While you may have to be flexible about your destination if you're buying last-minute plane tickets, you can save a lot of money if you're willing to travel at a moment's notice. If you're adventurous, try showing up at the airport with your bags already packed and simply ask the ticket agent for a last-minute flight. If you want a little bit more notice about where and when you're going, there are Internet sites such as Last Minute Travel that specialize in short-term deals. Larger travel agencies also are able to offer heavily discounted flights on a last-minute basis. Keep in mind that you may be limited in where you can travel due to passport and visa requirements.
The easiest way to take a last-minute trip is to get in the car and hit the road. You can either take a short drive and stay a few days in a nearby location or make the trip itself your vacation and simply travel from place to place until you're due back home. If you don't have a car, package deals that include car rentals and hotel rooms are available from many discount online travel agents.
If you already have the equipment, camping is a good option for a spur-of-the-moment vacation. Camping sites are usually easy to procure (unless you're traveling on a particularly busy long weekend) and with some careful packing and a trip to the grocery store for provisions, a simple camping trip doesn't require too much preparation. If you're looking for something more adventurous, touring outfits like Trek America offer discounted last-minute deals on many of their group camping trips.
While it may seem like a cruise would be something you'd have to book with plenty of advance notice, cruising is actually a great last-minute option because once you have it booked, you don't have to worry about hotel rooms, rental cars, or researching attractions and restaurants. Sites like Last Minute Cruises offer packages for cruise ships that may depart within a few weeks of your ticket purchase. Cruise destinations aren't limited to tropical locales, either; you could find yourself going off to Alaska, Europe, New England or more traditional cruise locations like the Bahamas or Mexico.
