Have a Long Weekend? Let’s Travel

How many times have we passed on a trip because we couldn’t get the vacation time?

It’s all about perfecting the art of weekend travel. A friend once told me of a co-worker who routinely traveled to Europe and other far-flung locales only for long weekends.

He’d appear at the office on a Thursday with his overnight bag or backpack, only to return on Monday or Tuesday from Barcelona, Amsterdam or Rome.

How did he do it? For one, he always had a detailed itinerary. Every moment that he was on the ground he had a plan for seeing or doing something.

He slept on overnight flights to his destination and on his return home.

Scoping out deals for weekend trips helps extend your vacation time while giving you more brief respites than a couple of week-long breaks.

It’s a way to explore more vacation spots or even potential locales for retirement.

And it seems to be gaining more traction.

Air France, in a recent marketing email, touted “Escape for a long weekend” - suggesting quick getaways from New York to Rome, Atlanta to Beirut, Chicago to Dublin, Houston to Barcelona, Washington to Prague and Boston to Paris. Travel websites and search engines, including, but not limited to, KAYAK, TripAdvisor, Hopper, Skyscanner, Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity also offer various tools to explore long weekend deals.

An especially fun online feature allows you to slot in the days you’re available to travel and then choose “Everywhere” to see where the best deals may be for your available dates.

Able to get away for a long weekend? Think outside the box. You may discover a new spot that would have never been on your radar.