|
As appeared FEBRUARY 15, 2002
BUSINESSWEEK LIFESTYLE
Weekend Escapes: Use the Web
Local sites can help with short-hop trips
by Ellen Neuborne
You don't need to go far to benefit from going online. The Internet may be the place
to buy cheap airline tickets or research exotic locales, but it's also becoming
a popular way to find nearby travel options. (See Table-1.)
That's especially true as recession and terrorism fears have led many to vacation
closer to home. I fired up my PC and began surfing for trips not far from my home
in New York City after my family nixed a venture to Texas.
I found the Net can do a lot to make a local getaway more fun. Although big online
sites such as Travelocity.com and Expedia.com offer lodging and activities in almost
any good-size city, when you're traveling within 100 miles or so, it pays to consult
a local site.
Several travel sites devoted to individual cities and their environs can help. With
their narrow focus and locally based staff, these boutique sites most likely have
a vacation idea that would surprise even a native.
How do you find a local site? I used Yahoo! and Google, but other search engines
work just as well. Just type in such keywords as weekend, getaway, and your city
of choice. Also try searching the activities you'd like to do.
That's how Matt Sullivan of La Jolla, Calif., found Totalescape.com, a site dedicated
to California vacations off the beaten path. His search on "mountain biking" turned
up Total Escape, which specializes in active and outdoor trips. He ended up booking
a four-day guided group camping trip at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, 90 miles
from Palm Springs.
Total Escape arranged for the camp sites and the cooking and bonfire permits, provided
driving directions, and matched up Sullivan, 31, with about 20 other like-minded
vacationers. Total Escape's Web master is its lead tour guide, and the weekend included
optional excursions to nearby caves. Sullivan brought his own gear, so the trip
cost him just $25. While Total Escape focuses on outdoor fun, it also features inns
and resorts, such as the Gingerbread Mansion Inn ($130 to $385 per night) in Ferndale
in Northern California and the Blue Iguana Inn ($95 to $219) in Ojai near Los Angeles.
Hotel chains or amusement parks aren't listed.
I found my getaway by surfing Escapemaker.com, which specializes in trips within
500 miles of its Brooklyn (N.Y.) headquarters. When I searched for nearby environs
such as the Catskills, Hudson Valley, and Woodstock, N.Y., on sites such as Orbitz,
I came up blank. But Escapemaker directed me to the Hunter Inn, which is within
walking distance from Catskills ski resort Hunter Mountain ($79 to $270 a night).
It also came up with a list of every specialty shop in Woodstock and the annual
Chocolate Fair in Mystic, Conn. I decided a weekend of candy sampling -- and a visit
to the Mystic Aquarium -- should help my family of four get over the disappointment
of not being somewhere warm.
If you're willing to squeeze a plane trip into your getaway, Site59.com has made
a specialty of packaging cheap airfares and hotels. Two recent offerings: $277 from
New York to West Palm Beach with two nights at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, and $303
from Washington to New Orleans with two nights at the Sheraton. Site59 is so good
at quickie vacations that Travelocity and Orbitz now use it to purchase much of
their getaway inventory.
The biggest drawback to smaller sites is their uneven technology. While Site59 and
the like are fully virtual from search to sale, Escapemaker provides only data and
links. To book your trip, you'll have to pick up the phone.
The yen to travel locally may wane as the economy comes out of recession. Already,
execs at Travelocity and Site59 say average trip length, which contracted after
September 11, is increasing again as consumers regain confidence about traveling.
Still, when you get the urge for a quick trip, the boutique sites offer great resources
to help you indulge your whim.
By Ellen Neuborne
|
