Great for the soul and easy on your wallet – over the past decade, getaways have become a trendy alternative to multi-week vacations. In fact, more than 50% of the tourism trips that EU residents make are short trips with an average of 3 overnight stays. And there is a good reason why so many people turn to mini-vacations – or rather four excellent reasons!
I´m a big fan of getaways myself and have regularly been on them for the last five years. Among other things, those short trips are a fantastic opportunity for me both to unwind in between stressful times and to explore areas around my hometown by becoming a local tourist. In this post, I´m gonna share with you four key benefits of getaways and how you can make use of them this year. Not only European residents may conveniently take short trips in 2018 as a couple of public holidays are on working days, but anyone may learn the art of planning a weekend getaway regardless of how many days a weekend may be stretched.
1. Getaways Save Time
Compared to proper multi-week vacations, short trips can save you a lot of time. No matter how busy your daily life is, it will be possible to squeeze them in, even several times a year. All you need to do is pick the destination and pack your bags!
Save time on planning!
With getaways, you do not have to do much planning in advance. Researching flights, reading hundreds of travel guides to design the perfect itinerary or keeping up to speed on political events overseas will not be necessary. For a weekend getaway, you don´t even have to spend much time on packing as you will very likely only need a day pack or a small suitcase.
Save time on traveling!
Research showed that the best getaway destinations are located within a 4-hour drive or 2-hour flight radius of your home base. That way it is possible to leave either on the last workday when your shift is over, or even on the first getaway day in the morning. A short journey saves valuable time, which can be used for fun activities, sightseeing or events at the actual destination.
Save vacation days!
Quick getaways don’t require taking a whole lot of vacation days. Most short trips are taken over a long weekend or even just a regular two-day weekend. If you plan your getaway carefully, you won’t need to use any vacation days at all. For example, you can make use of public holidays and easily link them with a weekend.
2. Getaways Save Costs
Obviously, paying for accommodation and meals for three nights instead of seven will make your account smile. 🙂 Many people think that all-inclusive weekend getaways must cost a fortune. The truth is that the competition between hotels, small pensions, bed and breakfasts, and restaurants is immense. As a result, prices for weekend getaways may get very low. On top of that, there are further ways to save money on short trips.
Travel in low season!
When you opt for a weekend getaway, you are usually flexible time-wise. Consider traveling to famous places in low season and save big time on most related expenses, such as airfares, activities, and hotels. In fact, you may save up to 50% on accommodation costs. Also, you will likely be granted a free room upgrade, just because the hotel you’re staying at is not fully booked.
Use special (weekend) deals!
The increase in short trips has forced companies in the tourism industry to adapt to the trend by offering all-inclusive deals targeted at getaway tourists. Not only accommodations nowadays advertize for weekend deals but also domestic airlines cater to short-haul trips, offering low fares often promoting particular regional destinations. Over the last two years, cruise operators have also started to focus on short trips by providing luxurious three-day cruises (obviously depending on the country and region).
Plan ahead and book cheap accommodation & transport!
This is a tip that has worked exceptionally well for me over the last years. Booking way ahead of time may save you a lot of money. However, it always depends on the location you´re planning to go to. For example, if you want to fly to another city or even country for a couple of days without spending a fortune, it will be essential to purchase flight tickets early in advance to make sure you get both tickets and good airfare. But if you plan to drive to an area a few hours away, perhaps you´re not entirely sure what day and time you will get there, or you may want to maintain some sort of flexibility, it will be a good idea to refrain from booking and maybe even try to score a last-minute deal instead.
3. Getaways Offer Travel Diversity
One of my favorite advantages of getaways is the fact that they are very flexible location-wise. With big trips, you have to decide where to go, commit to the destination you chose, do some planning, work out an itinerary because you want that multi-week vacation to be just perfect. It can be very stressful, right? With short getaways, you can combine a year of different travels and places.
Instead of two multi-week vacations, you could visit 4-5 different destinations on 4-5 weekends. Perhaps you don’t want to explore a particular city for more than a few days, so why not take the opportunity to spend a weekend there? The next getaway could then be a weekend hiking in nature or kayaking. There are endless possibilities as to where to spend a getaway, just browse the internet and find some inspiration.
4. Getaways Bring Health Benefits
People often think that the longer a vacation is, the more health benefits you will reap and, consequently, the more relaxed you will get back to work.
However, recent studies have shown that people who take regular breaks have the chance to recharge and lower stress levels significantly. As a result, getaway tourists have a lower risk of strokes, heart attacks and depression, than those who cash in all their vacation days at once for one multi-week holiday. Also, romantic getaways may enhance your relationship and lead to a better quality of life.
So, a short trip is not only an opportunity to get away from everyday life stressors, but it’s a time to unwind, have fun, be active and reset before returning to your normal life in a way that improves your work performance and positively impacts your health.
What about you? Do you enjoy getaways as much as I do? If yes, tell me about your experiences and let me know why you love getaways in the comments! 🙂
