HECTIC SCHEDULES BRING ABOUT THE HURRY-UP VACATIONS

As the pace of life quickens for many people and the demands of coordinating daily schedules get increasingly hectic, a clear trend in leisure travel is emerging.  Between 1986 and 1996, the number of weekend vacations taken by Americans grew by more than 70 percent. In fact, two-day getaways now account for more than half of all U.S. travel. Where vacations were once measured in weeks, many Americans are now calculating their trips in days, sometimes even hours. Call them fast-forward getaways.  Enticed by the introduction of last-minute e-saver airfares and a slew of other, one-day flight specials, a surprising number of travelers are taking whirlwind trips that try to cram an entire vacation into a few days, and sometimes into just 24 little hours. They're flying across the country and, in some cases, even across an ocean for mind-boggingly brief interludes.  The travel industry is responding to this trend, coming up with ever shorter getaways. There are all-night escapades, one-day cruises and 12-hour tours. It's possible to sign up for quickie golf trips, mini-safaris and mad-dash dude ranches.  These long distance deadline travelers do claim their quick trips are worth the effort and aggravation. In fact, for some travelers, shoe-horning as much activity as possible into a day seems to be the entire point of the exercise.  One can catch an overnight flight direct from Pittsburgh to London, tour the city, catch a theater matinee, squeeze in a little shopping, fly the Concorde back and be home before your neighbors know you've left town.  Yet, just because something can be done, doesn't necessarily mean it has to be done.  How much "getting away" is really possible to accomplish on so tight a timetable, when time becomes extraordinarily precious? Travel delays, always a possibility on any trip, can take a serious chunk out of the schedule. When you have only 24 hours, spending 20 minutes waiting for luggage to come off the conveyor can be excruciating. Even slowing down to enjoy a special moment can be a challenge when each tick of the clock sounds so loudly.  Numerous axioms advise travelers to slow down at least long enough to smell the roses. Once a proponent of the concept of an all- night "ram" trip in college, I've come to feel differently about mad dashes. In fact, one of the rubrics that enjoys the distinction of being a "Bear's law of travel" suggests a trip should allow a traveler to spend at least three times the number of waking hours someplace that it takes to get there and back. Otherwise, the motive for the trip should be examined.  This is not to suggest there are no good reasons to undertake such quick trips, only that there should be a good reason. Business trips often require travelers to jet enormous distances to attend a brief meeting. Family matters, both joyous and sad, occasion quick excursions. And quick weekend getaways can be enjoyable, as long as the away isn't too far.  There's a corollary to the axiom "do too much, enjoy too little." Travel too quickly, remember almost nothing.

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