SALT LAKE CITY — Having your travel plans ruined by the current sky slowdown is certainly a bummer, but local Salt Lake businesses are showing people who had to cancel that there are alternatives right in their backyard.
Some people are trading in their sky miles for miles on the black top.
“I think doing domestic, regional trips is just a nice alternative for families," said Wandervans owner August Johnson. "If you have kids, it’s expensive to fly. Getting stuck in an airport for 24-48 hours is not an ideal experience.”
With dozens of flights canceled or delayed due to flight reductions across the country, both Wandervans and Native Campervans in Salt Lake City say they’re seeing an uptick in travel interest.
“We’ve had a lot of people reach out to us for cross-country road trips because they’re worried about flights being delayed or canceled over the holidays. We’ve had two or three bookings for cross-country road trips for Thanksgiving and even one for Christmas,” explained Ben Neumann with Native Campervans.
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You don’t have to travel too far, either. At Ellerbeck Bed & Breakfast, they say your vacation doesn’t have to end just because of a change in plans.
“A great way to appreciate our home is to stay locally. Take a vacation to a part of the city or a part of the state that you haven’t seen before and go walk the neighborhoods, see the local restaurants," said Ellerbeck owner Tyler Alden.
From elevated camping at one of Utah's "Mighty Five" to a historic fireplace perched in The Avenues, what may have started as a ruined vacation can turn into a local adventure.
“We can help decrease the chaos that the airports are going to be over the next couple of weeks," said Neumann.
“As much as we all love to travel, it’s easy to forget how special our home is," added Alden. "Here in Salt Lake. Here in Utah.”
