Last minute offers tempt people dreaming of a holiday at an attractive price. It is with this slogan that the best travel agencies attract their potential customers.
For many of them, last minute has been identified with an attractive price promotion. There is a lot of truth in this, but most tourists do not fully understand the meaning of this term, which was also due to the offices selling holidays and trips abroad.
That is why in this article we explain what last minute is, how to choose the best offers for holidays and trips and what are the most popular directions when it comes to trips bought in the last minute system.
Let’s start from the beginning.
What does last minute mean?
Last minute is to specify the offer of a holiday trip at a very attractive price – much lower than the starting price, even by 50-60%, the last available places in a given direction and in a given hotel, as well as a near departure date. More precisely, rarely more than a week before the start of the planned trip.
Also, all offers sold as last minute months before the holidays are not a bargain, but only a marketing ploy. Real last minute offers are literally last minute offer, buy today and fly tomorrow.
Unfortunately, probably all travel agencies are abusing this term and now it looks like as soon as a new catalog with trips for a given season comes out, we immediately have a first minute offer, which is valid approximately three to four months before departure. Then for two or three weeks we have a normal price, which immediately after that turns into a last minute offer.
Yet another case is when a person or family cannot fly to a scheduled vacation due to various random events and, in order not to lose money, asks the travel agency for resale mediation. Then such an offer is rather an opportunity, but in line with last minute rules. You can actually buy a tour at a bargain price a few days before departure.
In this way, the customer does not lose all the money, and even recovers some, and you can go on holidays sometimes for half the price.
When is the best time to look for last minute offers?
In fact, you can search for last minute holidays all year round. You can always discover something nice, at a very bargain price.
However, there are actually periods in which it is a bit easier to buy an attractive trip in this form, usually from early May to mid-June.
Another good time to hunt for last-minute occasions is October and November, when traffic on the tourist market drops significantly.
Another moment when you should look at the offers of tourist trips is the beginning of December, as people don’t tend to travelled on Christmas.
On the other hand, when it comes to exotic last minute holidays, it is worth looking for opportunities at the beginning of the year – in January, February or possibly at the beginning of March.
See by the way where to go on holidays in January.
Midsummer Last Minute Trips
Unfortunately, the real price bargains for half-price holidays will not be found at the peak of the summer season (July, August), because then almost every offer sells easily.
These are the busiest dates, especially for families with school-age children (holiday break). We also have a poor chance of a half-free trip when it comes to Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
Check out a few reccomended places to spend New Year’s Eve.
In some travel agencies there is a day of the week when the agency provides a list of all vacancies for a given direction. Other companies also use the so-called happy hours – i.e. the hours when you can buy a trip at a reduced price.
It is also worth reviewing the offer on the weekend, when reservations from Friday are back in circulation again and there may be some reduction.
Where to find the best last minute offers?
First of all at the source, i.e. in a travel agency. It’s best to have a familiar person who will notify you when an attractive trip appears.
However, for this to make sense, you need to specify as to the date when the departure is possible and the price that comes into consideration.
The rest should be flexible, because focusing on a particular direction or even a hotel may not be possible because everything will be sold.
How else can you find interesting and cheap last minute offers?
The second way to search for last minute trips is the internet, and specifically the websites of specific holiday organizers where you filter by date to search for closest departure date.
It is even better to enter one of the portals bringing together all tour operators and search the full list of offers on the market.
Here it is also worth remembering how to prepare for a trip with a travel agency so that there are no unpleasant surprises.
A good patent is also setting an e-mail alert that will notify you when a trip offer appears in the network that meets your criteria.
Last minute airports
Another way that gives you probably the biggest adrenaline rush is to come to the airport and buy on-site holidays (such airports are commonly referred to as “last minute airports“). Already with a packed suitcase, hoping for an attractive holiday price.
When choosing an exotic destination, remember about mandatory vaccinations for travelers, which will help protect against unwanted diseases and pack important and necessary things for vacation, which in turn will facilitate your stay on the spot.
What are the most popular destinations at last minute?
When it comes to almost summer dates, the most popular destinations are located in the Mediterranean: Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, Portugal and Spain.
Just before the holidays you can check out travel opportunities to Turkey and Egypt, but also to European places such as Cyprus or the Canary Islands, where it is still quite warm. In turn, hunting for exoticism at the beginning of the year, probably the most last minute deals are in the Dominican Republic, Maldives, Dubai, Thailand, Morocco, Seychelles, Cape Verde or Kenya.
See also the occasion where not to go on vacation so as not to expose yourself to unnecessary danger.
When is the best time to buy a last-minute vacation trip?
Sometimes it is not worth waiting until the last day, because first of all someone can buy the last two free places right under your nose!
Secondly, sometimes the price will not be the lowest on the day before departure, and this is due to the fact that if a room in a hotel is sold a week earlier and it was the last contracted accommodation, then another as if additionally bought by the tour operator will be at a higher price.
And so it turns out that the cheapest offer was a week before departure.
Whom is the last minute for?
Last minute holidays are for people who can take their holidays properly anytime – so unfortunately not for those whose have to plan their holidays in advance.
Last minute is also an offer for people who are not focused on a given direction, but will go wherever there is a good price. Usually these are the last places in the hotel, so there is no way to negotiate the standard of rooms.
Thirdly, last minute works for couples and singles, because the offer rarely applies to more than two or three places in a dormitory. Families with children and groups of friends are unlikely to catch up on this type of occasion, because there will simply not be enough places. For this reason they are usually interested in a specific direction, a comfortable spacious room, selected food and proximity to the sea. In the case of last minute it can be different and on the spot it turns out that we have, for example, 5 kilometers to the beach.
The first minute solution will be much better in this situation, where you can check everything and the hotel offer is full and wide. Seniors are a good target group. They can easily go out overnight and usually do not mind the fact that it is already a bit cooler, e.g. after the summer holidays. And even this is a big advantage, because rarely older people tolerate summer heat well.
Not without significance is the fact of living in the vicinity of the city with the airport or trouble-free transport to another. Sometimes you depart from one city and return to another.
And now the most important thing.
Is last minute a defective offer?
Of course, the last minute offer is a full-fledged offer, sold cheaper due to the lack of candidates for the last places. All customer rights must be respected by the travel agency, as in the case of holidays bought without a promotion or in the first minute offer.
The only exception is if you buy a roulette holiday, then you can’t blame the hotel standard or its location. In the premise and, above all, the contract, it is precisely written that the place to stay may be of a slightly lower standard, although not necessarily. And only after arrival will you be allocated a specific hotel.
Reviews of last minute trips
Last minute holidays are, as I have already mentioned, the most popular way to spend organized holidays. Many of you have certainly used the offers of travel agencies and bought a good and cheap offer for last minute trips.
However, many of you – and certainly that’s why you came across this guide – have not yet had the opportunity to go on this type of vacation. That is why you are looking for opinions and reviews about specific tourist destinations and travel agencies.
That’s why we count on your feedback for last minute. Thanks to this, we will all be able to better plan our holidays:)