The Secret To Cheap Vacations

You have a million places you want to go, but not a million dollars to do it with. Relax. You don't need a million dollars to travel the globe. You can buy well in advance and get a decent rate. Another economical way to travel these days is to fly last-minute and take advantage of the absolute best deals. Here are some tips to help you save big on last-minute travel.

Who books at the last minute?

The ideal last-minute traveler:

Is flexible with his schedule;

Has a sense of adventure;

Is willing to gamble;

Is willing to travel alone (arranging to fly last-minute for a large group is near impossible).

Where to find cheap tickets?

There are a number of places to turn to for last-minute travel deals.

Online

Some sites allow you to tailor your trip around a budget. PriceLine.com and SkyAuction.com operate on a bidding structure that allows you to name your ideal price (the risk is that you can end up overpaying). Expedia.com works by showing a comparison chart of all the rates for different carriers. Some sites offer promotions that they advertise as "last-minute," but they in fact repeat the same deals over and over with little actual savings. The prices aren't bad, but they're just not true last-minute deals. Before booking through a site that you know little about, monitor its prices for a few weeks. If the same deals crop up over and over again, you know you're dealing with a shoddy resource.

The airline

The competition between airlines is fierce and the cost to stay competitive is high. All major airlines offer internet fares at a discount to drive customers online where booking is cheaper for them. Take advantage of this policy.

A travel agent

A travel agent adds a fee when you book with them, but that needn't prevent you from saving money. Agents have access to discounted tickets that might not be available to the general public. Furthermore, they do all the time-consuming legwork required to find the best price.

Email lists

Looking through websites day after day can be a tedious process. If you're going to get serious about how to save money while traveling, you should subscribe to an email list that will inform you of the best deals on a daily or weekly basis. TravelZoo.com provides a good one, as does Last-Minute-Vacation-Guide.com. The more email lists you belong to, the more deals you'll see.

A courier

You can save considerably by traveling on a courier's schedule and delivering a package for them. Courier travel has its pros and cons. On the upside, your ticket will be cheap or even free. On the downside, you get very little notice, you seldom get your luggage allowance (they buy your ticket to use your cargo space) and you don't always get a round-trip flight. If you want to be a courier, all you have to do is register with an appropriate company and be ready to go at a moment's notice. The International Association of Air Travel Couriers' website, Courier.org, is a good place to start your journey.

When to find cheap tickets

Finding last-minute deals is as much a question of when as of where.

Look in advance

Options come and go, so the sooner you start looking, the better off you'll be — you don't want to be rash in booking. Be flexible and spend your time checking prices. Be aware that, depending on where you look, you may not be able to book the day of or 24 hours in advance. If you are on a website, check their policy section to make sure.

Buy off-peak

People tend to travel on weekends and holidays. If you can travel midweek, you'll save as airlines, hotels and car rental companies suffer from decreased demand at those times. It may also pay to take an early morning flight for the same reason. Travel deals aren't restricted to the airlines. A little legwork can save you cash on hotels and car rentals.

Find Hotel Discounts

Call the hotel

If you didn't have time to book a hotel online or if you just couldn't find a good price, a phone call will get you a better rate than walking in will. Why? When a clerk sees you walk in with your bags, he knows that he's got you. More than a few people who were traveling alone have saved money by calling from a phone booth in the lobby of a nice hotel rather than walking up to the front desk.

Find Car Rental Discounts

Book with a wholesaler

While you'll still ultimately be renting from a national chain, if you book with a wholesaler, you'll save considerably. Going to a chain directly is like shopping retail. Try CarRentals.com and other sites that allow you to compare rates for all the major rental companies at once.

Book early

Unlike plane tickets, car prices tend to increase as you get closer to the rental date. So once you've locked down your tickets, your next step should be to book the car. Don't wait for a deal that probably won't come.

Plan To Save

Last-minute travel is an up-and-down game. One minute you could be going to the Swiss Alps for a ski vacation and the next you'll find a better deal to lie on a beach in Jamaica. Deals come and go, but one thing's certain: There's always another deal around the corner. So if you miss one opportunity, just get back in there and find something else.