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Most travel advisors will tell you to plan well in advance to find the best travel deals, but if you're flexible on your next vacation destination, you just may see an exotic destination for half the cost. Here are a few tips for taking advantage of last minute travel bargains.
Be Flexible
The key to finding the cheapest last minute deal is to not stick to specifics. Hotwire.com is a website that sells un-booked in high-end hotels at a fraction of the regular cost. You choose the city and the dates, and the search engine gives you available hotels based on cost and the number of stars awarded the hotel. However, you do not receive the name of the hotel you are staying in until after you've confirmed your booking.
Up for an unknown adventure? Reserve your preferred vacation days (Spring or Fall will be cheaper than Summer), and book a flight to wherever you find the best deal. Travelocity.com has a last minute deals section that lets you choose your departure airport, and then shows the best deals for a range of locations.
Check Associated Costs
One of the hardest things about lining up a last minute trip is making sure the savings on your last-minute airfare deal isn't totally offset by an extra expense for your last minute hotel booking. Before you book that flight to Bucharest, make sure you can line up a place to sleep once you get there.
Similarly, it is a good idea to be aware of other living costs such as transportation and meals.
Check for Packages
When you are tailoring travel plans for a specific trip, often a hotel, flight and car package will not necessarily serve you well. But if you find a last minute deal for hotel and flight or hotel, flight and car that is significantly cheaper than the flight alone, it may be worth your while. Some of them may even offer museum or sight-seeing discounts.
Think Outside the Box
If you find a last minute flight that gets you close to your destination, consider alternate means of transportation to get you the rest of the wbay. A train or bus trip, or even a good deal on a car rental could save you a couple hundred dollars on your plane ticket, and the airport usually operates a cheap shuttle service to Greyhound, Amtrak, or other local transportation companies. Using your imagination to get from point A to point B can save you money, and add a little extra adventure to your trip.
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