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31 Last Minute Weekend Getaways & Cheap Vacations

Weekend getaways - east coast, last minute vacations - west coast, last minute trips & weekend getaways for couples - midwest, more cheap vacations & weekend getaway ideas.

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Head to Florida , famous for its sandy beaches and warm weather, visit the parks in North Carolina and enjoy the beaches of South Carolina .

The state of Oregon , offering many cheap vacations, is home to beautiful beaches and unique towns and cities , including Eugene , Seaside , Astoria , and other romantic spots . For more last minute travel deals and getaways near me, look at Washington State which is well known for its islands, wineries and pristine nature.

Last minute travel deals usually include room specials, unique amenities like free massages, or free dining credit.

Plan a romantic trip to the Southwest , whether you enjoy golf, shopping or art on your weekend trips. Sometimes you can find great last minute deals on flights to Hawaii, letting you experience magical Oahu , Kauai or the Big Island at a fraction of the coast. Keep reading for more getaways near me.

Fun Family Weekend Getaways

On a sunny day, take the whole family to scenic spot and take that perfect Christmas card photo, followed by a lunch at one of the local eateries tasting new cuisine. In the evening, see a famous musical, opera, concert or a theatre performance after a fun family dinner. Keep reading for more fun weekend getaways and last minute vacation packages.

Quick Getaways: Jacksonville

This is also the place for an incredible urban dining experience. Find Things to Do in Jacksonville or keep reading for more cheap weekend getaways.

Fun Weekend Getaways: Palm Springs

Lucky last minute getaways could coincide with Palm Springs International Film Festival or Coachella Valley Music Festival. Keep reading for more inexpensive vacations and cheap weekend getaways for couples. Things to Do in Palm Springs

Places to go near me: Columbia, MO Getaway

Keep reading for more cheap vacations, last minute vacation packages and weekend getaways for couples near me. Things to Do in Columbia

Inexpensive Vacations: Greenville, SC

Nature tours explore the wilderness of Jocassee Gorge, Lake, and waterfalls, a Saturday sunset cruise on Jocassee Lake, and an adventure tour of Lake Jocassee’s wild rivers, swimming holes, and waterfalls. Other impromptu must-do activities include exploring nights outsuggestions like dueling pianos at Jack n’ Diane’s, or comedy dinner theater at Café and Then Some. Find Things to Do in Greenville or continue reading for more cheap weekend getaways for couples.

Last Minute Vacation Deals: Cincinnati Getaway

More things to do in: Alabama , Alaska , Arizona , Arkansas , California , Colorado

Fort Lauderdale Getaway Deals

More things to do in: Connecticut , Delaware , Florida , Georgia , Hawaii , Idaho , Illinois

Cheap Vacations This Weekend: Nashville

More things to do in: Indiana , Iowa , Kansas , Kentucky , Louisiana , Maine , Maryland

Places to go near me: Phoenix Last Minute Getaways

More things to do in: Massachusetts , Michigan , Minnesota , Mississippi , Missouri , Montana

Great Pittsburgh Last Minute Vacations

More things to do in: Nebraska , Nevada , New Hampshire , New Jersey , New Mexico , New York

Fun Weekend Getaways: Fire Island

More things to do in: Upstate New York , North Carolina , North Dakota , Ohio , Oklahoma , Oregon

More things to do in: Pennsylvania , Rhode Island , South Carolina , South Dakota , Tennessee , Texas

Fredericksburg

More things to do in: Utah , Vermont , Wisconsin

Cheap Vacation Last Minute: Taos, NM

More things to do in: Wyoming , Virginia , Washington

Vacation Spots Near Me: Cape Cod

Cape Cod is a top New England destination for couples booking a last minute getaway. Outdoor enthusiasts can jump right in biking, hiking, or riding horseback along the Cape Cod Rail Trail. The 22-mile paved trail connects to many of the island’s natural highlights, including Cape Cod National Seashore at trail’s end. The Marconi portion of the 40-mile coast has spectacular sand cliffs and epic views. Much of the coastline is pristine beaches. History buffs should make their way to Provincetown where they’ll find the Pilgrim Monument commemorating the site of the Mayflower landing.Cape Playhouse in Dennis is the country’s oldest summer theater, perfect for a night out. Things to Do in Cape Cod

