Even though it’s only been a few months since our winter break getaway, we couldn’t be more excited to pack up our suitcase and treat ourselves with a luxurious spring break vacay — hey, we deserve it! But while our mind has already jumped ahead to packing our gorgeous spring essentials (seriously, you have to check out these suitcase-friendly interchangeable shoes!), we still have to accomplish the all-important task of figuring out where the heck we want to spend our coveted week off.
Our friends at KAYAK decided to research the most popular spring break destinations of 2017 by studying which flights people are searching in all 50 states. Comparing flight searches conducted in the US between June 17, 2016 and January 17, 2017 for this spring break with last year’s data, KAYAK determined which destinations saw the biggest increase in search — AKA which places are the trendiest hotspots to jet off to this spring break.
Key Findings
1. Cuba is *always* a good idea. Now that travel restrictions between the US and Cuba are somewhat relaxed, Havana is definitely a go-to place to vacation this spring break. In fact, it topped the list for most searched spring break destination for TEN different states.
2. Honolulu is sooo 2015. While the island of Oahu was definitely a must-visit destination in year’s past, this year Maui was the most popular Hawaiian getaway, with 21 states seeing a triple-digit increase in flight search interest.
3. Time to pack your travel pillow. From Dubai to Taipei, tons of states are ditching staycations for spring break trips that require a hella long flight. States like South Carolina, Vermont, Connecticut, and Wyoming are looking to travel as many miles as possible, picking destinations like Tel Aviv, Lisbon, Christchurch, and Glasgow, respectively.
Top Searched Spring Break Destination by State
1. Alabama: Maui, HI
2. Alaska: Barcelona, Spain
3. Arizona: Maui, HI
4. Arkansas: Managua, Nicaragua
5. California: Maui, HI
6. Colorado: Helsinki, Finland
7. Connecticut: Christchurch, New Zealand
8. Washington, DC: Santiago, Chile
9. Delaware: Reno, NV
10. Florida: Havana, Cuba
11. Georgia: Maui, HI
12. Hawaii: Taipei, Taiwan
13. Idaho: Rome, Italy
14. Illinois: Maui, HI
15. Indiana: Maui, HI
16. Iowa: Cape Town, South Africa
17. Kansas: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
18. Kentucky: Havana, Cuba
19. Louisiana: Havana, Cuba
20. Maine: Maui, HI
21. Maryland: Maui, HI
22. Massachusetts: Maui, HI
23. Michigan: Maui, HI
24. Minnesota: Havana, Cuba
25. Mississippi: Maui, HI
26. Missouri: Havana, Cuba
27. Montana: Maui, HI
28. Nebraska: Maui, HI
29. Nevada: Corpus Christi, TX
30. New Hampshire: Glasgow, Scotland
31. New Jersey: Havana, Cuba
32. New Mexico: Maui, HI
33. New York: Maui, HI
34. North Carolina: Santiago, Chile
35. North Dakota: Paris, France
36. Ohio: Maui, HI
37. Oklahoma: Havana, Cuba
38. Oregon: Maui, HI
39. Pennsylvania: Santiago, Chile
40. Rhode Island: Belize City, Belize
41. South Carolina: Tel Aviv, Israel
42. South Dakota: Hilton Head, SC
43. Tennessee: Maui, HI
44. Texas: Havana, Cuba
45. Utah: Havana, Cuba
46. Vermont: Lisbon, Portugal
47. Virginia: Maui, HI
48. Washington: Maui, HI
49. West Virginia: Havana, Cuba
50. Wisconsin: Maui, HI
51. Wyoming: Glasgow, Scotland
Where are you headed for spring break? Tweet us by mentioning @BritandCo.
(Photos via Getty)