How to Plan Last-Minute Trips in No Time

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It takes months of planning and tons of work to plan a trip. From deciding where to go to booking flights, planning trips have always been hectic, and this has opened up a multi-million-dollar industry, with many companies offering to do all the planning for you.

But have you had that sudden craving for nice scenery, beaches, and the road? It’s really never too late to plan that trip. In fact, it’s possible to plan a trip in the last minute and enjoy it as much as you would a trip that has taken you months to plan. Here are tips that will help you plan that trip in one day.

Stay calm

This is obviously the most important and the first point you should have in mind. Try to have a complete plan of the destinations that have what you’re seeking. What are the activities you’d like to enjoy there? You should also have your flight booking plans figured out. Where can you book affordable flights and hotels on short notice? These are the basics of your plan, and they should be figured out ever before you start packing your things.

Rethink your approach

You’d need to think less about where you want to go and think more about the experiences you wish to enjoy. For last-minute trips, you really don’t have the liberty to be rigid in your choice of destination.

Its practically impossible to jet off to Waikiki this weekend unless you have the right deal on flights and hotels, so planning to travel to Hawaii on your budget might be as slim as impossible for a last-minute flight. Instead, think about what you enjoy about Waikiki, and then look for cheaper destinations that offer just that, and for a last-minute traveler, the Caribbean isn’t a bad destination.

Where and when to find cheap flight tickets

For someone planning last-minute trips, where you search for flight tickets to your choice destination means a lot, and the same can be said of when you do that. Kayak, Skyscanner, Hopper and Google Flight are great places to start searching for great flight deals.

Courtnie Nichols, a flight concierge and the founder of TravelBash recommends enabling private browsing mode when searching for last-minute trips. In her words, “websites can track when you’re searching and they might raise the prices. Be smarter than the airlines.”

Nichols recommends searching for flights on Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and the best times to book flights is between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m.

Booking a hotel room

Booking a hotel room in advance has been seen to have great benefits, but booking one at the last minute could actually be profitable if you go about it the right way.

Even though most of the rooms in hotels and resorts are booked, these companies still send out last-minute deals when they discover they have more space. By signing up for loyalty programs at major hotels and resort brands, you’ll get access to great offers.

And in case you didn’t know, many of these companies don’t have the time to post all their deals online, so picking the phone and calling to know of these deals might actually earn you some great last-minute hotel deals.

Instead of just sticking to hotels, try to see if there is an Airbnb or a HomeAway available. You could also try Glamping and other alternatives. It all boils down to searching for great deals for a last-minute traveler.