We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, Trendy Mami may collect a share of sales or other compensations from the links on this page.
–
Even if you’re late to the game, you can still score some great last minute vacation deals online. Although it can be stressful to plan on short notice, doing so can result in huge savings. Hotels, car rentals, and even flights may have cheap deals available up until the last minute. Therefore, its important to know where to look so you can take advantage of these affordable travel deals.
In this article, we’ll share some tips on snagging last minute vacation deals so you can have a spontaneous getaway for cheap!
How to Get Last Minute Vacation Deals
Be Flexible
If you are flexible with your time of travel, you will have a better chance of snagging a good deal. Instead of traveling on weekends, holidays, or school vacation schedules, consider off-peak times like mid-week or shoulder seasons. With last minute deals, you’ll likely need to be ready to pick up and leave at short notice, so flexibility is key.
Being open to different destinations is also important. Although you may want a beach vacation, city trips and small-town adventures may be more realistic during times of high demand. Renting a campervan or RV for a road trip can also be cheaper than flying across the country. Deals can come up for any number of places, so it’s important to be flexible with where you want to go.
Use Online Travel Agency Websites
Online Travel Agencies (otherwise known as OTAs) are a very useful tool in securing last minute trips. These aggregate sites compile deals across different airline companies, hotel chains, and car rental services. They scour the web to show you the best deal available which is great for cost-saving comparisons.
Here are a couple of the most popular OTA sites:
Check Directly with the Airline or Hotel
While OTAs can be useful for searching broadly, they may not have the cheapest deals available. That’s why it’s also a good idea to check directly with the airline or hotel. In some cases, these carriers may offer the best and lowest deals on their website.
If you are part of a loyalty program with these partners (like Hilton Honors), you can also use points to score bigger savings. Additionally, hotels are notorious for giving special rates to members even if they are unavailable to everyone else.
Set Up Alerts
As you may know, the price of travel can fluctuate depending on a variety of factors. The time of day and current demand can change at a whims notice. By setting up alerts, you can get notified of last minute vacation deals for things like airfare and accommodation.
Look for Different Airports
You may find that there are last minute vacation deals from other airports besides the one closest to you. Therefore, you should type in nearby airports to see if flights are cheaper and/or more available. Sometimes, the effort of driving to a different airport can save you tons of money on airfare!
The same applies to your destination of choice. For example, flying into Oakland may be cheaper than a flight to San Francisco. Or arriving in New Jersey and taking the train into Manhattan may cost less than flying into JFK or LaGuardia. Take the time to do the research and you might just find some amazing cost-saving deals if you’re willing to travel a bit further.
Use Social Media
Nowadays, more and more companies are using social media in order to connect with their customer base. Some of them also use Facebook or Instagram for sharing flash sales or last minute vacation deals that are available. It’s worth following different hotel chains, OTAs, or airline partners to keep tabs on any exclusive offers.
Similarly, you may also consider signing up with their newsletters. Companies often send out notifications or offers about upcoming sales to their loyal customers.
Look for Alternative Accommodation
Even if you’ve booked a cheap flight, it can be difficult to find a hotel that corresponds with your last minute dates. If you’re open to staying somewhere besides a hotel, there are other types of accommodation that you should look into.
House-sharing platforms like Airbnb and VRBO are great resources for finding last minute accommodation. For last minute travels, you may also be able to negotiate a better deal with the host directly. They might shave off a few dollars so their place doesn’t go vacant for a week or two.
You may also consider house-sitting or house-swapping, which is another cost-effective way to travel on a budget. You can use sites like Trusted Housesitters or join house-swapping Facebook groups for last minute getaways.
Bundle Your Vacation
Whether you’re traveling at the last minute or not, booking a bundle vacation package will be more cost-effective than booking separately. This is because hotel rooms or flights are often purchased by the OTA in bulk. They get wholesale pricing and share a part of those discounted savings with their customers.
Booking a vacation package also takes the pain of planning for you! Instead of spending ages researching and booking parts of your trip separately, you make one purchase and you’re done! At the end of the day, it’s a win-win situation for everyone!
Don’t worry if you’ve waited too late to plan your trip. Finding last minute vacation deals is easy if you know what to do and where to look. Once everything is booked, then you’ll want to focus on packing for your trip. Here are expert tips on how to pack light and curate a capsule wardrobe to maximize your travel outfits.
