Last minute travel is sometimes a necessity, and many people panic when this happens. They think because they did not plan ahead they are going to have to pay through the nose for their travel arrangements. However, this is not always the case. When you discover that circumstances have arisen and you are in need of making last minute travel reservations, you don't need to panic. While sometimes people pay exuberant fees for last minute travel, this is usually only true if they are traveling on already full flights, or visiting cities with no available hotel rooms, etc. The fact is that in many instances last minute travel means even better deals then if you had planned ahead. This can be because airlines want to fill up the seats on their flights, so they discount them by as much as 75%, or a hotel wants to fill a room, so they offer substantially discounted prices. Of course to get good deals you have to look hard, and not settle.

You do not have to stress when you are booking last minute travel, you just have to know how to find affordable last minute travel. The following are some tips for affordable last minute travel:

Do your research. If you want a plane ticket, do not call an airline and immediately book the first thing they offer, you will probably overpay if you do this. Instead, recognize that there is intense competition in the travel industry and fierce battles between travel websites to capture your attention. So, to find discounted tickets for traveling last minute, take some time to research and to compare the airfare deals on the different travel sites. If you do this you will usually walk away with cheap deals on airfares, hotel reservations and even car reservations. Many times people are in a panic when trying to arrange for last minute flights and other travel arrangement. But remember, spending an extra 20 minutes on a couple of other travel websites might yield discounts that can save you a bundle. If you are panicked you will be the one who pays more than they have to for their last minute travels.

Be flexible: This is usually the hardest thing for a last minute traveler to do, especially if the reason for last minute travel is urgent, such as a family death, an unexpected event, etc. However, the more flexible you can be, the more affordable your last minute travel will be. If you are able to take a flight a day earlier or later than your original plan, then you can often get very cheap airfare deals. Taking an early morning or late night flight can also help you enjoy cheap airfares. So, while doing your research, see what kind of difference a different time or day, or different day entirely makes on your travel costs. If you can't be flexible in dates, at least try to be flexible with time, or airlines. Sometimes a specific airline will give you better rates than another.

Check with the airlines directly: Some airlines don't post their best fares for last minute flights on the travel websites, or even on their own site, you have to call and ask, and even then you might have to push a little for the best rates. So, take time, look up the direct number, and then call and ask the airline of your choice directly.

Sign up for travel alerts: If you find that you end up taking last minute travel frequently, the sign up for travel alerts. Did you know that prices for last minute seats can even vary on the same flight? If you are signed up for travel alerts, an airline might send you an offer for a seat on the flight you want that is deeply discounted just so they can fill the plane. The more seats they have filled, the better, so they will often sell the last few tickets for a good deal if the flight leaves in the next day or two. But the better deals are really last minute, sometimes even an hour or two before the flight is supposed to depart, so it is going to depend on how flexible you are, and how fast you can get to the airport as to whether or not you can take advantage of these deals.

Subscribe to various online travel newsletters: Trying to stay abreast of the best last minute deals out there all by yourself would be very overwhelming, but the fact is that affordable last minute travel is very real. Many travel related sites offer regular newsletters and some have options that will inform you of special last minute deals. So, do yourself a favor, especially if you last-minute travel frequently, and sign up for these newsletters, most are free. Then you can leave the searching of the internet for the best deals on last minute flights up to these sites, and all you have to do is check your email to see if any of them meet your needs.

Check with travel agents: Do you know what? Since the internet, fewer and fewer people use travel agents for booking travel, and a significant amount of their income has been lost because of the internet, but the truth is that many times, they can use their connections and pass the savings on to you to help you out with your last minute flying situation, or lodging situtation. They know if they provide you with quality service you will likely use them again, and so they have a lot of incentive to help you find a good deal. If they do, just be sure to use them for future travel bookings.

Check Saturday updates: If your last minute travel allows, be sure to check all of the airline websites on Saturday mornings. In the industry, airfare deals are often updated and occasionally special deals are posted at the end of the week. This is especially true if the airline is simply trying to fill a limited number of seats. So, check Saturday to take advantage of a deal before it is no longer available.

Mid-week flying: This is an affordable way to travel last minute if your schedule allows it, but, if you book your flight for a Tuesday or Wednesday you will usually save a good amount on your seat. This is because this is a slower day in the industry, and thus more seats are empty, thus the airlines will part with them for less. So, when possible, move around your plans some to depart mid-week.

Try a different departure or arrival airport: Some places are cheaper to fly into just because they are less popular, but can serve your needs equally well. For example, it might cost less for you to fly into New Jersey then NYC, and the truth is those airports are really close together, and the time it takes might be the same. So, w hen your last minute travel is taking you into a major metropolitan airport, check out the cost of flying into nearby, smaller airports. Often a different landing field will be closer to your final destination and can save you some time, as well as money on last minute flights.

Of course, when you are traveling last minute, and you find a great deal, you want to be wary of the fact that it might be as great of a deal as you are thinking. For example, you might be buying what many in the industry refer to as "distressed inventory" these are like the middle seats when the isle and window are already taken, leftover hotel rooms that no one booked because they are poor quality, dirty, etc. There is always the saying that you get what you pay for, and in many cases this is true for last minute travel, but if you can handle a middle seat for your flight, you can probably save a lot of money.

Other things to be aware of when booking last minute travel are hidden costs. While the first price you see on a discount travel site is usually quite affordable, that generally reflects a stay in the least expensive hotel available in the destination you choose, a bad flight time, etc. Then they offer "inexpensive" upgrades, that make the trip not nearly as affordable as you originally believed.

One other drawback of affordable last minute travel is that 9 times out of 10 the trips are non-refundable. So, if you miss your flight you are out of luck, if you hate the room, you are again out of luck. So, last minute deals are deals for money, but not always for value.