Once again, the great British summer has turned into a bit of a washout, and those who smugly went for the ‘staycation’ to save some cash are probably wishing they’d escaped to sunnier climes.
Even if you aren’t ‘blessed’ with Britain’s unpredictable weather, staying stuck in an office while the rest of the country is out on leave is enough to make anyone go mad.
But if you haven’t organized a summer holiday yet this year, now is the perfect time to book a last minute travel deal, with hundreds of companies slashing prices as the end of the holiday season approaches. But to all but the travel deal pro, booking last minute can be seem a bit of a minefield – where do you start to look when there are thousands of ‘last minute’ and ‘travel deal’ websites out there? What if you panic and end up paying more than you should because it’s labelled as a ‘deal’, or find yourself on some obscure resort in the middle of nowhere?
Well, fear not, we’ve compiled a guide of 9 easy steps to booking last minute and finding the best deals. One read of this and you’ll never want to pay full price for a holiday again!
1. Be Flexible: To score the best travel deal, the only thing you need to decide is when you want to travel, and how long for – the rest should be completely flexible. Don’t choose an exact date to travel, and be willing to go midweek, late night or early in the morning for the cheapest price. You might also have to fly out of a regional airport – which can often be more accessible, less busy and hectic than major international airports!
2. Don’t Pick a Place: You may have a particular place in mind, but if you can’t find a deal there, be willing to go to a more offbeat or less popular destination – this way you’ll discover somewhere completely new, escape the crowds and tourists, but still get the same kind of holiday (e.g. beaches and bars, a cultured city).
3. Shop Around: You can make great savings on package or all-inclusive deals by booking last minute, but don’t just fall for the first deal that catches your eye. If you’re really on a budget, package deals can still cost around £200-600, even with the last minute discount. The cheapest kind of last minute break can be booked seperately – scour the internet for dirt cheap flights, then find a hostel online in your chosen location. Hostels are more likely to have late availability than hotels, especially in popular cities.
4. When to Book: Time your booking wisely- leave it too late and you might not be able to find the kind of holiday you want, book too early and you may miss out on the best deals. The optimum booking window is about 2-3 weeks before you travel. The best ‘seasons’ to book are when people aren’t likely to travel, or at the end of a season – so late summer, the weeks leading up to and after Christmas. In general January is one of the least popular months to travel, so companies and airlines slash rates to try and fill rooms and flights. January is perfect for a romantic city break to destinations like New York. For last minute summer deals in Southern Europe, check out the HostelBookers summer sale which still has plenty of bargains left for August.
5. Finding Flights: Often buying flights last minute from budget airlines can work out more expensive, so look out for airlines such as Ryanair, Easyjet and BMI holding ‘flash sales’ – one day sales with flights going as low as a pound. Of course you then have to pay tax, and all the extra fees, but it can still work out incredibly cheap. In the US airlines like JetBlue often have last minute sales. Don’t discount the more ‘premium’ airlines – they are more likely to sell off their seats at a cheaper price in order to fill planes – BA often have great last minute deals. Otherwise, there are thousands of websites out there devoted to showing you the cheapest flights available for each destination – they operate like a search engine. Some sites only include certain carriers, so check out a couple and see what you find – we like Kayak, SkyScanner, and Cheap Flights.
6. Go Offline (occasionally): Whilst booking online is often the best way to find cheap flights, you can sometimes negotiate a better deal by picking up the phone. Travel Agents have been squeezed the most by the rise of online travel and the recession, so pop in or call your local agent and see if they have any last minute holidays they are willing to flog. Sometimes it’s even worth calling the airline directly to see what the cheapest flights are, and Flight Centre is always a great resource for bargain air fares.
7. Go Off-Season: If you have your heart set on a popular destination, you can still get a last minute deal if you travel off-season, e.g. Australia in the summer (their winter), or for places in the Med like Ibiza try September and October, when the weather is still good. Obviously you aren’t going to get great snow in the Swiss Alps in the height of summer, but winter destinations can also make great places to visit off-season- try ski and snowboard destinations in the summer for hiking, water-sports, beautiful scenery and a whole host of outdoorsy activites. Mammoth Mountain, in California and Interlaken, Switzerland, are great places to visit on and off-piste.
8. Where to Go Now: Ok, so you want to escape from the 9-5 NOW – where should you go in August? Your best bets are seasonal summer destinations ie. Southern Europe like travel deals in Malta, Cyprus, Portugal, Greece, or special offers in Spain and Italy. The peak season for these destinations ends by the end of September, so you’re in the best position to score a last minute deal.
9. Sign up for Travel Newsletters: To keep abreast of any upcoming travel deals in the future, sign up to airline and travel company email newsletters, that will let you know of summer sales and discounts before everyone else. What could be better than a holiday bargain popping up in your inbox? TravelZoo is the most famous ‘travel deals’ letter, but it’s worth checking out airline companies and tour operators as well – the HostelBookers newsletter is a way to get a heads up about any deals, promotions, competitions and discounts going on in the world of budget accommodation.
Got an eye for a holiday bargain? Get in touch below with any of your travel tips for booking a last minute deal…
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