Quick: What are your big plans next weekend? If you answered: 1. Clean the house 2. Call my mother 3. Wash my car 4. See a movie or 5. I don’t have any, then keep reading. This story is for you.
Go away. Far away. On a last-minute mini-vacation. You don’t have to go for 10 days. Just do a night or two or, if you can play hooky one day, do three. Go sit on a beach, dig your toes in the sand and sip a drink with a tiny umbrella. Or visit a new city, taste the local food and listen to live music. Another idea? Rent a tiny cabin in the woods and take a hike. Research shows that getting away, even for a short time, can improve your health, happiness, sleep quality and job performance.
[See: 12 Ways to Be a More Mindful Spender.]
Money shouldn’t be a barrier when planning your eleventh-hour getaway. If you know where to look for last-minute deals, they’re easy to find. The entire world is open to you. Don’t waste another weekend sitting at home. Instead, use these tools to get out there and explore.
Find a cheap flight: Airlines make more money when all their seats are filled, so if flights aren’t fully booked, they’ll often offer last-minute deals. Follow the major airlines’ Twitter accounts (@AmericanAir, @United, @FlyFrontier, @JetBlueCheeps, @Delta @SouthWestAir) and see if any last-ditch seat-filler fares pique your interest. If you’re flexible on airports and dates, check Hotwire.com and Cheapoair.com, which specialize in unloading empty seats. Finally, if you have no idea where you want to go, check Google Flights, which gives you the opportunity to enter potential dates, departure city and a general destination, like “the Caribbean,” “Europe” or “California.” It will then show you a map with the best fares listed. You can also use the “Discover Trips” feature, which allows you to sort fares by weekend, a week out, two weeks out or by month, and Google will suggest trips based on the best fares.
[See: 10 Money-Saving Websites to Check Before Shopping.]
Nab an inexpensive room: Bookmark two of the best sites — or download their apps — right away. The first is HotelTonight, which weeds out the seedy joints and offers last-minute, deeply discounted deals on posh places (up to a week in advance). The second is Roomer, which allows travelers who’ve canceled their plans outside the hotel cancellation deadline, to receive a refund on their room by offering their reservations at a cut rate to others. It costs sellers 15 percent of their sale price, but it’s free for buyers, and the site ensures all reservations are legitimate first by confirming them with the hotel, so it’s no risk to the buyer. If you’re not sure whether you want a hotel room or vacation rental, another option to check out is Alltherooms.com, which compares local hotel room rates to rates from homeowner-operated places like Airbnb, FlipKey, Homeaway and VRBO. Not interested in a room? Stay on a boat. Sailo is dubbed as the Airbnb of boats and has offerings all over the world.
Get a real deal on wheels: If you consider last-minute travel to be two weeks out, there’s good news for you: There’s a possibility to nab the lowest possible rate on your car rental if you book it right away. The two-week-out mark is the sweet spot for the best rates, according to Kayak.com. In addition, use all the perks you can. Enroll in the rental company’s loyalty program. It’s free, and you’ll often get a gratis upgrade right away. And check with your own car insurance company and your credit card company. You may be insured through either or both, which will allow you to decline the pricey insurance fees.
[See: 10 Foolproof Ways to Reach Your Money Goals.]
Ride the rails: Given the prevalence of cheap flights and cheap gas, it’s easy to forget the third (and arguably most scenic) option for getting around: trains. Every week, Amtrak cuts rates on last-minute select routes by 30 percent. The only catch: You’ve got to book it Tuesday through Friday for travel starting the following Saturday or any day thereafter for the next three weeks (excluding Sundays and Fridays). If all else fails, AAA members get 10 percent off anytime, and you can get half-price tickets for up to two kids under 12 all the time. Honestly, it hardly matters how you get where you’re going. It just matters that you’re going. Enjoy the journey.
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The Procrastinator’s Guide to Travel Bargains originally appeared on usnews.com
