Kayak's Rendezvous Makes Traveling to Loved Ones Easier

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Valentine’s Day can be a bummer when you’re in a long-distance relationship. Anyone who’s pored over flight listings, taking wild stabs at different cities and dates in an effort to find a reasonably priced gathering point, knows the pain of trying to meet in the middle. But earlier this month, travel aggregator Kayak launched Rendezvous, a new service that aims to make it easier for loved ones to find the most affordable destinations for a reunion.

The interface is simple: plug in your two origins and your preferred travel-date range, and Kayak’s algorithm scours flight listings and ticket prices from the past 48 hours to determine which cities make the cheapest destinations for both parties. Select the place that appeals to you most, and you’ll be directed to Kayak’s main site to view and purchase flights.

Rendezvous also accounts for each person’s travel time and expenses, so neither of you get stuck with a much longer flight or pricier ticket. With that in mind, suggested destinations aren’t always near the geographic midpoint—and that’s a good thing. You may be surprised by the number of desirable far-flung locales that make your list. Caribbean ports-of-call Castries, St. Lucia, and Fort-de-France, Martinique, were both relatively cost-efficient destinations when I searched for the best meetups between my home base of Santa Fe and Maastricht, Netherlands, where my partner lives.

While big metros like New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angles are usually the cheapest options, it’s worth scrolling to find perfect cities for outdoor adventures. On the list for Outside’s travel editor to meet his girlfriend who works in Monterey, California, were Seattle, Vancouver, Salt Lake City, Denver, and Portland, Oregon—all places where it’s easy to spend a day climbing, biking, or checking another national park off your bucket list.