Sometimes half the fun of a holiday is in the unknown. Too often I’ve booked my summer break sometimes even a year in advance, and the build up has been excruciatingly slow, to the point where when it finally did come around, I’d built it up to be such a big thing that it turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. It’s for this reason that I decided to go down the rather unfamiliar route of a last minute holiday. This particular break turned out to be one of the best I’d ever been on.
Why? Because it was unexpected, and sometimes the best things in life are unexpected.
Grabbing a last minute holiday isn’t rocket science, and the best thing to do is to book the time off work, and then look online for deals that suit. It is a risk, because you’re not guaranteed the bargain of a lifetime, but you are likely to find something to suit, and more so if you’re flexible with where you go, and where you fly from.
Because last minute holidays can be such a rush, especially if you do like I did last year and book literally the night before, then it’s important to check all your holiday information before you leave the house, so you’re not overlooking anything in the rush. Regardless of whether I book early or late, I always head online before I leave the house and just check any information on my flight, just to make sure I’m going to the right terminal, and for anything else that might pop up. It pays to be in the know.
Organising yourself might not be the first thing you think of when you’ve booked that deal and you’re excited to head off, get ready to pack, and jet off to the sun, but it really is important to take a minute and check everything out before you proceed to the next step – enjoying your break!
So to take a step back for a second, how do you find your bargain last minute deal?
Well like we touched on before, online is the best place to head and I usually find some fantastic deals on websites like Teletext Holidays or Ice Lolly. Flight prices have a habit of going two extreme ways when it gets close to departure date – they either drop ridiculously low, simply to book the seats up, or they shoot up ridiculously high. Booking DIY late on is a risky business, but it’s one that can yield seriously good bargain results if you’re lucky. As for accommodation, you’ll find last minute hotels and apartments very easily, because the hotelier would rather have the room sold off at a cheaper rate than be empty completely.
Bagging a last minute deal is simple when you break it down, just remember these easy steps – be flexible, be patient, and enjoy.