Families with school-aged children are choosing not to take their children out of school to travel, Flight Centre data has shown, as the government cracks down on truancy.

Flight Centre New Zealand general manager Heidi Walker says it appears the messages from the Ministry of Education are getting through to parents.

New data shows travel bookings during the winter holidays are up 10 per cent from last year, while travel during the school term has dropped 30 per cent.

It comes after the government announced in April it will start cracking down on truancy by introducing a "traffic light system" of punishments for students and their parents, including fines for parents and police referrals.

The focus includes parents taking their children out of school to go on family holidays.

Changes also include daily reporting of attendance and changes to public health guidelines on when students are too sick to attend.

"What some customers are telling us is that many schools across the country now have firm rules against taking kids out of school for travel that's not deemed as crucial," says Heidi.

Travel during the school holidays can be more expensive, says Heidi, but good deals could still be found.

"Booking well in advance would be my biggest piece of advice for those with school-age kids. Gone are the days where there would be last-minute deals to destinations.

"Though capacity has risen considerably, it's still somewhat limited so as seats fill up, prices do inevitably go up."

To get the best deal possible, Heidi says people should try and book their travel 10 months to a year in advance.

She says family favourite holiday spots are still Fiji, Australia and Rarotonga, but data shows there's a rise in some long-haul destinations including Bali, London, Los Angeles and Hawaii.

"Close-to-home destinations are always popular for families, especially when they're limited to just a two-week trip, within the school holidays."

-RNZ.