Conventional wisdom says that the only way to get a great deal on a vacation is to book your trip many months in advance. But this is really only half the story, because while it is possible to get a great price by booking far in advance, you can also find many bargains on travel booked at the last minute.
If you have a spontaneous personality, you may find yourself occasionally making plans on the spur of the moment. And sometimes when life gets hectic and complicated, we can all use a last-minute getaway to relax and unwind from the pressure. If you find yourself craving just such a getaway, keep these tips in mind to find the best deals on last-minute travel.
The first rule of last-minute travel is to keep an open mind about your destination. If you decide that you must go to a certain location at the last minute, it can be very hard to find a bargain. This is especially true with popular tourist destinations like San Francisco, New York, Paris or London.
But if you remain open to the possibility of trying a new and more out-of-the-way destination, it is possible to have a great vacation getaway at a bargain price. For example, flights and hotels to lesser-known tourist destinations are often sharply discounted at the last-minute in an attempt to fill seats and hotel rooms. After all, an airline or hotel would rather accept half-price than nothing at all!
Packaging together all elements of your vacation will often result in the greatest savings. Many travel companies deal exclusively in package vacations, and when a vacation charter is not sold to capacity, agents began slashing prices to avoid losing money on the deal. Check with your local travel agents two or three days before the departure date of a charter. If they still have empty seats, you’re likely to be offered the same package trip at a greatly reduced price.
Purchasing a package vacation deal also saves you a lot of hassle. Dealing with separate hotels, rental car companies, and airlines vastly increases the amount of paperwork and detail you have to keep up with. Purchasing a package deal simplifies the entire process and provides you with a full vacation itinerary to keep everything organized and straightforward.
Finally, when looking for an flight, don’t overlook booking your flight through the airlines themselves. Although there are many travel web sites offering discount flights online, booking directly through the airlines can actually be cheaper in many cases.
To get a great last-minute flight, began calling an airline the day before the scheduled departure. If there are still seats available at this time, keep calling back every few hours and ask for their best price on the flight. As the departure time grows nearer, you’ll often find that ticket prices get lower every few hours.
Great article……
Comment by Mark Nayman — July 28, 2008 @ 4:19 am