Experience Taking A Last Minute Trip Based Upon a Good Airefare Deal

[Kathy (Trekcapri)]

Now that I’m finally retired, my time is the most flexible that it has ever been in my life. I’m also improving on how to go on a trip with just a carry-on bag. I follow this Twitter Account called AirfareWatchDog . Lately, I’ve been seeing some amazing airfare deals. Sometimes they are for dates with pretty short notice like “March”.

Has anyone planned and/or gone on a trip with a really short notice (Domestic or International)? If yes, what was the trip and how easy was it for you to plan it. Were you able to find and get room reservations, what was the room availability like, did you have time to plan out your itinerary. It seems like it would be harder to secure a vacation apartment on such short notice. Will it be?

If you've done it, was it a successful and rewarding trip for you (since you had very little time to plan)?

I once saw a tweet for LAX to Madrid $402 Round Trip on American Air. And I remember thinking to myself, I could fly there for that price, find a descent hotel for a week and fly back for maybe under $1,500? Am I just dreaming? If you’ve done this kind of trip, can you share how it went? I love to plan as part of the fun, but maybe this could be a fun bucket list thing to do.

This is another reason I love places like Slow Europe because of the wonderful information at our fingertips in case a last minute travel opportunity comes up.

 

[joe]

I, too, would appreciate any info/feedback on reliable sites for last-minute deals for discounted flight tickets. I've never flown this way, but just this week I was wondering if I might try this option for a visit to a friend in France, a trip that would be short and not entail tons of planning. The emphasis is on finding a cheap ticket in the summer (June). Thanks.

 

[Amy]

I've grabbed inexpensive flights I saw through Airfarewatchdog or https://alltheflightdeals.com/ several times. I put in my starting airport, and they send me alerts when deals come up. You do need to act with lightening speed for some of them. I haven't yet grabbed one that's a last-minute deal, but I could certainly see doing so for a location where I'm comfortable with flexibility in where I end up. I'm actually planning on doing so next Winter or early Spring. I'd be cautious about it during high season, unless I was planning on heading to a less popular base.

I have a collection of Google maps and Pinterest boards on locations that interest me, slotting in rentals, things to do, places to visit as I run across them. Makes fast planning easier with a starting point.

 

[Ian Sutton]

I've not done it for international travel, but as long as visas don't present a problem, I see little risk.

Let's take a bad scenario, you get a great airfare to Bologna, but there is a major fair / conference going on and many places are booked up in Bologna.

So instead look at Parma, Modena, Reggio, Ravenna, Verona, Ferrara, Padova, Rovereto, Trento or Firenze (or others), all with fine connections by train. Indeed on one trip (IIRC to Ferrara), we flew into Bologna, caught the airport bus into the centre and I did some fancy food shopping before we got the onward train - all very easy though it helped to know the city from an earlier trip.

The only catch, is I rather enjoy the planning, creating a (not so) little cribsheet of places to visit, eat, shop that might appeal. I don't think I'd like the rush to that process (nor do I like feeling a bit under-prepared which has happened once or twice), but apart from that, definitely go for it.

p.s. I'd be less confident in a country I'd never been to before. The stress of the unknown would be a downside.

 

[Kathy (Trekcapri)]

I, too, would appreciate any info/feedback on reliable sites for last-minute deals for discounted flight tickets.

Hi Joe, I recently attended a seminar at the LA Travel Show (Speaker was Johnny Jet) and he had some pretty good tips. He said (if you have a Twitter account) follow airlines, follow sites that tweet out special deals. I follow him too because he said that he'll tweet out any deals to his followers. I also follow Airfarewatchdog on Twitter (https://twitter.com/airfarewatchdog) and I follow British Airways.

Another tip I learned is to play around (if you're flexible) with the day of departure / Return and time of day as the prices may be cheaper on certain days and time of the day making the deal even better.

I may feel a little nervous about not booking directly with the airlines for a discounted airfare, but just recently I booked a good price using Vayama and although it took a little longer versus going directly to the airlines, I was able to change a flight (with a fee change). I think I would still try to check with the airlines directly first (for the same deal).

 

[Kathy (Trekcapri)]

I've grabbed inexpensive flights I saw through Airfarewatchdog or https://alltheflightdeals.com/ several times.

I have a collection of Google maps and Pinterest boards on locations that interest me, slotting in rentals, things to do, places to visit as I run across them. Makes fast planning easier with a starting point.

Hi Amy, thanks for the tip on the allthflightdeals.com and sharing your experience using a discounted deal you got from them. Good to know it works. I follow Airfarewatchdog on twitter. I'll sign up for both their alerts. The added tips about high season and your use of Pinterst Boards is a great idea. I have Pinterest Boards for Dream Places I want to visit but they are not detailed as yours. I think I'll start doing that so I'll have the information readily available.

 

[Kathy (Trekcapri)]

I've not done it for international travel, but as long as visas don't present a problem, I see little risk.

Let's take a bad scenario, you get a great airfare to Bologna, but there is a major fair / conference going on and many places are booked up in Bologna.

So instead look at Parma, Modena, Reggio, Ravenna, Verona, Ferrara, Padova, Rovereto, Trento or Firenze (or others), all with fine connections by train. Indeed on one trip (IIRC to Ferrara), we flew into Bologna, caught the airport bus into the centre and I did some fancy food shopping before we got the onward train - all very easy though it helped to know the city from an earlier trip.

The only catch, is I rather enjoy the planning, creating a (not so) little cribsheet of places to visit, eat, shop that might appeal. I don't think I'd like the rush to that process (nor do I like feeling a bit under-prepared which has happened once or twice), but apart from that, definitely go for it.

p.s. I'd be less confident in a country I'd never been to before. The stress of the unknown would be a downside.

Hi Ian, thanks so much. So many great tips here for all of us. One of the things I learned from a recent seminar you are reinforcing, which is to check other airports near your intended destination. I may have to create a google map like Amy so I'll have an idea of neighboring cities/towns. I love trip planning too. I can, however, be swayed by a great airfare deal to enter the unknown and go for it. I'll make sure to check any my destination of any major events going on (just in case) as in your Bologna example. That is an excellent point.