Introduction

There are usually two types of last minute travelers. The first type of last minute traveler is a creature of spontaneity. This type of traveler realizes that they will have an extra long weekend and without much planning decides to book a flight, hotel and rental car. The other most common type of last minute traveler is the traveler who is either forced to travel last minute for business or the traveler who plans ahead to take advantage of last-minute offers that are often provided by airlines and hotels. Of course there are other reasons to fly last minute but the reasons are not as important as the price. The cost of last minute travel is often at the forefront of one's mind when the purchase of travel arrangements is considered. Although the means of getting to the point where making last minute purchases are different, almost everyone is looking for the most affordable option that meets their traveling needs and standards.

If you are not the type of person who likes to wait until the last minute to plan for a trip, consider these statistics. According to a travel poll by the Travel Industry Association of America, half of all U.S. adults take at least one weekend trip per year, and almost 30 percent have taken five or more weekend trips in the past year. Traveling by car (74%) is the most popular mode of transportation for weekend trips, followed by air (16%). The internet and the birth of online travel sites has completely changed the way that millions of people travel and has created a healthy competition among businesses to provide you with better quality accommodations and travel arrangements at the most competitive prices available.

Tips for making last minute travel more affordable

Once you have decided that you want to try your hand at finding affordable last minute travel, there are some helpful things that you should know about. The first thing to keep in mind is that just because you will be traveling last minute, it does not mean that you will have to pay a great deal for your procrastination or even that you will be at any disadvantage at all. It may be interesting for you to know that because the airlines and hotels want to fill up their seats on every flight and rooms on every night, you might end up finding last minute tickets and reservations discounted by as much as 75%. Waiting to the last minute can actually save you a lot of money! But just like any advantage there are disadvantages and no last minute traveler does so without taking some risks. The trick is to do all that you can to turn the odds in your favor. How do you do that you may ask? Well, below you will find a few tips that can help you to find the best deals on airfare and much more.

• Prepare to be flexible - When you book last minute you will be able to find great deals but the options you will have for what time your flight leaves or how many layovers you may have will be limited. As long as you are prepared to take a really early flight or to stay up late you can enjoy very inexpensive flights.
• Compare rates - There are hundreds if not thousands of websites through which you can make travel arrangements. Do not be too quick to book a trip after seeing what is available on just one travel website. Continue shopping around, even if it is just for 15 more minutes. Different travel sites receive deals from different travel providers and you may be surprised to find that a better deal is out there waiting for you to find it.
• Ask to be alerted - Airlines and hotels are anxious to sell every available flight and room. They are so invested in making sure to get as much business as possible that, if you ask for it, you can be put on an e-mail alert and be notified by the airline or hotel company of last minute deals that you may not be able to find on any website.
• Travel agents can help - Sure the internet may provide you with easy information but there are times when a travel agency obtains more up-to-date discount information than what you can find in cyber space. Travel agents often have connections and therefore can obtain savings on travel that they can them pass to you, not to mention that working with a travel agent can be much more enjoyable and can certainly personalize your experience.
• Package deals - Sometimes, you will find a package deal for air tickets and hotel reservations that will make double occupancy traveling much more affordable than you thought. If you are traveling alone you may not be able to find as many packaged deals because the airlines and hotels are willing to give better deals to larger groups of people because more people means more money.
• The day of the week - Be sure to check all of the airline websites on Saturday mornings. Airfare deals are often updated and occasionally special deals are posted at the end of the week. If you can control it, try to book your flight for Tuesday or Wednesday. These are routinely the slowest travel days and therefore the days when there will be more empty slots to fill. Often you can save at least 25% on your air tickets and hotel accommodations just by shifting your departure day to the middle of the week.

Finding affordable last minute travel for the family

Making travel plans is easy enough if you are planning for just one person or even for a couple, but planning issues and affordability really become issues when you are planning last minute travel for a family. Many people will tell you that you should take advantage of the internet in finding the best deals on rental cars, hotel rooms and family vacation packages. You can also save a lot of money by taking your family on a last minute trip that is not necessarily a common tourist attraction. The less popular vacations sites are more willing to give discounts in order to bring more customer traffic to their door. If you do want a popular tourist site, such as Disneyland, look into their group rates and consider all of the accommodations options that are available. Just as there are peak times of the week to travel, there are also peak times of the year. Taking your family vacation at a time of the year that is less popular can save you a lot of money. Many parents are weary of paying out big bucks for their young children. This is not always the case. Most airlines still let you hold a child younger than 2 on your lap for no charge. Or there is often the option to pay a discounted infant fare for a seat for your little one. Of course there is always the option to drive to your travel destination. There are even options available to camp instead of pay for a hotel room. Affordability and timing are no excuses to simply staying at home there are always options when it comes to finding a way for the hole family to go somewhere and do something enjoyable together.

Distressed inventory and hidden costs

Learning of all these strategies for finding affordable last minute travel is exciting, but before you abandon all notions that planning ahead is a thing of the past remember that careful planning still has its advantages, even if it will cost you a little bit more money.  Keep in mind that last minute travel sites sell what is known in the industry as "distressed inventory."  Distressed inventory is inventory (i.e. airplane seats, hotel rooms, rental cars, etc.) that are considered to be less than desirable.  Distressed inventory is the leftover portion of what people really want the most.  For example, center seats on airplanes and left-over rooms no one else has booked are distressed inventory.  The list of disadvantages in terms of distressed inventory grows even longer if you are traveling as a couple.  There is the chance that a couple will not be able to sit together on a flight or even that they might not even be able to find two tickets on the same flight and must therefore fly separately to a destination. 

Last minute travelers should also remember that there are frequently hidden or simply unrealized costs to not only apply to last minute travel but any type of travel.  Lat minute travel arrangements are frequently non-refundable, so not only do you have to make a decision quickly, but you have to be confident enough in that decision to put your money in it with the possibility that you may never get it back if your travel plans do not work out.