Get up and go

Last minute travel in the US is not slowing down any, says Siobhan Foley, vice president, merchandising and communications, Site59. “Part of that is there’s a real burnout element today. There’s a lot of stress. People today think they need more than just that one-time-a-year vacation,” she said. Site59, named for the 59th minute, is a last minute travel web site that packages air, hotel, car and other travel components. A Site59 survey found that 26% of travelers, or the largest segment, took a last-minute trip just for fun. But Ms Foley says another motivation is often price. She said the average savings of a Site59-user is 70%. Site59, which was acquired in 2002 by Travelocity, a Sabre Holdings Company, has a travel agent site. Agents receive 5% commissions, according to Ms Foley. “We’re seeing a lot of travel agents using our site,” she said. The company defines “last minute” as three hours advance notice for domestic trips, and five hours for international travel. In its recent polling, Site59 found that 7% used the site because they said the bargains were too good to pass up. Other findings from a poll found that 22% of respondents wanted to visit family or friends, 9% were stressed and wanted a vacation, 11% made a spontaneous decision to attend an event, and 5% wanted to surprise someone. And a small group, 2%, said they wanted better weather. Report by David WIlkening