Spring break can mean partying in Cancun or volunteering in New Orleans. But it can also mean late-season skiing or even birdwatching. Here are some spring break ideas.

Booking You get the best value and choice booking three to four months ahead. But you can still plan plenty of last-minute trips. Flying on weekdays and staying four rather than seven days increases your last-minute options for flights and lodging, according to Amanda Webb of STA Travel.

Most U.S. college spring breaks fall between March 8 and 22. Not surprisingly, that’s when airfare peaks, according to Farecast.com, a travel search site. The website’s research found fares average US$294 to Las Vegas, $270 to Orlando, $314 to Miami, and $350-$500 for Mexico and the Caribbean. Farecast.com says if you’re not bound to the college calendar, you’ll save money vacationing at the end of February or in April.

College spring breaks: Panama City Beach, Fla., and South Padre Island, Texas, remain top destinations for the college crowd, according to Debbie Gibb of the Student and Youth Travel Association, http://www.syta.org. Also popular, Gibb said, are Breckenridge, Colo., South Beach in Miami, Lake Havasu, Ariz., Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Las Vegas. Top destinations outside the U.S. include Cancun, Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, Jamaica and the