Summer is just a flight away: Try these destinations south of the equator

Winter weather has pummeled the U.S. in recent weeks, with the South seeing record-breaking snowfall.

But summer could be just a plane ride away. Winter won’t end until late March in the states, but travelers craving warmer days can head to the Southern Hemisphere in the meantime – without blowing their budget.

“There are plenty of flight deals still available for those of us who are tired of freezing temps,” Melanie Fish, VP of Global Public Relations for Expedia Group, told USA TODAY in an email. Here’s what to know about finding a vacation deal south of the equator this winter.

What are the most popular destinations south of the equator?

According to data shared by travel platform, Hopper, the most-booked destinations in the Southern Hemisphere between February and April were:

• Sydney, Australia

• Auckland, New Zealand

• Santiago, Chile

Others in the top 10 cities included Melbourne, Australia; São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil; and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Hotels.com data similarly showed the most popular cities in that part of the world between December and March were Rio de Janeiro; Sydney; and Cape Town in South Africa, according to Fish. Hotels.com is part of Expedia Group.

Popular countries either fully or partially in the Southern Hemisphere also included Ecuador, Tanzania, the Maldives, Colombia and Fiji, Fish added.

Cheapest flights to destinations south of the equator

There are deals available from a number of U.S. hubs, according to Hopper:

• From Boston, travelers can fly round-trip to São Paulo for as low as $462.

• From New York, there are flights to Santiago, Chile for as low as $575 round-trip; Rio de Janeiro for $588; and São Paulo for $632.

• From Newark, New Jersey, travelers can book round-trip flights to Rio de Janeiro for as little as $607; Santiago de Chile for $612; and São Paulo for $629.

• From Dallas, Texas, there are round-trip flights to Rio de Janeiro starting at $640.

Fish said the Expedia app also showed deals for flights to Brazil, South Africa, Australia, and Peru between January and March.

“February and March flights from Los Angeles to Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane can be found for up to 55% less than the typical predicted fare – as low as $718 for an LAX (to) Brisbane flight the last week of February,” she added.

Fares for January and February flights from New York to São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro were as much as 60% cheaper than typically expected during this timeframe – starting at $644 – while those from New York to Johannesburg in March were up to 50% lower at $856.

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Cheapest hotels in destinations south of the equator

Brazil and Ecuador had the cheapest nightly prices between January and March, according to Hotels.com data.

In Rio, there were four-star properties with rates as low as $60 per night, for example. “Ecuador is one of the most affordable destinations on the list. However, top destinations like the Galapagos can be more expensive,” Fish said. “Highly rated 3-star hotels start at as low as $35 in Quito.”

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cheap flights to escape winter at these destinations