Couples looking for a last minute getaway in Sacramento could spend their entire time on the Delta King Riverboat, permanently moored on Sacramento’s Riverfront, or use it as their base of exploration. Couples who dig street art can use a Sacramento Mural Map on their tablets or smartphones and peruse all 685+ of the city’s murals with Instagram links to 80% of them. Couples looking for a relaxing stroll should head to Discovery Park where they can also play Frisbee, fish, and bike. There’s no shortage of incredible restaurants in Sacramento. Foodies could eat somewhere new at every meal and never be disappointed. Keep reading for more getaway deals. Things to Do in Sacramento

Last Minute Weekend in Panama City Beach

Eco-conscious couples will appreciate St. Andrews State Park, and Panama City Beach Conservation Park.Dining and shopping enthusiasts will love the oceanfront Pier Park. Things to Do in Panama City Beach

Albuquerque Last Minute Travel

Albuquerque is the hot air ballooning capital of the world, so couples opting for this last minute getaway will want to take advantage of that fun fact. Located in New Mexico’s high desert, there are a host of other outdoor activities too. Couples can hike the Sandia Mountains, bike the popular Paseo del Bosque Trail, or grab a seat on the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway. Historic Old Town and Historic Nob Hill are must-see neighborhoods for couples wanting to explore the history and culture of Albuquerque. A visit to Acoma Pueblo and Sky City Cultural Center will offer traveling couples insights into pueblo culture. Couples who are kids at heart will have a blast with the Amazing Scavenger Hunt Adventure. Keep reading for more cheap vacations. Things to Do in Albuquerque

Portland Last Minute Vacations

Couples looking for a little romance on a last minute getaway to Portland, Maine, may want to explore Casco Bay, which offers an array of fun things to do like exploring the art scene, kayaking, biking, or taking the ferry to Peaks Island, known as the Coney Island of Maine. Other outdoor experiences include touring the city’s six lighthouses, taking a tour devoted to Portland’s maritime history, orlobstering with Lucky Catch Cruises.Old Port provides couples with a quaint, yet upscale shopping and dining experience. For a quirky way to spend some time, couples can make the 12 minute ride to Scarborough to visit Lenny, the 1,700 pound chocolate moose at Len Libby Chocolatier. Find Things to Do in Portland, Maine or keep reading for more last minute getaways.

Lenox Last Minute Travel

Lenox, Massachusetts, is a thriving New England town that serves as the gateway to the Berkshires . It’s the perfect last minute getaway for couples who appreciate nature and history. Couples can commune with nature and each other walking or biking the trails of Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. During summer, the Boston Symphony Orchestra makes its home in Tanglewood, which includes Lenox. Historic downtown Lenox is a quaint, walkable village with a few architectural landmarks like the Lenox Library. The village food scene thrives on locally grown farm-to-table fare.Fall provides an explosion of color during peak fall foliage in October, and winter skiing abounds on local downhill resorts. Keep reading for more last minute travel deals and weekend breaks.

Last Minute Romantic Weekend in Harrisonburg, VA

Harrisonburg affectionately referred to as both “The Friendly City” and “Rocktown,” is a vibrant, diverse, and contemporary city featuring a passion for libations and delicious local food. It is also a cutting-edge culture and arts town with historic roots. The stunning Shenandoah landscape, remarkable mountain ranges, and wide array of outdoor recreational spaces are some of the biggest draws for couples and nature enthusiasts. It is also home to Virginia’s first recognized Arts and Cultural, and Culinary Districts, a 40-block area filled with architecture, views, restaurants, galleries, and boutiques. Top attractions include the Valley Turnpike Museum, the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum, and the Hillandale Park.

