| Booking in advance. You've been told to do so. And at | | | | minute deals hunters. This makes that last minute deals |
| same time many people have told you to wait until the | | | | rare to find. |
| very last moment and get last minute deals. They | | | | In the end, the worst thing you can probably do is to |
| have also told you that last minute deals are a lot | | | | book 1 or 2 weeks before your holiday. At this period, |
| cheaper than the ones that you get by booking in | | | | the most expensive seats and rooms will be sold, no |
| advance. | | | | discounts will be available, you have lost the benefits of |
| Well, some things are true, some others not. Leaving | | | | booking in advance, and last minute deals will not be in |
| apart the typical things that everybody knows | | | | place still, if they are expected to be at all. Common |
| concerning the flexibility you need to have when | | | | sense, avoid being the one that payed most for the |
| booking last minute deals and so on, let me focus on | | | | same place! |
| what very few people knows. | | | | Finally, there is another thing I wanted to tell readers |
| Prices for last minute deals are exactly the same as | | | | about. Booking too much in advance (more than 7 or 8 |
| the ones for booking in advance, with only one | | | | months) can give absolutely crazy prices on the |
| difference: you need to hurry and be very lucky to | | | | screen, specially for airlines. To place an example, if |
| catch one of them. The first places in a plane have the | | | | you try to book with Singapore airlines for the next |
| lowest price. As it is a long way for the day of | | | | September or October from Spain to New Zealand, |
| departure in a flight or stay at a hotel, nearly nobody | | | | you will find out that they tell you to pay about 8000 |
| books between 3 and 6 months before this dates, so | | | | Euros. But if you check a bit earlier, you will find out |
| you can be relaxed. That is the recommended time to | | | | that they fly for just 1000. |
| book, and if any deal exist, you will find it during those | | | | The reason for airlines doing like this is the insecurity |
| dates. | | | | that the highly dynamic market have nowadays. They |
| Special discounts are always planned ahead and there | | | | need to plan ahead, but not too much, because |
| nearly do not exist the special discounts of last minute. | | | | changes happen suddenly. The worst thing that could |
| But then, what about the low prices for last minute | | | | happen to an airline is to have thousands of |
| deals? They exist sometimes, and some others not, | | | | passengers booked for future flights and having to |
| and when they exist they have the same price as the | | | | cancel all them. Normally they simply should not allow |
| first places on the plane or hotel had.Booking in | | | | to show any rates further from what they consider |
| advance is safer. Do not risk, book ahead and get the | | | | adequate, but in some cases you will simply find |
| cheap places. Only look for last minute deals in the | | | | enormous prices that you will never pay for. Don't get |
| worst of cases, when you missed all the other | | | | scared, check earlier flights, and be prepared to jump |
| opportunities before. | | | | on them as soon as the fares enter the normal pricing. |
| Many airlines and hotels already have in place many | | | | A good strategy is to focus on how many days |
| travel incentives as the ones that I normally use to | | | | ahead the airlines is planning. When you discover it, you |
| travel around to fill in the expected empty seats or | | | | have two good things. Be the one to take the first |
| rooms. We travel nearly for free, paying only the | | | | seat in the flight and be the one that find out the |
| taxes, and we are asked to book ahead. The atravel | | | | computer mistakes. Updating the system can cause |
| providers prefer the plane or hotel at full capacity, | | | | some numbers to go flying around, and in some cases |
| even if the price you have payed is not so high rather | | | | this could turn into a nice surprise. Keep an eye on it! |
| than waiting to the last minute and relying on last | | | | |