Last Minute Holiday

[TimmyBaggins]

On a previous holiday, whilst my partner and I were getting our airport transfers we bumped into another couple who commented how little they paid for their trip. It was something like 70% less and this was because they did it last minute whereas we booked about 7 months before.

With this in mind we are going to do a last minute this year, has anyone got experience of the best way to do this? I know some websites have last minute deals say 2 weeks before, but we're going to live on the edge this year and leave it until a day or two before. Can you just turn up at the airport, or are there websites?

Any advice helpful!

[PeckhamRose]

I went to USA last year and booked the tickets in advance and thus paid full price because we needed to be there at a certain time and leave at a certain time. I believe our tickets were somehing like ?550 return.

On the flight out we sat next to a woman who had booked the night before for ?100 return through LastMinute.Com

She had a week's window so was willing to get the best price within that week.

LM do not pay me to advertise for them.

I would not use them for theatre tickets again though, since they advertised at one price and when you dug deeper the price was for kids, or was actually not that price at all, but twice as much.

[TimmyBaggins]

Cool, thanks peckhamRose any other good websites or agents anyone knows of?

[Mscrawthew]

Hi

Try travelzoo.com, if you sign up for their top 20 email it has a lot of last minute deals.

[Santerme]

My wife is Canadian and has been working on a contract in Winnipeg for the last two years so I travel out three or four times a year.

Flights to Canada are quite good value, but the Summer season pushes it up of course.

Accomodation is not expensive if you choose a premium hotel brand, the standard is very high.

Car Hire can be pricey though.

Eating out is very affordable on the whole.

I fly to Calgary in August and forward booked a return for ?398...I always ask for an upgrade on the day and only once failed to get into Business and for as little as ?50 in most cases.

Booking last minute with Air Transat or FlyGlobespan in the past I have got tickets to Toronto for ?99 one way and ?199 back.

[louisiana]

Timmy, we always do last minute. But we do flight separate from accommodation. That way you get a cheapo flight and fab (private) accommodation.

If you go for an 'operator deal', you get what you pay for.

We've done this in the last couple of years for Symi (Greek island), for SW Turkey (this May) and for Cuba (last Spring). All a raging success. This May we got cottage in lovely small village on Turkish coast, with garden, plunge pool etc., for just 250 a week. The price in Symi was even less for a truly incredible house (end of season gap in bookings).

Our only disappointment was Crete last autumn, where we went for a package deal. The accomm a huge disappointment.

So to reiterate, you get what you pay for if you go package.

Find a really good flight to somewhere you fancy going, then quickly do some online homework on truly independent accommodation (which by then will be doing deals) and book direct.

[DaveR]

Airlines will monitor their loads constantly and issue special fares/discounts accordingly. They used to put the fares out to selected travel agents who were good at shifting lots of seats quickly, but most now say on their websites that they guarantee they will put their lowest fares up there - some actually do, some don't.

For flights, in addition to the airlines websites, I would look here:

http://www.cheapflights.co.uk/

http://www.low-cost-airline-guide.com/

http://www.skyscanner.net/

or just google "cheap flight [destination]"

Last minute package deals are like the discount shelf at the supermarket - you get what's left over, potentially very cheap (compared to the brochure price) and fine if that holiday is what you would have chosen anyway.