Outsmarting high spring break prices

There's a 95 percent chance Senior Editor Christine Sarkis is thinking about travel right now. Follow her on Instagram @postcartography and Twitter @ChristineSarkis.

Christine Sarkis is an SATW-award-winning journalist and executive editor at SmarterTravel. Her stories have also appeared on USA Today, Conde Nast Traveler, Huffington Post, and Business Insider. Her advice has been featured in dozens of print and online publications including The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and People magazine. She has also shared travel tips on television and radio shows including Good Morning America, Marketplace, and Here & Now. Her work has been published in the anthologies Spain from a Backpack and The Best Women's Travel Writing 2008. She is currently working on a travel memoir.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: The Trtl Pillow. It's easy to pack and comfortable, and makes it so I can actually sleep on flights.

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: Seeing the Aurora Borealis from the comfort of somewhere warm, like a glass igloo or hot spring.

Travel Motto: Curiosity is an amazing compass.

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: Aisle all the way.

Email Christine Sarkis at editor@smartertravel.com.

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Airfare prediction website Farecast just issued its 2008 Spring Break forecast. The most important thing to note is that airfares are more expensive this year than they were in 2007, so maximizing those vacation dollars will be extra important for travelers on a budget.

You can find more details about this information at Farecast, but here are tips that stood out as particularly helpful in planning a spring break trip:

Shop now. Prices have been falling but are likely to start climbing again within 30 days of the departure date.
When possible, families should avoid traveling during the peak college spring break dates of March 8 to 22, since airfare prices will tend to be higher during this time.
Travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for better airfare prices.

For East Coasters, Farecast suggests Nassau in the Bahamas and Florida as good value destinations this year. On the West Coast, Puerto Vallarta is less expensive to get to this year than it was in spring 2007.

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