CALUMET – As part of National Plan for Vacation on Jan. 28, the Keweenaw Convention & Visitors Bureau (KCVB) encourages potential travelers to explore two new tools intended to make visiting the Keweenaw easier and more enjoyable.

More than half of American workers (55%) failed to use all their time off last year. That’s a stockpile of 768 million unused vacation days just in 2018, of which 236 million were forfeited completely.

What’s the key to using more vacation time? Planning. But nearly half of American households (46%) don’t do this simple step–and they lose out on their time off and the benefits it brings.

“The beginning of the year is the time to pull out the calendar and start planning for the entire year. Before you know it, life happens, and you may find yourself in November with weeks left to use and simply not enough time left in the year to schedule them,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of U.S. Travel Association.

This fall the KCVB launched a new online lodging widget on www.Kenweenaw.info which helps visitors find and compare lodging accommodation options, room rates and availability. The tool then provides visitors a list of businesses that meet their lodging needs and allows them to complete the booking process on the selected business’ website.

Another useful vacation planning tool is the KCVB’s online Keweenaw Adventure Guide This interactive web map developed by the KCVB helps visitors find local attractions like restaurants, shopping, outdoor recreation and more. Visitors can use the map’s filter options to select the amenities of interest, and then navigate the map to discover where the amenities are located and other nearby attractions.

“This is such a great tool to demonstrate how much the Keweenaw has to offer visitors, explained Brad Barnett, KCVB’s Executive Director. “Travelers can use the map to plan anything from waterfall hikes to pub crawls based on what part of the Keweenaw they want to explore.” According to Barnett, the online map is mobile friendly and will be updated regularly.

For more information on the Keweenaw or to learn more about the KCVB’s new online tools, visit www.keweenaw.info.

National Plan for Vacation Day takes place during the last Tuesday in January as a day to encourage Americans to plan their vacation days for the rest of the year at the start of the year.