The greatest advantage of last-minute travel is of course financial benefits which enable many people to visit places they otherwise could not afford. As already mentioned earlier, most airlines, hotels, and travel agents are willing to reduce their prices significantly in order to fill the remaining seats or rooms. Great last minute offers can be found both during the high season and off-season but it may be challenging to find a great last-minute deal in the most popular destinations during the peak season.
In addition to financial benefits, last-minute travel also provides more excitement than traditional vacationing. On the other hand, last-minute arrangements go hand in hand with uncertainty and require lots of flexibility and at least some adventurous spirit. In contrary to the traditional way of traveling, you often do not know where you are going to end up if making last-minute reservations. You can be completely satisfied and have the best vacation ever but you might be also very disappointed with the deal. Last-minute travel can be stressful for some people and may not be the best idea if you are not willing to take any chances when it comes to your vacation.
Another disadvantage of last-minute travel is the fact that you most likely will not be able to find a great deal for more than two persons. For that reason, last-minute travel may not be the best choice if you prefer to travel with more than one person.
You should be also very careful about last-minute deals which in reality, are not last minute at all. Due to the increased popularity of last-minute travel, many travel agents advertise their packages as last-minute although you are paying the full price. Keep in mind that last-minute deals that are offered weeks or even months before departure are not last minute.
Last-minute travel is very popular but it may not be the best choice if you are considering making a last-minute reservation for financial benefits alone. Traveling should be fun not stressful. If you are not sure whether you are the “type” for last-minute travel you should perhaps consider other ways to reduce the costs of traveling.
