5 excellent reasons to take a spring break trip

— -- Spring break is not just for bungee-jumpers, zipline lovers or parasailors.

It’s for everyone, even those whose idea of a big adventure is basking on a beach.

If you’re not sure about taking a spring break trip, here are five excellent reasons to at least start thinking about it.

1. Flights are incredibly cheap

I checked my airline comparison site for round-trip fares to fun places for travel in February or March and here are some of those deals. I found them by using a search tool that finds the cheapest fares within a specific month or season and there are lots of these tools out there including my own.

- Atlanta-Las Vegas, $98
- Chicago –Fort Lauderdale, $67
- Dallas-Miami, $99
- Los Angeles-Phoenix, $89
- New York-Albuquerque, $154
- San Francisco-Santa Ana, $82

Remember, airlines can and do change prices without warning but these prices were valid as of late last week.

2. You can make a cheap flight even cheaper

Fly cheaper days: Many of the deals shown above are for travel on weekdays so try to avoid the usual weekend-to-weekend itinerary. If you can include at least one Tuesday or Wednesday or another weekday, you will almost always save.

Fly where competition is fierce: More airline competition generally means lower prices and you’ll usually find this in the biggest airports, especially those with lots of discount carriers. In simple terms, this usually means fly in and out of the biggest airports near you. Maybe you live closest to Burbank, California, but chances are good that Los Angeles’ giant LAX has much better fares. Compare to be certain of the savings -- a longer drive could be well worth the inconvenience.

3. Lots of cheap cities to choose from

Spring break deals are all over the map but the best fares we’re seeing are to/from Boston, Denver, Southern Florida and Southern California. Want to get way out of town? Lots of Caribbean and European cities are cheap, too.

4. Lots of cheap international cities

Take a look at these round-trip fares, also found on my site late last week for travel in February or March.

- Boston-London, $383
- Chicago-Amsterdam, $475
- Los Angeles-Dublin, $452
- New York-Barcelona, $405
- New York-Cancun, $277
- San Francisco-Rome, $459
- Seattle-San Jose Cabo, Mexico $300

5. Lots of cheap and free attractions everywhere

OK, most of the following attractions are free (or cheap) year-round but it’s a good reminder that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a good time any time of year. Some sightseeing spots to check out:

- Chicago: Lincoln Park Zoo, the Lakeside Trail, Navy Pier, Millennium Park.
- Los Angeles: The Getty Museum (with views of downtown and the Pacific), Malibu, Hollywood.
- New York: Times Square, Central Park, Grand Central Station, Greenwich Village.
- National Parks: A bargain at any price but there are several days throughout the year when national parks are free; at other times, check out special discounted passes (including the senior pass for those 62 and older).

Or, you know, just bask on a beach.

Rick Seaney is the CEO of FareCompare, a website that curates the best deals on flights from around the world. Any opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author.