About LeaveFriday

Why I built this

Hi,

I built LeaveFriday because planning a simple weekend trip was somehow never simple.

Every time I wanted to get away, I ended up in the same loop: Google Flights in one tab, hotels in another, maps in another, then back to the flight times to figure out whether the trip actually made sense.

Could I leave after work? Would I land too late? Was the hotel worth the price? Would I get enough time there to justify the cost?

Most of the time, the answer was unclear, so I just didn't go.

LeaveFriday is the tool I wanted: one page that shows you the whole weekend at once.

— Brian

How it works

LeaveFriday tracks nonstop weekend routes from California airports to destinations across the U.S. and Mexico.

For each route, we pair practical Friday-evening and Sunday-return flights with vetted hotel options across three tiers: best value, luxury, and budget.

Each trip gets a Weekend Score from 0 to 100 based on the things that actually matter for a short trip:

• Can you leave after work?
• Do you get a real Sunday before flying home?
• Is the total estimated price reasonable?
• Is the flight short enough for a weekend?
• Is the hotel well reviewed?

The best-scoring trips appear first, and you can filter by destination, price, score, or hotel tier.

The goal is simple: help you decide in a few minutes whether a weekend trip is worth taking.

What LeaveFriday is, and is not

LeaveFriday is a travel discovery tool.

We are not a travel agency, airline, hotel, or booking platform. We do not process reservations, hold inventory, or change the price of anything you book.

Instead, we help you find trips that make sense, then send you to the provider to book directly.

No six-tab planning spiral. No mental math. No pretending a terrible flight is a good deal.

How we make money

LeaveFriday is free to use.

We may earn affiliate commissions when you click through and complete a booking with a travel provider. That commission comes from the provider, not from an extra fee charged to you.

We do not mark up prices.

Affiliate commissions also do not determine our rankings. Weekend Score is based on trip quality signals like timing, price, flight duration, and hotel reviews, not which partner pays more.

Our incentive is simple: if the trip is useful, you may book it. If it is not useful, you will not.

What is real and what is estimated

The routes and hotels shown on LeaveFriday are real.

Flight schedules, hotel availability, and prices can change quickly, so the prices we show should be treated as estimates. When you click through to book, the provider will show the current live price and availability.

Use LeaveFriday to compare weekend options quickly, then confirm the final details before booking.