Lifestyle

How To Find Last Minute Travel Deals [Full Traveling Guide]

This article may contain affiliate links. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. Privacy Policy.

Maybe you feel like you need a weekend in a city you’ve never been to before. Maybe work is wearing you down and you need to unwind on an island in the sun. Or perhaps you’re in the mood to visit an old friend that moved out of town.

Whatever your reason may be, it’s never too late to book a trip.

It’s good to get away, to see new things, and have new experiences. And you don’t necessarily have to book your trip a year in advance to get a good deal.

The only thing better than taking a trip is saving some money when you book it!

If you’re looking to get away next weekend, next month, or even tonight, here are the best ways to find last minute travel deals.

Last Minute Travel

LastMinuteTravel is explicitly designed to help you find, you guessed it, last-minute deals.

To find a great deal, just enter your destination and the dates you want to travel. If you’re not sure where you want to go, click on one of their suggested destinations and start browsing the best prices.

If you want to save even more money, you can book an “undercover” hotel. As long as you don’t mind being surprised by the hotel they book you in; you can save even more on your trip.

Another way to save is to join their Last Minute Travel Club.

For an annual membership, you can access up to 65% off select flights and hotels.

If you sign up for the travel club before December 31, 2019, use their promo code FALL50. With this code, your membership for 2020 will only cost you $50.

Expedia and Travelocity

We’ve grouped these two together for a reason: Expedia owns Travelocity (as well as several other travel sites). Both sites operate the same way, and they both make it easy to find great deals, even if you want to travel within the next two weeks.

On these travel sites, you can book flights only, hotels only, or a combination of both. If you book them together, you can sometimes get one hotel night for free.

You can also find deals on rental cars and discounts on tourist attractions and activities at your destination.

Expedia showcases what they call “unreal deals” every single day.

Right now, you can book a flight from NYC to Los Angeles plus four nights at the Millennium Biltmore Los Angeles hotel for $907 per person. That’s a 35% savings!

Travelocity also displays “unreal deals”. Right now, you can book airfare from NYC to Miami plus three nights at the Four Seasons Hotel Miami for just $683 per person. For a five-star hotel chain, that’s an exceptional price.

Kayak

Not exactly sure where you want to go?

Check out Kayak’s explore feature. One of the reasons we love this option is because you can search for deals in a variety of different ways. You’ll need to put in where you’re flying from, but you can leave the destination and dates open.

You’ll see a world map with destinations all over the world so you can assess flight prices to various destinations and see what’s within your budget. You can search for the month we’re in or for a future month or specific dates. This makes it easy to see all the best prices.

Kayak also has a cool vacation packages feature. This is where you’ll find the best of the best deals. Currently, you can save 27% on flights from NYC to Calgary, Canada and as much as 18% on flights from NYC to Barcelona.

Cheap Caribbean

Need a tropical getaway? CheapCaribbean.com is one of the best places to find last minute deals on trips to the islands.

Their deals include flight and hotel packages, or you can book a hotel only if you’ve already made other flight arrangements. Not sure which island you want to visit? Click on “packages” to find a list of all of their best and most current deals.

Want to spend New Year’s Eve in the Bahamas?

Airfare from Fort Lauderdale plus four nights in a Nassau hotel starts at $599 per person. Don’t want to pay for meals or drinks? Four nights plus airfare to an all-inclusive Cancun resort starts at just $729 per person.

Google Flights

We use Google for everything, including finding the cheapest airfare!

With Google Flights, you don’t even have to have a destination in mind. Just type in where you plan to depart from and Google will suggest hundreds of destinations and deals that you can get right away.

Right now, you can travel from Philadelphia to New Orleans for $87 or from Philly to Atlanta for just $39!

Whether you want to leave tomorrow or next month, Google makes it easy to find the cheapest flights no matter where you’re going. Another great feature Google Flights offers is the ability to track a flight.

They will email you when the flight price drops or increases. Google Flights lets you know how the current price compares to historical rates. If you are looking for a flight a few months out and the price is historically high on the day you are trying to book, we suggest setting up a tracker and wait until it drops and take advantage of the reduced rate.

Booking.com

Booking.com only offers deals on hotels and accommodations, not on flights.

You can sort by 5-star hotels, rent a villa, or even book a furnished apartment. The search options are wide and varied, so you can book any sort of place you want.

If you’re planning a last-minute trip before the end of the year, they’re currently offering 20% off now through the end of December.

Scott’s Cheap Flights

Not in the mood to search for different sites and different prices for the best deals? Sign up for alerts with Scott’s Cheap Flights and let the deals come directly to you.

To get started, create an account and pick the airport you plan to depart from. When amazing deals from your airport arise, the travel experts at Scott’s will send a deal alert to your inbox.

You’ll only get alerts for the best deals. Most of the deals they send out are between 40% and 90% off regular prices.

 

One:Night

Not every trip requires a flight and checked luggage. Sometimes a simple change of scenery and a night in a nearby hotel is all you need.

To find great prices on last-minute hotel stays, download the One:Night app.

It’s not available in every city (yet), but it is available in dozens of major destinations, including NYC, London, Bangkok, San Francisco, and more.

Is It Easy to Find Last Minute Travel Deals?

Whether you want to get away for a night, weekend, or several weeks, last-minute travel deals are easy to find. To find the best travel deals for your next trip, check out:

Now get excited, find your passport, and pack your bags.

You’ve got places to go!

Jessica Heston

view post

More from Lifestyle category