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• From Los Angeles - cheap vacation ideas : Plan a last minute weekend getaway from the city to relax, unwind and reconnect with your friends and family in a beautiful setting. Shutters on the Beach is an oceanfront weekend getaway from LA, set on a sandy beach in Santa Monica. Santa Monica is a Southern California vacation destination offering visitors numerous activities, shops and restaurants. Bike paths let you explore the area by bike, there are many concerts and theater. Couples can visit galleries or head to a nightclub. The Huntley Hotel , also in Santa Monica, offers luxury amenities such as private chauffeur service in an exclusive Maserati QuattroPorte. If you are looking for last minute weekend getaways in Monterey, Hyatt Regency Monterey offers renovated guest rooms and a new spa. Monterey offers shopping, wine tasting, surfing lessons and golf. Cannery Row is features a collections of shops, local artists' galleries, restaurants and attractions such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium. You can rent a bike and follow the Monterey Bay Coastal Recreational Trail to explore the town. Monterey is about 6 hours from Los Angeles. If you are taking the scenic Highway 1 through Big Sur, the trip usually takes an additional hour. San Ysidro Ranch has 41 individually-decorated cottages set on 500 acres, ideal for romantic walks and plenty of privacy. Get a taste or Europe on your vacation at Les Mars Hotel in Sonoma. The hotel offers Swiss-trained staff and 16 guest accommodations decorated with 18th century antiques.
• From New York City : Last minute weekend getaways from New York include romantic inns, full-service resorts with spas, beach getaways and more. Elm Court is a romantic historic getaway in Lenox where you can book a suite with a whirlpool and a fireplace. Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts is a famous fall foliage weekend getaway where you can go apple picking, take a scenic drive or rent a canoe. Or take advantage of the Berkshires 4 Theatre Collaborative designed to make theatre more affordable for residents of and visitors to the Berkshires to see two or more different plays in the area. Shakespeare & Company, based in Lenox, offers a number of different performances year round. The White Elephant Hotel on Nantucket is a weekend getaway with a spa, ocean views and a gourmet restaurant. Plan a last minute vacation in the off season and enjoy this charming island without the summer crowds. Visit the lighthouses, take photos on one of the beaches and try local beer at Cisco Brewers. The Daffodil Festival in April features 3 million bright yellow blooms. In the winter, enjoy Nantucket Noel and the Christmas Stroll. Wequassett Inn Resort & Golf Club overlooks the ocean in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, offering stylish oceanview accommodations and golf privileges at Cape Cod National Golf Club. Or plan a last minute weekend getaway to A Little Inn on Pleasant Bay which has just nine guest bedrooms.
• 1. Weekend Getaways - East Coast
• 2. Last Minute Vacations - West Coast
• 3. Last Minute Trips & Weekend Getaways for Couples - Midwest
• 4. More Cheap Vacations & Weekend Getaway Ideas
• 5. Fun Family Weekend Getaways
• 6. Quick Getaways: Jacksonville
• 7. Fun Weekend Getaways: Palm Springs
• 8. Places to go near me: Columbia, MO Getaway
• 9. Inexpensive Vacations: Greenville, SC
• 10. Last Minute Vacation Deals: Cincinnati Getaway
• 11. Fort Lauderdale Getaway Deals
• 12. Cheap Vacations This Weekend: Nashville
• 13. Places to go near me: Phoenix Last Minute Getaways
• 14. Great Pittsburgh Last Minute Vacations
• 15. Fun Weekend Getaways: Fire Island
• 16. Asheville
• 17. Fredericksburg
• 18. Cheap Vacation Last Minute: Taos, NM
• 19. Vacation Spots Near Me: Cape Cod
• 20. Sacramento
• 21. Last Minute Weekend in Panama City Beach
• 22. Albuquerque Last Minute Travel
• 23. Portland Last Minute Vacations
• 24. Lenox Last Minute Travel
• 25. Last Minute Romantic Weekend in Harrisonburg, VA

Last Updated By VI on February 5, 2024 in Weekend Getaways

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Best Websites to Book a Last Minute Vacation

Megan Johnson

Megan is a Senior Editor, SEO for SmarterTravel Media.

Megan started with SmarterTravel Media’s Airfarewatchdog way back in 2008, moved over to FamilyVacationCritic, and finally SmarterTravel in 2021. Originally from Massachusetts, she has lived in Nova Scotia, London, and New York City. She has spent nearly every summer (or at least part of it) on Prince Edward Island. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, two young children, and their dog, Indiana Bones (Indy).

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Sometimes you just need to getaway. If your wanderlust gets the best of you and the traveler inside is itching to hit the road, there are plenty of websites and apps out there to help—fast. Whether you’re looking for a weekend getaway or a full-blown vacation, these sites can help you find great last minute travel deals.

Best Websites for Last Minute Flights

Finding flights can be a hassle, but it doesn’t have to be! There are loads of ways to find cheap flights from your favorite airline, even if you are going away in the near future.

1. Google Flights

One fun way to find last minute flights is to plug your departure city and travel dates into Google Flights , leaving your destination blank. The resulting map shows you the lowest available prices to cities all over the world, letting you find deals in places you might not have ever thought to go.

