When the possibly of getting a break somewhere exciting pops up at the last minute one of the big problems can be in working out exactly where to go and with which travel firm. Once you find yourself in the position of looking for late deal holidays abroad here are a few things to bear in mind.
Where do you want to go to?
This might sound just too obvious but it is always the best place to start looking. You choice will come down to personal preference and the time of year as much as anything. Do you want sun, the beach, culture or a cheap deal somewhere which is out of season? If you genuinely aren’t bothered about your destination then you will have a lot more chance of getting a low cost trip sorted out at the last minute. Try to cast your net as wide as possible. For example, if you want sun and sand then think of North Africa and Turkey as well as the typical Spanish Greek and Portuguese resorts.
How much can you afford?
Once you starting looking at some deals it can be tempting to keep pushing the budget up little by little until you end up booking something you can’t afford. Once you get a feel for the sort of prices on offer then work out how much you can spend and try to stick to it. Spending less on the holiday means more cash to splash out once you are abroad.
Is there any flexibility with the dates?
If you can get just a little bit more flexibility with your dates then this could give you a much better possibility of snapping up a fantastic deal. For instance, if you have two full weeks off work then you are probably looking at a Saturday or Sunday flight. Could you take the Friday afternoon off to broaden your search to flights which take off on the Friday night? This little detail could bring up some extra search results.
Which site to use?
There are many internet sites which offer late deal holidays abroad. If you can get a personal recommendation from someone who has done the same sort of thing in the recent past then this is a great start. Otherwise, be sure to check they offer the full range of travel industry protection[1] and they offer a thorough service with a customer care helpline and clear information on what is included in the deal.
[1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travel-advice/8435360/Package-holiday-booking-advice-and-ATOL-protection.html
Photo by Jen SFO-BCN
