why would my vacation be so much more expensive in April?

Question

Why would my vacation be so much more expensive in April?
My mom and I were planning on going on a vacation near the end of February. The best price we could get for a plane and hotel came to a total of $1,250 for four days. Unfortunately, we are not quite sure if the harsh snowy weather will be cleared up enough to go then. We decided to price the vacation in April (the only other time we could go) for the same number of days incase the weather was horrible and we had to cancel. The lowest price in April that I could find was $1,800 total for a plane and hotel. Which we can not afford. Why is it so much more expensive in April than in February? It is only 2 months farther away. Does it have to do with how far in advance I'm buying them, or something else? Do you think there is any chance of the prices going down if I wait until closer to the date that we plan to go if we end up taking the vacation in April?

Answer 1

February must be non-peak travel time to go to that destination. In April as the weather gets warmer, more people are likely to visit and with more demand, higher ticket prices. Waiting to the last minute to buy will only cause the ticket price to go up even higher as airlines typically sell the cheapest seats first and then once those are gone, they sell the next batch of cheapest seats.

Answer 2

It would help if you mention where you're departing from and where you're going to, but flights and hotels in February are almost always cheaper to most destinatiions than in April, mainly because of less demand for travel during the winter months. April can sometimes be a very high demand month for travel because of improving weather and spring break for many college students.



For exactly the reasons you mention regarding better weather in April than February is the reason for more expensive prices in the spring than winter. It's very doubtful that prices will come down the closer you get to April, in fact they very likely will get MORE expensive. If you want to save money, go in February, you might also check early March and see what you can come up with.

Answer 3

Prices are often higher during the more desirable seasons. It depends on your destination, but places will charge what people are willing to pay. Hotels often have different rates for different seasons, plus they offer additional incentives for staying off season.



It's also possible that the particular week you chose has something going on and the reduced availability is increasing the prices. Try pricing a couple of other weeks around that time to see if they are equally expensive.

Answer 4

Spring break, warmer weather, prime vacation time which means more demand for flights. The longer you wait, the more expensive it'll be.