Everyone is trying to save money these days.
But, no one wants to give up pleasures like going on vacation.
There has been a lot of talk lately about last minute travel deals and how they can help you save money.
But, you need to be careful to avoid mistakes that can ruin your trip and your vacation.
You wait till the last minute to book a flight and hotel when you have a specific destination and time frame for your trip.
If you wait until the last minute you will have to be open minded about where you are actually traveling to in order to get a bargain.
If you have to go to a popular destination and you wait until the last minute you will probably end up paying more.
You waited until the last minute and you can only fly on certain days and times.
Once again you will probably end up paying more unless you can be flexible with days times and even seating arrangements.
You think you are going to save money by just showing up at a hotel.
Hotels like all of their rooms to be full.
So, if they are not booked up they may be willing to negotiate with you.
It's better to get something rather than nothing.
But this means you call ahead last minute and make a bargain reservation.
Don't show up at the hotel at 10:00 pm and expect them to bargain with you.
Last minute hotel reservations work great for trips that are within driving distance of your home.
You actually lose money by booking online.
Booking online is really convenient and can give you all kinds of information and travel ideas.
But, you can frequently save more by calling the hotel directly.
Do your research and see what online deals are out there than call the hotel and see how much they are willing to negotiate.
If you have a sense of adventure and like spontaneity than last minute travel can be a fun and money saving adventure.
You can use these impromptu trips to bring your family closer together and have more vacations with the money you save.
The kids will have many stories for show and tell when they get back to school.