Your guide to last minute travel tips to make a short getaway a reality
(Note: Many of this tips ARE still good for safe pandemic vacationing.) Staring down a long weekend with nothing to do? Weekend getaways are the easiest to throw together last minute. Americans, short on funds and the ability to take time off, have long used three day weekends to cut loose. It’s easy to write them off, to move on to other tasks, or to be underwhelmed by the “everyday” feel of the region you live in. But we need novelty; we need adventure. So use these tips, hash something out, and get moving outside of your habits. Nail this micro-cation!
Get out of your rut for your weekend getaway
- Look at those big tourist giants (Fodors, Frommers, Lonely Planet, etc.) and see what they suggest for your area. When was the last time you went? For me, I haven’t seen many of KC’s top tourist recommendations since school field trips. It’s easy to shrug these things off as cliched or overrated and maybe some are. But there’s a reason they are guidebook favorites. Put on your out-of-towner eyes and take a new peek.
- Get weird. Atlas Obscura specializes in the obscure, hidden, wacky, and dark wonders of…well, everywhere. Look up your city or somewhere near you. I guarantee things you’ve never heard of will come up. They even have handy “places near me” or “random places” search options.
- Road trip the most scenic drives in your region. When you’re looking for a long weekend getaway at the last minute, road trips have endless possibilities, Broken down by region and states, Reader’s Most Scenic Drives of America is available both online and in print with beautiful pictures, maps, and detailed ideas for the best routes in the country. Pop off the interstates and look for America.
- Find your inner foodie. So many decisions, it’s tough picking a spot. There are multiple websites that the savvy foodie can use to narrow down the options. But if you are staying close or know where you’re going, a good option to explore the local scene is to see if the nearest city has a Restaurant Week. If so, don’t worry about if you are there for the week, but look online at their participating restaurants and get a sense of all of the happening places in the city.
- Embrace cocktail tourism. If you like some boozy fun, microbreweries, start-up distilleries, and family-run wineries are sweeping the nation. Create yourself the mature version of a pub crawl (less shots and safe transportation.) If you’re staying in a city see if there is something like the Passport Program that provides BOGO deals at unique boozy venues in multiple cities. Again, you don’t even have to buy one, but you can browse the sites and explore their list of ideas. (Local tip: the Passport Program is good in Kansas City for summer and winter seasons AND the Flint Hills of Kansas has a BOGO passport for food and drink if you want a short road trip.)
How to Get Last Minute Flights
Flights get tricky. Even in a pandemic (those flight cancellations.) Last-minute weekend getaways need cheap flights and weekends are the hardest ones to find. Last minute flights just aren’t as available as the used to be since technology and algorithms took over. If you want to leap away from where you are, your best last-minute (two weeks or less) options are Skyscanner and Hopper. Skyscanner offers daily flight deals, last minute options, and price drop alerts. Hopper is an app that will allow you to search and save a variety of routes, explore calendars for best days, set alerts for price drops, and tell you the best time to buy.
Or consider a train. Most Americans haven’t ridden a train but there are many, many routes across the US via Amtrak. It’s not fast and the long cross-country routes can run late, but it is very much an experience, especially for families. It also tends to be a solid last minute option for affordable travel. Amtrak is almost always running deals, many are BOGO or 50% off options. Head down the rails a bit and make the journey itself part of the adventure.
How to Get Last Minute Hotels
With lodging comes more flexibility and even holiday weekend getaways have last minute wiggle room. If you’re willing to get creative you can snag a deal. Before booking anything follow these tips and don’t be afraid to use points, especially for lodging during big events. Hoteltonight is a fairly new, bottom-rate hotel site offering true last minute deals at massive cuts. The catch is that you don’t get to pick the type of room and the fine print confirms these are normally rooms for just two people (and non-refundable.)
Priceline offers both Hotel Express Deals and the Name Your Own Price bidding function. If you’re feeling froggy just saunter in the night of until you find a vacancy and ask for the “night of” clearance rate. If it’s before 7 pm most chain hotels can’t yet shift, but afterwards, you might be in luck. Whatever you do, don’t pay the rack rate (full price.) And as always, if you start your booking through Rakuten, you can earn money back.
Airbnbs and homestays are also options. Make sure to read the fine print, the reviews, and check to make sure your host is legit. This area tends to be feast or famine- owners may have changed their prices to reflect a last minute change, but many just leave it as is or nothing is left.
And now is the time to make a case for the classic road trip and camp or RV situation. You control your own destiny, both with time and cost. There are campgrounds, state parks, and RV parks all over the US. Adventure can be had anywhere.
Whether you fly away or stay local and whether you sleep somewhere else or crash in your own bed, use your long weekend to shake things up. As the sign at the local find, the Westside Local says, we’re alive to do more than lose weight and pay bills (and do laundry and binge TV). Get creative and enjoy yourself!
May the road rise to meet you, travelers, and may your weekends fill your tank.
