GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Local travel agencies say the colder it gets the better business tends to be as people look to escape towards sunny skies.
And who can blame them?
As temperatures hit record lows of around 50-below-zero last week plenty of people were mentally pretending to be somewhere warmer, while others made that dream a reality and took off.
Rebecca Kollmann, director of marketing for Fox World Travel in Green Bay, has a love/hate relationship with the cold Wisconsin winters.
“Personally [it] isn’t wonderful, but it does bode well for business,” she explains.
Conditions have been especially harsh for about a week and a half, as frigid cold temperatures and snow seem to trade off every other day.
“We’ve had a lot of phone calls last week, as well as online inquiries,” explains Kollmann. “And in some cases, it’s just looking for information and just kind of dreaming where they might want to take that vacation.”
In fact, she says that more spontaneous trips are booked in the winter as people might be looking for just a quick getaway.
“We’ll get people that’ll say, ‘I just want to go away for a long weekend in a couple of weeks,’ and it’s kind of last minute,” she explains.
And where are people flocking to spontaneously?
Year-round popular destinations such as Hawaii and the Caribbean are towards the top of the list, while other lesser-known options are getting discovered.
“Costa Rica does very well,” says Kollmann. “And it’s actually fairly easy to get to, but it’s a different experience.”
And the thought of a cruise also appeals to plenty this time of year, as well.
“People will even think of Mediterranean cruises, because the Mediterranean is warm and it’s a little more exotic,” she says.
Even if someone doesn’t have a destination in mind that’s not a problem.
Kollmann says plenty of people call-in or come-in with an idea of what they want to do or experience and are flexible towards where the right destination might be.
She adds that their travel agents are trained professionals that can find anyone the perfect trip to escape the winter blues.
More information on their services and offers are found on their website.
