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How to Plan a Quick Trip (48 Hours or Less) · Travel Mug Podcast

• 0:00
  Hey everyone and welcome back to the Travel Mug Podcast.
• 0:04
  I am Jenn joined as always by my partner in podcasting, Meggan.
• 0:11
  Meggan today we are going to talk about planning really quick trips, like a shorter weekend getaway because we think there is so much to consider when planning these super quick trips.
• 0:25
  You wanna make the most out of your time away, right?
• 0:28
  You do.
• 0:29
  Yeah.
• 0:30
  Yeah.
• 0:30
  You would think that a short trip would be easier to plan, but we're here to tell you no.
• 0:36
  No.
• 0:38
  So let's talk about why you might want to plan a quick trip.
• 0:43
  So, I'll be honest, for me, in the past I was kind of against these types of trips, like they felt so short and like I said, they're, they're not really less work than planning a longer trip.
• 0:55
  Um, but since we've done a few, like, we did a weekend in Boston a few, like a while ago, two years ago, almost at this point, a weekend in Toronto a few months ago.
• 1:04
  Um, and we've got a trip to Montreal coming up in a couple of months.
• 1:09
  That's just a quick trip and I've actually come to enjoy them a bit and you can actually see and do a lot.
• 1:16
  And we have usually planned these quick trips around like an event, like a sports game or a concert, but honestly, with like nine to five jobs like you and I have, sometimes a quick little getaway is all you can fit in and they can be cheaper than a, you know, week or two week trip, but the budget does add up quickly.
• 1:40
  So I know, Meggan, that you treat these like weekend trips much differently.
• 1:45
  You are the queen of, uh, Airbnb weekend getaways.
• 1:49
  Yeah, like, , that's why we don't have a house of our own as I've said before, we like to stay in other people's.
• 1:55
  Um, but yeah, we go away on the weekends like a lot.
• 1:59
  There have been years, we've done it like 11 or 12 times.
• 2:02
  We haven't actually done many of the same types of trips you were describing that you've done.
• 2:06
  So the Torontos or Bostons, we actually do mostly those locally.
• 2:11
  So we just sort of usually try to get off work an hour or two early, if we can.
• 2:16
  Start early, get off early and then head away, um, until Sunday, usually not too, too far.
• 2:22
  That's how we sort of do the quick weekend getaways just to break up the monotony of sort of making sure we're not doing the same thing every weekend.. So that's kind of how we treat the weekend getaway.
• 2:33
  Not as much, although love the idea of going to Toronto, Montreal, or Boston for the weekend.
• 2:37
  It's just not something we've done as much.
• 2:39
  Yeah, I mean both like super valid and like you can do both of them really in, in your life.
• 2:45
  So let's talk about how to get where you plan to go for your, for your weekend getaway Quick trip.
• 2:53
  So Meggan, how do you usually treat this?
• 2:56
  Well, as you can imagine, even for the listeners, this all depends on where you live and where you wanna go, obviously.
• 3:03
  So if you're lucky enough, let's say as an example to live in Europe.
• 3:06
  Trains can often be your best and more environmentally friendly option.
• 3:11
  Often rail can get you where you need to go quicker than flying just due to airport time, security, boarding, deplaning.
• 3:19
  Um, if you're like us and don't have those trains as options, a plane or a car is going to be your best bet.
• 3:25
  Train here is is not getting you anywhere fast.
• 3:28
  Uh, no, no, no, no.
• 3:29
  It's one entire day to get to Montreal from Halifax on the train.
• 3:34
  It's not worth it.
• 3:35
  No.
• 3:36
  So that is a lot to consider just depending on your circumstances.
• 3:40
  Now, if you are considering a weekend road trip and you only have, like I mentioned earlier, Friday after work until Sunday, destination and proximity to where you live really will be key.
• 3:51
  We face this a lot.
• 3:52
  Like I mentioned, we do those weekend getaways, so getting off early if possible, and then trying to maximize your time on the Sunday as well.
• 4:00
  Oftentimes I feel the the need to get up on Sunday morning and come right home and we're trying to like get out of that.
• 4:07
  Because we used to have pets, so we always used to try to get home as soon as possible.
• 4:11
  Yeah.
• 4:12
  just really trying to maximize the time that you do have since you are paying to stay there.
• 4:18
  Mm-hmm.
• 4:18
  Yeah.
• 4:19
  Yeah.