Kayak’s Explore feature is a similar tool. You can enter exact travel dates or a certain month, then see which fares are available from your home gateway. 

3. Secret Flying

You can get alerts when fares go down when you sign up at Secret Flying , or, use their search tool to find great last minute deals on flights. Simply input your departure city, keep the arrival as “anywhere” and put the current month as the time you are looking to fly. Perfect for when you just want to get away, but you don’t care where to. Secret Flying also finds “mistake” fares, so be sure to sign up to get notifications so you can book them before they are gone! 

The 12 Best Flight Search Sites for Booking Cheap Airfare

Where to Find Last Minute Hotel Deals

You’d think that every hotel would have cheap rooms last minute, but that isn’t always the case. These sites will help you find a room that won’t break the bank with a spur of the moment trip! 

1. Hotel Tonight

A perennial favorite app among SmarterTravel editors, HotelTonight has been finding travelers’ deep hotel discounts since 2010. The app allows travelers to book same-day accommodations across the globe at discounts of up to 50 percent. If you don’t want to leave things until the literal last minute, though, the app also lets you book dates a little further out. The well-designed booking engine serves up clever recommendations and insider info—plus those remarkable markdowns. Keep an eye out for the Daily Drop, the biggest discount of the day (which you only have 15 minutes to book).

The site is known for discounted restaurant meals, fitness classes, and beauty services also has a last minute deals section that typically includes discounted hotel and resort stays. On the day I checked, options ranged from a $69 hotel near Niagara Falls to a four-star Times Square hotel for $77 a night.

3. Trip.com

Trip.com is your basic hotel booking site, and is great for finding a last minute deal. While they feature hotels all around the world, it’s particularly great for deals on hotels in Asia, so when you grab an amazing last minute flight to somewhere in Asia, head to trip.com to book your hotel! 

4. Last Minute Travel

As its name suggests, Last Minute Travel is dedicated solely to last minute travel deals. This wide-ranging site offers bargains on hotels, car rentals, cruises, transfers, and activities. Their hotel deals are amazing.  In a sample search, I found top-rated hotels in Paris from just $54 per night for a trip about two weeks out. The site has a Last Minute Travel Club for deeper discounts and rewards points to use toward free hotel stays. Membership is $50 per year.

The 15 Best Hotel Booking Sites

Amazing Last Minute Vacation Packages

Sometimes, booking a vacation package is the cheapest way to go for last minute travel. These sites are the best for one-stop shopping.

1. Airfarewatchdog

SmarterTravel’s sister site Airfarewatchdog has a nifty Weekender tool that lets you find a flight/hotel vacation package for upcoming weekends, just click the link and let the site do the rest of the work. 

2. CheapCaribbean.com

If you have a specific destination in mind, your best bet is often to focus on a website that deals with one region specifically. CheapCaribbean.com has last minute deals , many of them short-lived flash sales. Though you can’t hem and haw about whether or not to go, you’ll often have plenty of time to plan. For example, a four-night air/hotel package to the Dominican Republic might start at $509 per person for travel four to six months from now—but it must be booked in the next four days.

3. FunJet Vacations 

Book your flight and hotel together at FunJet Vacations . If you have a place in mind, enter the dates you want to go and the destination, and it will give you the best flight and hotel deals available. Their sales are great if you are open to where you want to go, and often have dates for travel within the month. 

The 14 Best Vacation Rental Sites for Travelers

Affordable Last Minute All-Inclusive Deals

A vacation where everything is paid for in advance may seem a luxury to some people, but it is actually quite affordable. These sites will help you find the best all-inclusive deals, so all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the sun! 

1. Sandals Resorts

Sandals resorts has great deals for last minute travel. You often can get one night free, and when you start the booking process, have the option of booking your flight as well. You may even find availability for travel within the week. 

2. Club Med

When it comes to all-inclusive, Club Med usually comes to mind. Like Sandals, they often have fantastic last minute deals for when you are looking to book without much time to plan. Club Med has locations all over the world, including Mexico, Canada and all over the Caribbean – perfect for a cheap getaway.

3. Travelzoo

This venerable travel site offers last minute deals on just about everything, but their all-inclusive search is one of the best as far as the bigger sites go. When I searched, I found a package for an all-inclusive stay in Cabo, including airfare, for $739, for travel next week. 

