Experts point out that most people book their vacations in advance, which turns out to be an advantage, especially if you want to find a trip at a good price. However, there are still a good handful of travelers who still do not have a specific plan on their vacations until a few days before starting to enjoy them.

They are called last minute travelers. Whether due to lack of time, carelessness or budgetary reasons, the point is that they book a couple of weeks before leaving on a trip with nothing on the table, when almost everything is sold. They don’t have much left to choose from. And that’s when stress comes into play. But in reality, it doesn’t have to be so complicated. In fact, if you follow the following tips or tricks, surely the booking process will be much lighter, faster and cheaper.

The rule of the 14 days in advance

The definition of a last minute trip is one that is made two weeks in advance (or less) before the day of departure. I will start by saying that this is a risk, since the chances of finding a good trip are significantly reduced. Anyway, at the same time, it could also become an opportunity. The fact is that, in many cases, if the seats of the airlines, travel agencies, hotels or cruises, are not fully booked 14 days before departure, they launch great discounts to close their sales. It is just the time to hunt for a bargain.

Don’t get obsessed with a destination

This part is paramount. There is nothing worse than booking at the last moment and waiting for the vacation of your dreams to fall in your hands. Do not fool yourself. If so, everyone would book at the last minute. And nobody is interested in that in the sector. At the outset, it is very complicated to start the reservation process if you are only interested in one destination. Open your mind. Search for offers and not destinations. You are likely to find proposals if an airline is trying to fill their seats or if a hotel is not as full as expected. Flee from popular destinations, or that are in an uptrend, vice versa: look for what nobody is interested in at that time. Instead of choosing your favorite destination, you could reduce the cost by going to a similar and less known destination that offers virtually the same.

Search for low season

Following a little with the previous advice, to find a cheap last minute trip it is key that you go against the tide. An excellent idea is to look for destinations where the summer period is low season. You know, with lower demand, the availability increases and prices decrease. For example, if you travel to New Zealand in August you will encounter winter in the southern hemisphere, therefore, it’s low season. Temperatures will not be precisely hot there, especially on the south island, but prices – within its average – will be noticeably lower. If you don’t want to go down under, there are places like Berlin, Bilbao, Marrakech or the Pyrenees that cut their prices to attract travelers in what is considered their middle or low season.

Set flight alerts

When booking at the last minute, a day or two can become a huge difference in price when it comes to flights. Flights are an important part of the budget on many trips. In that aspect, it is advisable that you have flexibility especially with the dates of departure and return, since you will save money. For example, less popular flight schedules (such as flights very early in the morning) are generally much cheaper than peak times (mid-morning or late). The day of the week in which you travel is also decisive. Airlines often discount flights on Sundays and Tuesdays for trips during the following week. To get the best prices, register directly on the websites of airlines, meta search engines or travel agencies and filter the information that suits you and so you can control when they launch offers that fit you.

Take some time to search

The time you spend searching will always be an investment. Keep in mind that you can save a lot of money or, on the contrary, lose them. It is essential to investigate well. Do not book on impulse or the first thing you see. You have to spend a day or two to compare. That said, you must also be very clear when it is time to book.

If you stumble upon what you consider an exceptional offer, do not wait for it to improve. And if you are not sure, another thing you can do is check with a travel agency you trust. Call them and ask if they have a trip similar to the one you found. Sometimes they have access to exclusive information that cannot be found on other channels.