• 4:19
  I'll, I'll be checking out like one minute before you tell me to, 10 59.
• 4:25
  yeah.
• 4:27
  So if you're like me and you do decide to fly somewhere, you need to consider how departure and arrival times, how that'll affect how much time you actually have in in the city where you're going.
• 4:41
  So As annoying as it might be to take like the late night flight after work or
• 4:47
  the like five or 6: 00 AM flight the next morning, that is probably going to get you the most time in your destination.
• 4:55
  the like five or 6: And if you fly somewhere that's like a time zone like behind you, you can squeeze a bit more into your arrival day.
• 5:03
  the like five or 6: Um, but that does obviously come back to bite you when you're coming home.
• 5:08
  the like five or 6: So speaking of coming home, consider the risk of flight delays and the can and cancellations and the effect that that would have on your work schedule.
• 5:19
  the like five or 6: I mean, like.
• 5:20
  the like five or 6: I've seen people post online that they like fly in at like, you know,
• 5:25
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: 00 AM on Monday, but that is crazy town.
• 5:32
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: That is not me.
• 5:34
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Would never be me.
• 5:35
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: We try to like fly home like midday on the last day so that we get home in time to, uh, prepare for the work week.
• 5:44
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Obviously a short flight is ideal here.
• 5:48
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Uh, so another thing to consider is where the airport is and how long it takes you to get into the city.
• 5:54
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: So what comes to mind is flying into Toronto Pearson versus flying into Toronto's City Center or Billy Bishop Airport as an example.
• 6:03
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: So Pearson's a good like 30 minutes on the train and Billy Bishop's is like, you're already downtown.
• 6:09
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Like you walk out of the airport and you can walk basically into downtown.
• 6:13
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: So if you can find somewhere that's a quick flight away, you can get there early in the morning, leave a bit later in the day on the last day, and the airport is close to city center.
• 6:24
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: That's it.
• 6:24
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: That's your ideal sweet spot right there.
• 6:27
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: That's the good stuff right there.
• 6:29
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Which is why we end up in Toronto because But it make, it makes sense.
• 6:34
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Peter's never flown into to Billy Bishop before.
• 6:36
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: I'm like, you don't understand like the coolness of like just getting off the plane and boom, there I, the last time we flew into Billy Bishop, it was November.
• 6:45
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: The, the, the weather was bad.
• 6:49
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: We were, and you're on a small airplane on Porter and we were rocking and I was trying, so I wanted to get like this very cool shot of us flying into Toronto.
• 7:02
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: 'cause you see the city, I was trying not to have a panic attack, so I could not get that cool shot for you.
• 7:08
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: It was horrible.
• 7:09
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: You, you were not cool in that moment.
• 7:11
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: was not.
• 7:13
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: All right, so let's talk about Meggan's nemesis, which is packing.
• 7:19
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Yes.
• 7:20
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: few times I have done quick trips because I have done that while flying and I have packed, of course, carry-on.
• 7:27
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: I gotta say it is so freeing.
• 7:31
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: I did a quick trip to Vegas in 2019 pre pandemic to see Lady Gaga and I took a carry-on, just as an example.
• 7:38
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: And it came in handy on the return from that trip where we had to fly back through Montreal.
• 7:43
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: After an overnight flight, so already you're exhausted.
• 7:47
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: And there was actually an earlier departure leaving Montreal than ours.
• 7:53
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: So we just walked up to the desk and we're like, can we get on this flight?
• 7:57
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Because we're booked for the, the next one a few hours later.
• 8:00
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: And he's like, let me actually check.
• 8:02
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: He checked, there was room, we had our bags, so we didn't have to worry about checked baggage.
• 8:08
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: So that would not have been possible.
• 8:09
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: But the checked bags, so there are, besides lugging around a giant suitcase, there are definite advantages to having quick carry on if your trip allows for it.
• 8:20
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Yeah, for sure.
• 8:21
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Yeah, I love that.
• 8:22
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: So I have a few tricks to pack a bit less on weekend getaways.
• 8:28
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: So first obviously like you just need less clothes that takes up less room, that's ideal.
• 8:34
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Um, so.
• 8:36
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: One thing that can take up a lot of room for people who do their hair.
• 8:41
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: And despite what I usually look like on this podcast, I do sometimes do my hair and Same.
• 8:47
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: uh, hair products and tools is a whole thing.
