If there’s one thing that the last few years have taught us about travel, it’s that there is beauty in our own backyard. Not only can closer destinations be just as exciting as those farther away, but quick getaway weekends to these destinations can help you actually travel more, and for less money.
If you’re interested in hitting the road, but not quite in the place to make it a big vacation, you should know that travel is still accessible to you. By using these tips, you can take in the excitement of life on the move without having to go too far, or for too long.
Travel tips for quick weekend getaways
1. Optimize your travel
When beginning to plan your quick weekend getaway, it’s important to think first about how to maximize your time. Because when you’ve only got a few days to spend in a new place, you’re going to want to make the most of your time. Consider flight times that make sense for long weekends.
To optimize your travel, filter your flight searches by departure times. Prioritize late or early flights to get to your destination with more time to explore. For example, you might choose to leave right after work on Thursday or Friday and arrive on a late flight the evening before your getaway really starts (cheers to celebrating happy hour in the sky!). Or, you can book an early flight on a Friday or Saturday morning that puts you at your destination right in time for brunch.
2. Pick the fastest option
Part of optimizing your travel time involves considering where you can get to quickest. While you may have your eyes set on a cross-country trip, a jaunt down the coastline can make more sense for a mini trip that won’t take too much time.
Fortunately, Skyscanner offers an easy way to utilize this tip. Simply filter for shorter journey times (an ideal transit time is three hours or under), and you’ll find it a breeze to maximize the enjoyable parts of your destination rather than taking way too long to get there.
3. Check available airports
A key travel hack for planning quick getaway weekends is to choose the right destination airport. Flying into an airport that’s too far away from your hotel or weekend activity goals may help you save on airfare, but it will also elongate the time it’ll take to reach your ultimate destination and eat up precious minutes of a brief stay.
To avoid this, try filtering your flight search by airports. This way, you can evaluate which is the most efficient for your plans, and which airport may be more appropriate for a longer vacation.
4. Be flexible with your destination
If there is one core theme to planning a weekend getaway, it’s that flexibility opens the door to new adventures. America is rich with travel opportunities, and you never know what you could find if you look beyond common locales.
So, you know you want to get away, but you’re not sure where to? Flexibility is an easy ethos to act on when searching for flights on Skyscanner. In the destination field, just enter “Everywhere” to see which cities have the best deals from your point of origin. You’ll find a list of potential trip options, arranged by price, to give you destination inspiration.
5. Deploy your annual leave wisely
It’s an undisputed fact of life that weekends are the best. And if there’s one thing that makes the weekend even better, it’s those precious times when it gets the beloved upgrade to become a long weekend. If there’s any time to travel, it’s on those federal holidays.
Smart planning with your annual leave can stretch a mini trip into a full-on vacation. So combine your saved vacation time with federal holidays to extend your travel further. Use those extra days as transit periods, or just relax one more day somewhere new.
6. Use travel points
There are no free lunches in this world, but there are free trips. Travel points accrued through previous flights, credit card rewards, or past hotel bookings that have offered points can directly translate into a quick getaway weekend.
But if you’re thinking, “What points?!” because you aren’t part of any loyalty or reward programs, now is the best time to start. By building up this travel currency, shorter trips can be more affordable, accessible, and easy to take.
7. Travel with hand luggage only
Sometimes, flexibility may not be an option. Other times, you might not have any points saved up. But one travel hack for mini trips that you have the most control over is how you pack. Doing careful research on an airline’s baggage policy can help you save money and move faster.
Even among the most creative solutions, the best packing tips often stick to common and basic advice: go small and light. This will help you save money by avoiding checked bag fees, and it’ll also save you time at the airport both on departure and arrival. Snag your handbag from the overhead compartment and roll without any need to wait at baggage claim.
Bookmark these travel hacks
The best travel tip of all? Making sure that you always have relevant info at hand. Bookmark these tips and then head over to the travel hack hub for more advice on how to get where you want to go with ease.
And once you’ve got the resources you need, consider these amazing cities as inspiration. With short flights and a slew of activities, your weekend getaway will feel a lot longer.
Try visiting these destinations
New Orleans, Louisiana
Few cities have a culture as rich and ingrained as New Orleans. The spirit of the Big Easy is in everything you’ll eat, hear, or see down there on the bayou, which makes the Crescent City one of the best destinations for a quick getaway weekend.
You’ll waste no time slipping into vacation mode right off the plane. We recommend Katie’s Restaurant in Midcity, a neighborhood eatery that has been cooking for 30 years, for a classic NOLA meal. If high-end dining is more your speed, the tasting menu at Lengua Madre is redefining Mexican cuisine. To experience true jazz, make sure to book a show at Preservation Hall.
Holland, Michigan
Looking for a nature-focused springtime destination? If you don’t have the vacation time to cross the pond to see tulips in bloom around the Netherlands, you can visit Holland, Michigan, for a floral weekend getaway honoring Dutch roots.
Holland lies on the shores of Lake Macatawa, a stone’s throw from Lake Michigan and just a 40-minute drive west of Grand Rapids. The city has hosted a Tulip Time Festival (May 6-14, 2023) since its first planting of 100,000 bulbs in 1929. Now, just as many visitors descend on the city to take in the refreshing breeze from the lake complemented by bursting colors and a relaxing, welcome energy.
San Diego, California
Sometimes, you need your quick getaway weekend to feel more akin to a true vacation. When that’s the case, we turn to beachside locales. Few are as easygoing as San Diego. Plus, this town is really a “choose your own adventure” type of destination. You can develop an itinerary brimming with activities on land and water, or lean into that lax vibe we mentioned earlier.
For those looking to take the California vibes low and slow, head to the ocean for surfing, whale watching, or cruising on a boat rental. For others who want a mix of both, the world-famous Balboa Park is a triumph of urban planning that will just as quickly immerse you in nourishing outdoor feelings as in artistic culture.
Ready to book your quick getaway weekend?
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