Last-minute travel has a reputation for being expensive, but with the right approach you can find genuine deals — flights, hotels, and packages that providers are discounting to fill empty seats and rooms. Here's how to do it.
Be Flexible on Destination
The biggest last-minute advantage goes to travelers who can go anywhere. Search fare alerts and flexible-destination tools to find the cheapest flights departing soon — then choose the destination from the results rather than the other way around.
Hotels Discount Last Minute Too
Hotels and resorts discount empty rooms heavily in the days before the date. App-only rates from Booking.com, Hotels.com, and Hotwire often offer genuine last-minute savings — book direct with the hotel too, as they sometimes beat third-party rates to avoid commissions.
Avoid School Holiday Windows
Last-minute deals dry up during school holidays, half-terms, and public holiday weekends when demand is high. The best last-minute bargains fall mid-week and outside these periods.
Package Deals
Bundling a flight and hotel together as a package often works out cheaper than booking separately, especially last-minute. OTAs and airlines sell packages at a discount when seats and rooms need filling.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends. Business and premium seats often fill last-minute and drive average prices up, but economy seats on less-popular routes can be discounted heavily in the final days. Flexibility on destination and dates is the key to finding genuine last-minute bargains.