• 8:51
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: And you know, Meggan has curly hair.
• 8:53
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: My hair is like wavy, curly.
• 8:55
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: It comes with its challenges and it does mean it does take some work to look good.
• 9:01
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: So.
• 9:02
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: When I went to Toronto, November, I washed and straightened my hair the night before we left.
• 9:10
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: That was like Friday night, Saturday.
• 9:13
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: It was good.
• 9:13
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Sunday we were flying home.
• 9:14
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: I put it in braids all good.
• 9:16
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: I didn't take any hair products with me, Meggan Ama my gosh.
• 9:20
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: amazing, amazing.
• 9:24
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Obviously with clothes like your usual tricks of like wearing your bulkiest items on the plane.
• 9:30
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: I also didn't pack alternative footwear when we went to Toronto, so that saved room.
• 9:35
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: My feet did hurt though, so it was a small regret, but I just packed the wrong shoe.
• 9:39
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: I wore the wrong shoes.
• 9:41
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Right, That was, uh, that was my downfall.
• 9:44
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Um, but overall, just really evaluate what you are bringing.
• 9:49
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: You are, if you are gonna be gone for like, a really short period of time, like how much do you really, really need?
• 9:55
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Yeah, no, I agree.
• 9:56
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: And I, I also did a quick weekend trip to Montreal.
• 10:00
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Like last year or the year Hmm.
• 10:01
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: who, what is time?
• 10:03
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: And I don't really remember.
• 10:04
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: And I went with my friend and we stayed and I actually, we did a little shopping and I actually even had room to bring those items back in my suitcase.
• 10:14
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: A carry on suitcase or a?
• 10:17
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Look at you.
• 10:19
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: You're killing it.
• 10:20
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: I was very proud of myself.
• 10:21
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: I gotta say.
• 10:23
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Now, I think another key thing that we should talk about is like where you should stay because the, your time is limited, so you wanna make sure that you're, you're knocking things off.
• 10:32
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: So talk to us a little bit about that.
• 10:33
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Yeah, so I would say like, choose a spot near the things that you wanna do.
• 10:39
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: If you only have a limited time, it really goes without saying that you should choose something close to the main things that you wanna do so that you're not spending all of your time navigating rather than enjoying.
• 10:53
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: And I know that it is usually more expensive, especially in a big city if you're going to New York, if you're going to Toronto, if you're going to Paris, whatever.
• 11:04
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: But if you're only there for a short period of time, I think it's worth the extra cost savings to avoid wasting time trying to navigate, uh, either public transit or taking a taxi or driving a lot.
• 11:17
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: I used it as an opportunity to splurge when we were in Toronto and stay at the fancy hotel.
• 11:22
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: 'cause two nights at the fancy hotel is, is uh, I mean, it's still expensive, but you know, it's only two nights, whatever.
• 11:31
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: life is short.
• 11:32
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Exactly.
• 11:33
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: What about you, Meggan?
• 11:34
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Now when you were mentioned there, uh, big cities like New York and Paris and I was just thinking about it like, sounds like so cool to say like, oh, I'm gonna like Jet to Paris for the weekend, but that's like something Europeans say, Yeah.
• 11:48
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: a Yeah.
• 11:50
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: or really rich people.
• 11:51
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: But like I want there to be a time.
• 11:54
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: It doesn't kill me, because of course it would kill you from here Yeah.
• 11:57
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: that for a weekend, but I want there to be a time in life where it isn't gonna kill me.
• 12:01
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: And I'm gonna say, let's go to Paris for the weekend.
• 12:03
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: I, that is okay.
• 12:04
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: That's, I've just added that to my bucket list right here on this podcast.
• 12:08
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Amazing.
• 12:09
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: There's a Par, there's a Paris in Ontario.
• 12:11
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: I'm not sure if that's what you're looking for.
• 12:13
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: That's, that's gonna be a no for me.
• 12:15
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Um, but I like your, uh, Canadian enthusiasm.
• 12:19
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: and now if your trip, of course, different from what you were just mentioning is simply about relaxing and the place you are staying is, is the key factor, which is often the case for us on weekend getaways, then make sure you book somewhere worth your time and your money because you will be spending the majority of your time there, and it's also in the right setting for you, such as out in nature if that's what you're going for.
• 12:42
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: You are only there for a short period of time, so make it work for you.
• 12:45
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: And sort of the intention of the getaway would be my advice.
