diff --git a/client-next/src/hooks/useTripQuery.ts b/client-next/src/hooks/useTripQuery.ts
index e96a04d7cc3..b5c14d406f8 100644
--- a/client-next/src/hooks/useTripQuery.ts
+++ b/client-next/src/hooks/useTripQuery.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,17 @@ import { QueryType, TripQueryVariables } from '../gql/graphql.ts';
 
 const endpoint = import.meta.env.VITE_API_URL;
 
+const getApiUrl = () => {
+  try {
+    // the URL constructor will throw exception if endpoint is not a valid URL,
+    // e.g. if it is a relative path
+    new URL(endpoint);
+    return endpoint;
+  } catch (e) {
+    return `${window.location.origin}${endpoint}`;
+  }
+};
+
 /**
   General purpose trip query document for debugging trip searches
   TODO: should live in a separate file, and split into fragments for readability
@@ -96,9 +107,9 @@ export const useTripQuery: TripQueryHook = (variables) => {
         if (variables) {
           setLoading(true);
           if (pageCursor) {
-            setData((await request(endpoint, query, { ...variables, pageCursor })) as QueryType);
+            setData((await request(getApiUrl(), query, { ...variables, pageCursor })) as QueryType);
           } else {
-            setData((await request(endpoint, query, variables)) as QueryType);
+            setData((await request(getApiUrl(), query, variables)) as QueryType);
           }
           setLoading(false);
         } else {