg ~$420)
- Orlando → St. Thomas from $152 (avg ~$360)
That’s 40–60% below typical pricing on some of these routes. If you’re flexible right now, you can still travel for prices we haven’t seen consistently in years.
Read also: The Ultimate Guide to Finding Cheap Flights
Key takeaways
- International deals are down an average of 22% across the top affordable destinations
- Caribbean routes are quietly some of the best value in the market right now
- Cancún, Bogotá, Marrakech, and Milan are where the biggest savings are
- Bangkok, Athens, and Dublin are running more expensive vs last year and you’ll have to work hard and be patient to find deals.
- Mexico is still the best value play for U.S. travelers.
- Flexibility on dates can still save you $50–$150 on most routes
Industry Trends: Why Spring 2026 Looks Different
Spring is underrated for deal-seekers and always has been. Summer crowds are still a couple months out, airlines have more seats to fill than they have buyers, and prices drop fast to make up the difference.
What’s different this year:
- Low-cost carriers have added capacity on transatlantic and Latin America routes, pushing legacy airlines to compete on price
- Demand has normalized after the 2023–2024 surge and travelers are more selective
- Spring break demand is compressed into a few weeks in March, leaving April and early May wide open
Important takeaways:
- More supply than demand is driving price drops across a lot of key routes
- April midweek departures are some of the best-priced we’ve seen in years
- The best deals right now are going to travelers booking 3–6 weeks out and staying flexible
Spring 2026 vs. Spring 2025
We looked at 20 international destinations and compared average roundtrip economy fares for March, April, and May 2026 against the same window in 2025. Sorted by biggest savings first.
These 14 destinations are down year-over-year. The percentage and dollar change are vs. the same March–May window in 2025.
- Cancún, Mexico
Avg. Spring ’26: $251 / Spring ’25: $389
▼ -35% / -$138 - Marrakech, Morocco
Avg. Spring ’26: $172 / Spring ’25: $248
▼ -31% / -$76 - Bogotá, Colombia
Avg. Spring ’26: $233 / Spring ’25: $319
▼ -27% / -$86 - Milan, Italy
Avg. Spring ’26: $323 vs. Spring ’25: $418
▼ -23% / -$95 - Mexico City, Mexico
Avg. Spring ’26: $270 vs. Spring ’25: $348
▼ -22% / -$78 - San Juan, Puerto Rico
Avg. Spring ’26: $237 vs. Spring ’25: $298
▼ -20% / -$61 - San José, Costa Rica
Avg. Spring ’26: $263 vs. Spring ’25: $329
▼ -20% / -$66 - Barcelona, Spain
Avg. Spring ’26: $363 vs. Spring ’25: $449
▼ -19% / -$86 - São Paulo, Brazil
Avg. Spring ’26: $349 vs. Spring ’25: $428
▼ -18% / -$79 - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Avg. Spring ’26: $257 vs. Spring ’25: $312
▼ -18% / -$55 - Guatemala City, Guatemala
Avg. Spring ’26: $261 vs. Spring ’25: $318
▼ -18% / -$57 - San Salvador, El Salvador
Avg. Spring ’26: $268 vs. Spring ’25: $324
▼ -17% / -$56 - Rome, Italy
Avg. Spring ’26: $370 vs. Spring ’25: $441
▼ -16% / -$71 - Stockholm, Sweden
Avg. Spring ’26: $390 vs. Spring ’25: $458
▼ -15% / -$68
More Expensive Than Last Spring
These 6 destinations are running higher than last year. Deals still exist, but you’ll have to work for them.
- Bangkok, Thailand
Avg. Spring ’26: $509 vs. Spring ’25: $448
▲ +14% / +$61 - Athens, Greece
Avg. Spring ’26: $537 vs. Spring ’25: $471
▲ +14% / +$66 - Dublin, Ireland
Avg. Spring ’26: $432 vs. Spring ’25: $389
▲ +11% / +$43 - Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Avg. Spring ’26: $293 vs. Spring ’25: $272
▲ +8% / +$21 - Lisbon, Portugal
Avg. Spring ’26: $479 vs. Spring ’25: $443
▲ +8% / +$36 - Madrid, Spain
Avg. Spring ’26: $445 vs. Spring ’25: $418
▲ +6% / +$27
Caribbean Deals Are Having a Moment
This is the one area that’s still flying a little under the radar.
While most of the conversation is around Europe getting cheaper, the Caribbean is where we’re seeing the most consistent, repeatable deals especially from East Coast and Florida hubs.
San Juan has been showing up constantly in our deal feeds across multiple departure cities like Newark, JFK, Philly, Detroit and with fares dipping as low as $116–$160 roundtrip against averages closer to $300–$370.
Here is what we are seeing:
- Aruba: ~$198 vs ~$400 average
- Santo Domingo: ~$200 vs ~$410 average
- Montego Bay: low $200s vs ~$420 average
- St. Thomas: low $150s vs ~$360 average
What’s driving it:
- Increased airline competition on Caribbean routes
- More capacity out of Florida and Northeast hubs
- Airlines filling shoulder-season demand between winter peak and summer
If you want a warm-weather trip without paying peak spring break pricing, this is one of the best windows we’ve seen in a while.
Smart Travel Tips for Spring
These prices won’t last. As spring break wraps up and summer demand really picks up, the deals you’re seeing now will start to disappear.
- Target April over March: Mid-April through early May is the sweet spot. Based on our data, April departures are 15–20% cheaper than March on the same routes.
- Use the split-ticket strategy: For Europe, fly into a hub like London or Lisbon, then connect on a low-cost carrier. This regularly saves $100–$200 on routes like Milan and Barcelona.
- Set fare alerts early: A $251 fare to Cancún won’t sit for long. Alerts give you a shot before prices go back up.
- Book 4–6 weeks out for May travel: Inside two weeks, prices increase pretty quickly.
- Fly midweek: Tuesday and Wednesday departures are consistently 15–25% cheaper than weekends.
Use points when it makes sense: Award availability is better than it was last summer, especially for international routes.
Methodology
We pulled active deal pricing from the Dollar Flight Club deal feed on March 16, 2026. This includes international economy fares across 20 destination markets. Routes are roundtrip economy from 10 major U.S. departure cities for travel between March 17 and May 31, 2026. Year-over-year comparisons use Spring 2025 pricing benchmarks from our internal deal history, Skyscanner trend data, and OTA aggregators. All figures reflect average lowest observed fares across routes.
