The summer is upon us and many people will be thinking about their next holiday. If you haven’t already booked a vacation, don’t worry because there are always great last-minute vacation deals to be found. Sometimes, it pays to wait until nearer the time anyway. If you know where to look, you will find some great last-minute vacation ideas.
Book out of season
If you want to save money and go last-minute you should try to think outside of the box. Go where others are less likely to. In summer, the warmest and sunniest places will command the highest holiday prices, while destinations that have potentially less favourable weather will be cheaper.
Consider picking places that are not in high season. You can, for example, select a vacation spot in the southern hemisphere which has opposite seasons to the northern hemisphere.
Places like Australia, South America and Africa have their winters during the summer in Europe and the US. This can mean that for many of the southern hemisphere destinations you’ll pay low season prices. As well as being cheaper they will also be less crowded.
Sailing away
While many holidaymakers think about a hotel or holiday resort, have you considered a sailing trip? Sailing vacations can offer good bargains and you will usually find some great last-minute deals simply because it is a more unusual vacation.
Sailing is a great way to enjoy a holiday, whether it’s as a couple, a group of friends or a family. Booking a sailing boat holiday could also save you money because it means you do not need to find a hotel, daily cafes or restaurants, or even things to do because it is all there on the boat.
Many people choose the Mediterranean for their sailing holidays and even in the summer when the weather is fine you will have thousands of miles of open sea to enjoy without bumping into others.
You can join a flotilla style holiday with the schedule planned ahead or, if you have the experience you can charter your own boat and then choose where you sail to. You can also charter a fully crewed sailboat on the Mediterranean by visiting vyra.com last minute sailing holidays.
Visit ‘secondary’ cities
If you fancy a city break this summer, rather than choosing a country’s capital city, you could book a trip to a “secondary” city.
For example, instead of Paris, you could visit Lyon, and instead of Rome you could visit Bologna or Verona. And how about Porto instead of Lisbon in Portugal or Granada instead of Madrid in Spain.
Another tip is that instead of picking Los Angeles for a visit Disney Land, why not consider Orange County or even San Diego? They require a longer trip but they will be cheaper and less crowded.
The same is true for New York City and London. There are always alternatives near the larger, more popular cities that will offer good last-minute holiday deals.
Under-the-radar destinations
Read the travel guides in the Saturday and Sunday newspapers or a travel magazine to see if you can spot the next set-to-be trendy destination. If you get there before others cotton on you will grab yourself a bargain and visit somewhere that others haven’t, yet.
For example, Montenegro provides a less obvious alternative to neighbouring Croatia;
Southern Sardinia is a good money-saving bet instead of the more popular Coasta Esmeralda in the north of the island; Transylvania is just being discovered by holidaymakers; and Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, for a less obvious city break.
Booking a last-minute summer holiday deal or finding a deal that is cheaper because it’s less obvious is always satisfying.
