How to Afford a Last-Minute Summer Vacation
Just because you haven't yet made plans to go away this summer doesn't mean you should be forced to sit at home for the next two months and watch all of your Facebook friends post photos of themselves on the beach, drinking from real coconuts, garnished with tiny umbrellas and fresh flowers. Even if you haven't even thought about booking a trip of your own until now, I have good news for you: It's not too late. In fact, waiting until the last minute to book your summer vacation may actually be to your benefit. Here's how you can find the best last-minute deals on summer travel.
Time it right: If you don't have plans for the Fourth of July, take heart: Labor Day weekend, which is sadly not that far off, is actually a much better time to go away. You can save up to 7 percent on airfare and hotel prices, compared to what you'd spend over Independence Day weekend, according to the 2015 Adobe Digital Summer Travel Index. And mark your calendar now: The very best day to book your Labor Day trip is on July 21. Any sooner or later and you'll end up paying more.
Be flexible: When deciding where you want to go, envision your destination in general terms, like "a beach with palm trees," "a cool city" (either literally or figuratively) or "someplace historic." Then, visit Skyscanner.com, enter your home airport, the dates you'd like to travel and mark your destination as "Everywhere." It'll show you all the possible countries you could go for the cheapest fares.
Get on Twitter: Even if you never plan to tweet a single thought or accrue a single follower, it's worth signing up for a free Twitter account just to follow travel deal sites and airlines. Most of them tweet flash sales and last-minute fares for unsold seats, which often get snapped up within hours. Check your Twitter feed as often as you can, but especially on Tuesdays when airlines tend to launch new sales. Some good handles to follow: @FareCompare, @AirfareWatchdog, @TheFlightDeal, @jetbluecheeps, @FlyFrontier and @AlaskaAir. (The bigger airlines, like @AmericanAir, @Delta and @United, will also sometimes tweet deals, but be warned: You'll likely have to wade through the non-deal-related tweets to find them.)
Negotiate: If you plan on staying in a hotel, look for last-minute rooms on booking sites (or their companion apps) like Booking.com, Hotel Tonight and Last Minute Travel. Once you find the best rate, call the front desk to see if they can either beat it or offer an upgraded room for the same price. Don't be shy; the worst thing they can say is no. Or if you're looking for a last-minute vacation rental, try sites that rent through the owner directly, like VRBO.com, FlipKey, HomeAway or Airbnb. Then, either filter your results to show only last-minute discounts or try contacting the owner to ask if there's any wiggle room on the rate. Just note: Some owners would rather use the property themselves or leave it vacant than rent to a rude person, so make your request in the kindest possible way. Good manners could save you a few -- or a few hundred -- bucks.
Use a coupon: You don't have to actually clip coupons anymore to use them, and they're worth a lot more than 25 cents off a roll of paper towels these days. Coupon sites offer free promo codes that can often save you up to 25 percent off your last-minute hotel stays and rental car fees. Gloating to your travel companions that you just saved $100 a night in about 30 seconds is not only allowed but totally encouraged.
Get cash back: Rack up cash by using a cash-back credit card to book your flight and hotel, or if you're driving, to buy your gas. Chase Freedom has no annual fee and gives you 1 percent unlimited cash back on all purchases; from July 1 to September 30, you can get 5 percent cash back at the pump. American Express's Blue Cash Preferred Card, which costs $75 a year, offers 1 percent cash back on all purchases, plus 3 percent cash back on gas (and 6 percent cash back at grocery stores) year-round. And the Citi Double Cash Card (no fee) offers 1 percent cash back on every purchase and another 1 percent cash back when you pay it all year long. It's not much, but every little bit helps, right?
Cross the pond: Europe is more affordable right now than you think, thanks to a great exchange rate. The dollar is performing pretty mightily against the euro this summer, and its strength may only continue to grow throughout the travel season, according to The Financial Forecast Center, an independent not-for-profit organization that studies global markets. Here's what that means for your wallet: At press time, the exchange rate shows that each euro is worth $1.11, a full 25 cents less than it was last year at this time. In other words, that 300 euro a night hotel room in Paris you'd considered booking last July will cost you a full $75 a night less this July. Wait until August, and you may save an additional $10 a night. Use that savings for more souvenirs, or better yet, sock it away for your next trip.
Trae Bodge is the senior lifestyle editor for The Real Deal, an online magazine that offers smart shopping tips, curated gift guides and other money-saving solutions, published by digital coupon destination RetailMeNot.
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