Your Guide to Making Last Minute Travel Happen

Planning last minute travel doesn’t seem logical for most. There’s the worry of spending too much money, not finding reasonable airfare or a decent hotel. There are people who feel like if they’re not planning ahead, they can’t make a vacation happen at all. We’re here to tell you that last minute travel is possible with the right tools and mindset. Take a look at the last minute travel tips we like to follow when planning a getaway on a whim.

The Benefits of Last Minute Travel and Where to Start

It’s time to turn that “why” into a “why not”. Booking an unexpected vacation is exciting. It adds some spontaneity to your mundane routine, allows you to live in the moment and think of all the time you saved rather than planning a trip months out.

The first step is knowing your budget. Once you have an idea of what you can spend, the next step is researching and picking a destination. Part of planning a trip this quick is being realistic. For example, if you know your budget absolutely won’t cover airfare overseas, it’s safe to say a vacation to Paris is out.

In addition to being realistic, last minute travel also means being flexible with not only your destination but your dates. Considering a trip to the Caribbean? The islands with larger tourism often mean better deals but don’t count out some of the off-the-radar islands either. They may offer the best travel deals to push their tourism business further. When it comes to your calendar, keep in mind some days of the week are more expensive to fly than others. Also stay open to the length of your stay. Who doesn’t want their fifth night at the hotel for free?

Be Open to a Non-Concrete Travel Itinerary

You’re making a lot of plans in a short amount of time. Take it easy when it comes to your travel itinerary. The whole point of a vacation is to relax and enjoy yourself, so don’t make trip planning into more work than it needs to be. Depending upon how long your stay is, pick out one to three activities that really excite you and keep an open mind. You’re already living in the moment taking this vacation, keep it that way until you return. By doing this you’re not stressing yourself out and you might be surprised by the great adventures and experiences you can have by not limiting yourself to what only fits in your schedule.

Don’t Travel During Peak Season

A quick lesson in travel jargon, there are three seasons of travel: Peak season (roughly mid-June through August), shoulder season (April through mid-June and September through October), and off-season (November through March). We know that the point of last minute travel is making a getaway happen on a whim, but beware when that wanderlust hits you during peak season.

Obviously peak season means higher hotel and airfare rates but also consider how traveling during another season will improve the quality of your experience. Traveling during lower seasons means less people at your destination. Instead of bumping shoulders with obnoxious tourists, you might connect with genuine travelers and friendlier locals for a truly enriching experience.

Download the WinqBid App to “Bid It to Win It!”

Control how much you’re willing to pay through WinqBid live auction! The WinqBid app strives to make you feel like a winner when booking your hotel. Staying true to your budget, our app helps you control how much you’re willing to pay and the type of hotel experience you’re looking for. This is the ultimate app to help you search for hotels with unsold rooms at low rates. Search hotels, select the one you’re interested in, choose your room type (i.e. king, queen, double beds) and place your bid. You can even participate in multiple auctions at the same time. Once the auction is over and winners are announced, you can choose to book the winning room of your choice and forfeit the others. To keep ahead of other bidders, use the “QuickBid” option to raise your bid incrementally.