Photo by Josh Hild:
Last-minute trips are exciting because they’re unexpected. Perhaps you’ve got a spare weekend coming up, or someone’s cancelled plans and you’ve suddenly got time free, or you just wake up on a Friday and think “you know what, let’s go somewhere.” It all counts, and it’s all great, with something of an energy to it that can make the whole experience feel more exciting. Of course, the only downside is that you’ve less time to prepare and sort things out.
Luckily, if you make a few intelligent choices, a weekend away thrown together at short notice can be just as good as something you’ve been organizing for months. In fact, there’s something to be said for not having weeks to worry about every tiny detail or second-guess your decisions. You book what you need to book, and then just go and enjoy it.
All that said, there are a few things worth thinking about to make sure your spontaneous weekend doesn’t turn into a stressful mess. You want to maximize your time there, not spend half of it figuring out logistics or dealing with problems you could’ve sorted out in advance.
In this post, we’ll help you do that:
Pick Somewhere You Can Get To Easily
The less time you spend traveling, the more time you’ve got to enjoy your destination. For a weekend trip, you’re looking at maybe two full days if you’re lucky, so spending eight hours on trains or sitting in airports isn’t doing you any favors. It’s worth picking somewhere that’s a few hours away at most, or where you can reach without too much hassle.
Cities with direct train links work well for this, or places you can drive to in the morning. If you’re flying, look for airports that are close to the city center on both ends, so you’re not adding hours of transfers onto your journey time. The destination doesn’t have to be exotic or far-flung to be interesting either, there are plenty of great places within easy reach that you might not have explored properly yet. As long as you can get there and back relatively painlessly, you’re onto a winner.
Book Accommodation That’s Centrally Located
Where you stay matters more on a short trip because you don’t want to waste time commuting in and out of the action. Hotels or rentals right in the middle of a city, for instance, mean you can drop your bag and head straight out, and if you need to pop back during the day it’s not a big production. Being central also means you’re within walking distance of restaurants, bars, and attractions, all the attractions you’ve come to see.
Yes, central accommodation usually costs a bit more, but on a weekend trip you’re probably only talking about two nights, so the extra expense is worth it for the convenience. You’ll also find that last-minute bookings sometimes have deals because hotels are trying to fill rooms, so it’s worth having a quick look around to see what’s available. Just make sure you’re actually in the center and not somewhere that claims to be central but is half an hour out on a bus. Check the map properly before you book anything.
Don’t Overplan Your Itinerary
The beauty of a spontaneous weekend is that you’re not locked into a rigid schedule, so don’t create one just because you think you should. Having a rough idea of what you’d like to do is fine, but planning every hour of every day is going to make the whole effort feel like work. Don’t work. If you can, leave room to wander around, stumble across something interesting and change your mind about plans.
Pick maybe two or three things you definitely want to see or do, and then just see how the rest unfolds. Maybe you’ll find a great market you weren’t expecting, or someone will recommend a brilliant restaurant, or you’ll just want to spend an afternoon sitting in a park people-watching. That’s all fine, you’re there to enjoy yourself and relax.
Use Luggage Storage If You’re Arriving Early Or Leaving Late
One of the annoying issues about weekend trips is that your accommodation check-in and check-out times often don’t line up with your travel times. You might arrive in a city at 10am but can’t get into your room until 3pm, or you’ve checked out at 11am but your train home isn’t until 7pm. Standing around with your bags for hours is a waste of precious weekend time.
This is where luggage storage is quite handy, as most cities have services near train stations or in the center where you can drop your bags for a small fee, and then you’re free to go and explore properly. You can start sightseeing as soon as you arrive, or make the most of your last day free from the burden of lugging a suitcase around.
Eat Where The Locals Eat
You don’t have time to waste on mediocre tourist trap restaurants, so it’s worth doing a tiny bit of research into where the good food is. Look up a few recommendations before you go, or ask people when you’re there. Hotel staff usually know decent spots, or just have a look at where you see locals queuing up or busy places that aren’t right next to the main tourist attractions.
Street food markets can be brilliant for this too, as you get to try a few different dishes, it’s usually good value, and the atmosphere is often more fun than sitting in a formal restaurant. Don’t be afraid to venture a few streets away from the main streets either, that’s often where you’ll find the better cafes and restaurants that aren’t just there to catch tourists. Good food is a huge part of what makes a trip memorable, so it’s worth being a bit intentional about it.
With this advice, we hope you can enjoy your best last-minute trip, especially if you’ve decided to surprise a loved one with it. You may be surprised just how well this goes down, but a tiny bit of preparation doesn’t hurt to get there.
