Many travelers, when booking trips, prefer to plan ahead in order to have time to prepare and save money. Sometimes, however, when funds are available or a period of time is open, travelers like to head out the door with little advance notice or preparation. For this kind of last -minute travel, special deals are available to fill airline seats and hotel vacancies. If you know when and where to look, last-minute travel can be cheaper even than preplanned travel.
Last-minute travel is generally defined as travel that happens less than two weeks after you purchase tickets. Many airlines, however, offer ticket sales that occur only for a limited time, which also can be considered last-minute travel. If you are on a tight time budget, you might call an airline or travel agent directly to inquire about special last-minute deals.
Last-minute travel tickets can be purchased a number of ways. If you have specific dates, locations or airlines in mind, head directly to your preferred airline's website or call center and enter in your travel information. If you have less specific preferences, some websites will allow you to search for weekend trips or weeklong trips. Go-Today, for example, offers prepackaged trips at set prices.
If you prefer to buy a last-minute plane ticket, be flexible with your departure and arrival times and locations for the best price. Consider airports within a 100-mile radius, and search up to 12 hours before your desired departure time. At that late time, airlines often discount seats so that they can fill them; in general, a filled seat at a discount price is better than an empty seat. If you are buying a ticket less than 12 hours before departure, trying calling the airline directly as some Internet sites are not able to handle reservations at such short notice.
For quick and easy last-minute travel, look online for good deals. TravelZoo's Top 20 list is a grouping of the best last-minute deals on the Internet. You can opt to have the list e-mailed to you, or you can check with the website. If you use this method act quickly as deals are limited and the best ones tend to sell out fast. You also might try Last Minute Travel's website.
Last-minute travel is best purchased for situations in which you do not have to travel but simply have an open period of time. It is best entered into with a spontaneous and flexible attitude as travel bargains are not always available.
