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Somewhere between the throbbing techno and Spanish hip hop, vodkas mixed with Guru energy drink to keep the jet-lagged travellers awake, streams of tiny soap bubbles wafting from the ceiling and blasts of cooling mist, Geneviève L'Abbé's whirlwind getaway finally hit its zenith. "It was completely magic," she says. "Everything was so different."
L'Abbé, an equities trader from Montreal, and her friend François had left for Madrid on a Friday afternoon. Arriving at 9:30 Saturday morning for a day of tapas, sangria and some leisurely sightseeing, by 2 a.m. Sunday they were dancing the night away at the trendy Teatro Kapital nightclub. Later, they strolled through the Rastro flea market and snoozed under the sun at famed Parque del Buen Retiro, the city's central park. On Monday afternoon, they headed home. Their visit to the Spanish capital had lasted just over 73 hours, cost around $2,000 and was booked only the Wednesday before departure.
While the idea of flying across the Atlantic for a weekend might seem daunting and decadent to some, mini-trips have become L'Abbé's preferred mode of relaxation, a way to changer la mal de place - take a break from the ordinary. "You just want to go somewhere where it's sunny, get out of the city for a while," the 33-year-old says.
It's an increasingly common way of thinking. Studies show that people are taking shorter, more frequent vacations, and they're travelling on impulse more often than ever before. Getaways of no more than four days account for 56 per cent of all trips by Americans, an increase of 10 per cent in the past five years, according to a recent survey by Nova Scotia's Tourism Ministry. A recent British study similarly indicated that tourists are taking fewer traditional, two-week vacations and more mini-trips throughout the year, with 61 per cent claiming to prefer short getaways. And Canadian figures due this year will probably show similar travel patterns, according to the Travel Industry Association of Canada.
Mini-trippers typically have plenty of discretionary income, but they suffer from what some in the travel industry call "time poverty," with personal and work obligations preventing them from taking long vacations.
They are generally seasoned travellers who are not content merely to check into a spa or boutique hotel a short drive from home. Instead, they are flying farther, spending lavishly - at least 15 per cent more on mini-trips than on longer vacations, according to the research - and packing more activity into some surprisingly inventive getaways. This, despite the overall inconvenience of air travel and the physical toll of long-haul flights.
"These aren't the kind of vacations where you just sit down and do nothing," says Eirini Demetelin, co-owner of Superior Travel/Open Skies, a Montreal agency specializing in luxury cruises and travel. "They're action-packed and non-stop. It's all about creating that 'wow' moment."
One popular getaway for Demetelin's moneyed clientele is a new, four-day package from Toronto to Dubai. And her clients are flying across North America and beyond to see live performances and art exhibitions; for example, she booked several weekend trips to Washington, D.C., to see the J.M.W. Turner exhibition, which moves to Dallas next month and New York in June.
For golf, they're
seeking out unique courses and resorts, such as the Blue Monster at Miami's Doral Golf Resort and Spa or the Sanctuary Hotel on Kiawah Island, near Charleston, S.C.
And, of course, there's Las Vegas. The prototypical mini-trip destination now attracts Cirque du Soleil fans as often as gamblers and partygoers, but it is also becoming a jumping-off point for mini-trips to exclusive retreats such as the Red Mountain Spa in St. George, Utah.
Demetelin says the trend is being driven by the proliferation of direct flights and the veritable feast of getaway packages offered by travel agencies, hotels and tour operators.
"I could sit on the phone for 20 minutes and we could go around the world thinking of fun and unique mini-breaks," she says. "There's absolutely no limit to the imagination."
Airlines are trying to cash in on the growing popularity of mini-trips by offering more flexibility on the return portion of flights. Going to Europe used to require a seven-night stay in order to qualify for a lower fare; now, a long weekend with a Saturday-night stopover gets the same rate. Some airlines even sell one-way mix-and-match discount fares to Europe, making it
easier to fly there with Air Transat, say, and back with Zoom Airlines.
A quick getaway
with the kids
But not everyone wants to fly, let alone fly first-class. Car trips still make up the majority of shorter getaways and are often the favourite mode of transportation for people travelling with children. So parents are going to new lengths to make mini-vacations
memorable.