• 12:50
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Yeah, I think that's really good advice to, like, before you even look at like where you wanna go, um, and what you wanna do.
• 12:57
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Like what is your intention for this trip?
• 12:59
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Is it to chill in an Airbnb and like look at different things?
• 13:04
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Or is it to go and do as much as you can in a city?
• 13:09
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: That's Go.
• 13:09
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Nice.
• 13:10
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Or stay.
• 13:11
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Stay.
• 13:11
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Stay.
• 13:12
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Yeah, and I think that, uh, goes really well into our next topic, which is planning your itinerary.
• 13:22
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: So.
• 13:23
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: A few things to consider when you're thinking about what am I actually gonna do on my weekend getaway?
• 13:29
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: So for me, one is, is this like a one and done location?
• 13:34
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: So if you, if I never plan on going back there, I'm gonna wanna cram in as much as possible.
• 13:42
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: And two, like on the other hand, if this is a spot where I know that I'm gonna come back like Montreal, like Toronto, the trip can be more of a leisurely pace.
• 13:53
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: We don't need to jam everything in.
• 13:55
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: You don't have to get it all done.
• 13:57
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: I like to use the My Maps feature on Google Maps to see where the things are that I wanna do.
• 14:04
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: I do this before I book the hotel, um, and then see where they are in relation to each other and try to make sure everything's close together.
• 14:13
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: And then this kind of helps reduce.
• 14:15
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: The time, uh, commuting in between.
• 14:19
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: In Toronto when we went, there were a lot of things that we had on our, our maybe list of things to do and we opted just to stay, uh, doing things that were walkable from our hotel instead.
• 14:32
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Uh, 'cause we knew we'd be back, right?
• 14:34
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: So it wasn't a huge deal to miss some things.
• 14:37
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Yeah.
• 14:38
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: So another trick that I use on most trips, not just short ones, um, but choose restaurants in advance and make reservations if possible.
• 14:48
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: This is so you aren't waiting around for a table, wandering around looking for food, um, 'cause that can waste a lot of time.
• 14:58
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Or you just need to be open to grabbing something really quick if food's not a priority.
• 15:04
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: On that trip or that day, and I like to double up on activities.
• 15:09
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: So you can take a food, food tour, so it's a meal and like a walking tour.
• 15:14
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Usually you get some history about the city on food tour.
• 15:18
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: So it's a fun little double up thing you can do.
• 15:22
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Off that food.
• 15:23
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: I love that.
• 15:25
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: How do you usually handle it?
• 15:26
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Well, I was actually just thinking like I think something you said earlier really resonates and I think that that pick the top three or four things you really want to do and then have, like you mentioned, a maybe or like an alternative list of good to see if you have time.
• 15:42
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: and then you can see what happens.
• 15:44
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Yes, it's a quick trip, but also you still want to enjoy yourself.
• 15:48
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: And that at times can mean less is more.
• 15:51
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: And that's okay too.
• 15:53
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Be strategic in how you see things on your list.
• 15:56
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: We like to go to the furthest away spots and then work our way backwards towards our neighborhood.
• 16:02
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: But no matter how you do it, whether you plan your stuff all in the same area, or whatever the case might be.
• 16:08
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Have a strategy so that you aren't disappointed by missing something that was really important on your list.
• 16:13
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: You really have to be strategic with such a short amount of time.
• 16:18
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Hundred percent.
• 16:18
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Yeah.
• 16:19
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Definitely.
• 16:20
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Well, that is it for this week's episode.
• 16:22
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: We hope that we've shared some good tips on how you can plan a quick trip as it really does differ from a much longer vacation with more time to explore.
• 16:32
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: We were, it's so funny when we were discussing doing this episode and you had thought of the topic, and I'm like, wow, it is really different because you do have to try to, depending on what you do cram things in or choose things strategically.
• 16:45
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: So hopefully we've helped you out there and we would love to hear from you if we missed anything or if you have any tips to share, you can reach out to us on social media on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube at Travel Mug Podcast.
• 16:57
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Leave us a comment on Apple or spotify.
• 17:00
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: and as always, you can support the show by buying us a coffee.
• 17:04
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: If you are a regular listener or first timer, we would love to hear from you.
• 17:08
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Um, but any support is appreciated.
• 17:10
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: And until next time.
• 17:12
  6:00 AM and then go to work for 9: Bye everyone.