Spring break is one of our favorite times of the year to get away.  It’s the much needed break from school and activities and we can look forward to getting away together as a family after a cold winter.  Over the years, we have done many different types of trips.  With sharing the places we have been, we hope this article will be helpful in planning your next spring break getaway!

The American Southwest

Hiking, comfortable temperatures, and beautiful scenery such as red rocks, desert landscapes, gorges, and buttes make a trip out here memorable.  

We have done two separate spring break trips to the southwest.  On our first trip, we flew in and out of Las Vegas and did a circle trip around the Grand Canyon.  We started with one day in Vegas and then continued on into Utah, visiting both Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks from our home base in Springdale. 

Bryce Canyon National Park | Utah

From there, we headed south into Arizona and made Page our home base while visiting Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend. 

Antelope Canyon | Arizona

Horseshoe Bend | Arizona

We then made our way back to Las Vegas, visiting the south rim of the Grand Canyon along the way.  You can read about that trip here, Southwest National Parks Road Trip.  

The second time we visited the southwest was to finish up visiting the rest of Utah’s national parks.  We flew in and out of Salt Lake City and headed south to Moab, our base for a few days.  Here, we visited both Canyonlands and Arches National Parks.  We then headed west to Torrey, Utah, where we stayed in a cabin while visiting Capitol Reef National Park.  It was then back to Salt Lake City for a few days of R&R in the city before heading home.  Our guide on this trip is here, Rounding Out Utah’s Mighty 5 National Parks.  

Arches National Park | Utah

One can visit all of the Utah parks in one fell swoop but it will be a busy trip.  In our Guide to Visiting Utah’s Epic Mighty Five National Parks, we share how to do so.  Lastly, if you have a much longer period of time, consider doing The Ultimate Southwest Road Trip, which is a combination of all of the above.

Capitol Reef National Park | Utah

The Caribbean

The Caribbean is a pretty popular place to visit year round, but especially so for spring break.  What’s not to love?  Warm weather, sunshine, and beautiful beaches are just what you need after a cold winter.

We have been to several of the Caribbean islands.  Grand Cayman is a great pick because of how clean and safe it is as well as having good infrastructure. 

Grand Cayman

Turks and Caicos is also lovely with Grace Bay Beach, often rated one of the world’s best. 

Turks & Caicos

The Bahamas make a quick and easy trip from the US.  We enjoyed our time at the Atlantis Resort, which has so much to keep everyone busy. 

Atlantis, The Bahamas

St. Thomas, part of the US Virgin Islands, is also relatively easy to visit for US citizens, thanks to being a US territory.  The topography is stunning and the beaches beautiful, especially Magen’s Bay. 

St. Thomas, USVI

If you visit St. Thomas, consider a trip to another US Virgin Island, St. John, which also contains a US National Park!  You can visit on a day trip from St. Thomas or spend more time here, it’s just a ferry ride away.  In fact, we spent a full week on St. John in 2024.  

St. John, USVI

St. John is a great place to spend time as you can keep quite busy on this small island, which you can read all about here:  One Week on St. John.  One of the best things to do is visit Virgin Islands National Park.  To read about the top things to do in Virgin Island National Park, check out our guide:  Top Things to do in Virgin Islands National Park.

Cruising can be a fun way to visit a lot of places in a short amount of time as well.  From smaller, more quiet ships to massive party ships, there is a type of cruise for everyone.

Our cruise ship docked in The Bahamas

Costa Rica

This Central American country is full of beauty and adventure, a perfect destination with older kids and teens.  With One Week in Costa Rica you can see some of the country’s best.  From ziplining high above the jungle, driving ATVs, visiting a coffee farm, touring hanging bridges, and hiking Arenal Volcano you will never be bored!  In fact, we have an article on Eight Amazing Adventures in Costa Rica.  Costa Rica also has amazing flora and fauna such as sloths, monkeys, and coati.  Throw in really warm weather and beautiful beaches and you have the perfect spring break destination.  

Costa Rica

A Ski or Snowboarding Trip

We have shared many warm weather destinations, but how about something entirely different:  a ski trip!  

We visited the family-friendly resort town of Breckenridge, Colorado several years ago where the kids enjoyed ski school, learning how to snowboard in the Rocky Mountains. 

Breckenridge, Colorado

While here, we enjoyed shopping and dining in Breckenridge, snow tubing in Keystone, and swimming in the outdoor pool at our resort with the snow falling. 

Keystone, Colorado

It was a ton of fun and Braden developed a lifelong love for snowboarding after this trip.

Europe

We have ventured to Europe a few times over spring break and love it.  As Europe starts waking up from its long winter nap, one sees flowers blooming, people milling about, and many fun festivals going on.

We spent one spring break visiting two of Europe’s most iconic cities, London and Paris.  These cities are easily connected via train so they make a great combined trip.  When we were there, we had typical spring weather with mostly blue skies, a little rain, and nice temperatures for exploring.  London is one of our favorite cities and it makes a great first-trip-to-Europe city to explore.  You don’t have a language barrier and the city’s corners are well connected thanks to fabulous public transportation.  Check out the infamous Tower of London, Tower Bridge, dine on fish and chips, and see some amazing sights at some of the world’s best museums.

London

And of course, Paris is equally iconic with the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, the artsy district of Montmartre, and meandering down side streets and enjoying time in a cafe.  

Paris

Rome is also another fabulous city to visit in Europe in the spring.  With such iconic places to see such as the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and the world’s smallest country, Vatican City, it is a fabulous place to explore with kids.

Rome

When we visited here, we combined our visit to Rome with Tuscany.  Slightly warmer than northern Europe, it felt very springy here with flowers blooming, green grass, and beautiful blue skies.  

Tuscany

We recently ventured to Spain and Gibraltar for spring break and we absolutely loved it.  In fact, it is now one of our favorite places in the world. 

Frigiliana, Spain

We based in the small seaside town of Nerja, took a day trip to visit Spain’s most visited site, the Alhambra, in Granada, enjoyed one lovely day in Spain’s prettiest village, Frigiliana, and lastly, toured the tiny British outpost of Gibraltar.

Gibraltar

Please let us know any other awesome spring break ideas you have in the comments below!