WASHINGTON, D. C. (Tuesday, March 26, 2019) –– It is not your father’s Spring Break. Yet 45 million Americans are planning a family trip this spring, according to a recent travel survey by AAA. No wonder the streets and sidewalks of Washington, D.C. are bustling with tourists, sightseers and students in town for Spring Break. So are gateway points. Now that it is springtime in Washington, D.C. and its environs, there are way more folks boarding sightseeing buses and Metro, tapping away on rideshare apps for rides around town, hailing taxis and cabs, getting around in the family SUV and on bikes on loan from Capital Bikeshare, and zipping by sites on Segways, scooters, and skates. To take advantage of affordable spring vacation packages, AAA Travel urges families to plan and research as far ahead as much as possible.

It is not your imagination, there is a lot more traffic on roads in and out of Washington, D.C. and along Pennsylvania Avenue, the National Mall,  I-295 southbound, US 50 (New York Avenue), and along other entry points and egresses. With so many sights and sounds and free things to do, the nation’s capital is an ideal venue for “family-friendly spring breaks.”  So too is the entire national capital area. The National Cherry Blossom Festival is billed as “the nation’s greatest springtime celebration.” The region is not a tourist trap. With money burning holes in their pockets, tourists will pump billions of dollars into the local economy.

What’s that sound? Springtime in Washington, D.C. is filled with the rumble of as many as 1,200 buses a day operating in and around the National Mall and the dulcet tones rolling off the tongues of docents conducting tours at the region’s world-famous museums. Typically, Spring Break is defined as the week prior to and after Easter Sunday. Spring Break falls on Holy Week for students in the three largest public school systems in the region, Fairfax, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, and for students in D.C. Public Schools. For college students, the time for Spring Break varies from college to college or university to university. “Spring Break spans late February to mid-April, with March being the peak period.”

“Spring Break is not just for college kids who want to party on the beach,” said Maria York, Retail District Director for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “Spring is often the first opportunity of the year for the entire family to travel somewhere together. The popularity of family trips during springtide leads to reduced availability and higher prices. A trusted travel advisor will prove beneficial in finding the best options for your family.”

Collegians aren’t the only ones traveling in large numbers this March and April. Families with children also use the occasion of school vacations to get up and go. They are flocking to family-oriented venues and vistas, notes AAA Travel. Spring is the season for drive trips, excursions to national parks, museum tours, cruises to exotic ports of call, trips off the beaten path, and getaways to coveted destinations under spring’s warmer sun. Perennially, Washington, D.C. remains one of the nation’s most popular tourist destinations, especially during the season between winter and summer. During Spring Break, a tsunami of students will surge into the floral-scented city from across the region and the nation. It is a rite of passage. It’s fueled by the class trip and educational field trip in the nation’s capital.

Four in ten U.S. adults are planning to take a family vacation in 2019, according to a recent AAA Travel survey. Of the nearly 100 million Americans doing so, just under half (45 percent) are making plans to travel as a family this spring, while two-thirds of all family travelers (68 percent) will embark on a summer getaway. Another recent AAA survey finds 33 percent of Americans would go on at least one additional summer road trip, if gas prices remain low.

“Now through Easter is peak time for spring break travel, so travelers should be prepared for crowds and give themselves plenty of time on the roads and in the airports,” said Fred Ashraf, Senior Travel Agent with AAA Mid-Atlantic. “While last year millennials emerged as the top family vacation-goers, members of Generation X are now more likely to be planning a family vacation than their older and younger counterparts, by as much as 17 percentage points. More than half of these 39-54-year-olds (55 percent) are planning to travel with loved ones, 16 percentage points more than last year, the AAA Travel survey reveals.”

It is a rite of spring. Filled to the brim with memorials, museums, monuments, and war memorials, Spring Break in the National Capital Region is for adults too. Springtime in Washington, D.C. is  “headlined by the blooming of cherry blossom trees and the corresponding National Cherry Blossom Festival, but your spring vacation does not have to be limited to that,” explains Destination DC. The “spring-tacular” National Cherry Blossom Festival is the official kick-off of the tourism season in the national capital area. Peak bloom for the cherry blossoms is April 1, according to the National Park Service. With so many buses converging and throngs clustering to watch the cherry blossom trees in peak bloom, “Don’t be surprised at delays up to 30-45 minutes between Loudoun County and Washington, D.C.,” advises DC Commute Times.

The city attracted 22.8 million visitors during 2017. This represents the “eighth year of record visitations,” and a 3.8 percent increase over 2016, touts Destination DC. Cash registers are filled to the brim across the city and region. Tourists and visitors spent more than $7.5 billion during their excursions, expeditions, forays and daytrips into the city in 2017. More motor-coaches are arriving in the city with each passing day this spring. It is a cast of thousands of tour buses. In fact, “approximately one-third of the visiting public arrives via tour bus” during the “spring-summer peak season,” notes the National Park Service. 

“A walk among Washington’s monuments and monumental buildings is sure to leave a lasting impression on all but the most jaded traveler,” details the AAA TourBook Guide. The nation’s capital overflows with scrapbook-worthy sights, souvenir shops, stained glass, paintings and sculptures. “The District of Columbia represents America,” extols the AAATourBook. Not only is the nation’s capital “the top group tour destination” in the United States; it is also second on the “Top 10” list for student travel destinations.

One of the free things to do throughout the city is taking in the Smithsonian. Unlike other museums across the country and the region, admission to any of the Smithsonian museums is free. During 2018, Smithsonian museums beckoned 28.5 million visitors. The sites welcomed 30 million visits during 2017. Around 1.9 million visitors explored the universally famous National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) during 2018, compared to the 4.8 million visitors who toured the National Museum of Natural History, and the 4.1 million people who visited the National Museum of American History.

“Why Washington, D.C.?” Why not Washington, D.C.?  It is uniquely the nation’s capital –the “center of the free world.” That is why “tourists crouch on the ground in an attempt to snap a photo of the Washington Monument, leaving with a 3 x 5 of most of the tower and a lot of sky,” explains the AAA TourBook Guide. “Family members search in silence for names of their loved ones at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, taking with them a name etching and a memory.” Remember, passengers are one of the most precious cargo on a trip, be it 5 or 50 miles down the road, urges AAA Mid-Atlantic Travel Services. Visit www.AAA.com/roadtrips for inspiration before you hit the highway during spring break.

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AAA provides automotive, travel and insurance services to 58 million members nationwide and nearly 79,000 members in the District of Columbia.  AAA advocates for the safety and mobility of its members and has been committed to outstanding road service for more than 100 years.  The not-for-profit, fully tax-paying member organization works on behalf of motorists, who can now map a route, find local gas prices, discover discounts, book a hotel and track their roadside assistance service with the AAA Mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android. For more information, visit  https://aaa.com