Ditch the Hotel: 10 Cheaper Ways to Save

How to Find Great Deals on Last Minute Tours

If you prefer having an itinerary made for you, and, let’s face it, if you are taking a last minute trip, it might be nice to not have to plan the entire trip, there are some great sites to book a last minute tour on. 

1. TourRadar

Book a tour of your destination as well as accommodations through TourRadar . There are several ways to search, including destination, adventure styles (food & culinary, active adventure, health & wellness, etc.), and date. Search for tours for travel in the next two weeks, or multiple months in advance. 

2. G Adventures

From Iceland to Turkey, G Adventures has tours to inspire and excite. They have available dates for travel throughout the year, but most are available to book for tours within a week or two. They have themed tours like the Northern Lights in Iceland, and Hiking the Azores—whatever, wherever you want to go. I found a four-day hiking tour of the Inca Trail in Peru for $881 departing within the week.

3. Contiki 

Contiki has a wide variety of tours to choose from, and the site has a handy last minute trips option to find a tour when you need one. When I searched, there was an Egypt and the Nile tour for $1,772, starting in just four days from when I searched! Most tours include accommodation, meals, transportation, admission to sites, and tour guides. 

The 10 Best Group Travel Tour Companies

Popular Getaway Deal Destinations

You may think it is hard to find deals to some of the top destinations, but as we have been mentioning, there are several options out there, no matter where you are going. Here are some sites that will help you plan your next getaway to some of the top spots.

Europe Deals

Lastminute.com .

Netherlands-based LastMinute.com also covers a range of last minute trip options, including flights, hotels, Eurostar train tickets, vacation packages, car rentals, theater tickets, and experiences. A Paris search turned up several highly-rated hotel options at $75-$85 per night at press time. This site also allows you to filter by hotels that offer free cancellation, a great perk if your travel plans change last minute. LastMinute.com also has “top-secret hotels” available for opaque booking, though in my Paris search they were actually a bit more expensive than the named hotels in my results.

Caribbean Vacations

While we love Sandals, we also love their sister company, Beaches . Beaches features two resorts in Jamaica and one in Turks and Caicos. Their last minute travel deals are similar to Sandals, where you can get one free night, and are able to book with just a couple of days in advance. 

Trips to New York

Chances are, if you are heading to NYC, you are going to want to see a Broadway show. Your best option for great last minute seats is TKTS . Download the app for your phone to see that days discounted tickets, and you can decide whether it is worth making the trek to the booth. Beats running out early in the morning to wait in line, and you are sure to get some deeply discounted tickets. 

The Hotel Room Workout Anyone Can Do

Best Last Minute Travel Apps for Your Phone

Most people tend to do everything on their phones, from booking restaurants, reading the news, and of course, booking travel. These apps are our favorites for booking last minute travel.

Elude is more than an app, it is an experience for the well-seasoned traveler. Not only does it let you search trips from your departure city to anywhere in the world, it gets to know you so you’ll find out about the best deals catered to your interests. Keep tabs on your trips, where you’ve been and what you’ve done. Their search feature allows you to put what your budget is, and what dates you want to travel, then showing you details for trips that fall under your criteria. When I searched, I found a trip to Prague leaving from New York City in two weeks for $1374 including airfare and hotel. 

With Snaptravel , you can search for hotels conveniently on your phone. Once you sign up, you will receive exclusive deals over your message service of choice (SMS, Facebook Messenger, iMessage etc..). You can also do a simple search with the days you want to go, and where you want to go. You can filter by price, hotel stars, amenities and more. The perfect app for booking that last minute hotel anywhere in the world. 

Heading to the Airport? Use This Preflight Checklist

These days, vacation rentals are all the rage, and finding a last minute travel deal for accommodations can be tricky if you don’t want to break the bank. That’s where apps like VRBO come in. You can search rooms, apartments and houses available to rent wherever you are going. Often, owners who have had a cancellation or just want the place booked will discount the price last minute as to not totally lose out on making any money. You might just find a unique stay, like a treehouse or secluded cabin. 

Travelocity

Everything is better with time, and Travelocity is not excluded. Founded in 1996, they have adapted to the ever-changing tech world, and their app shows they are good at what they do. Search for hotels, vacation packages, flights—you name it—and all of your bookings will stay on the app for easy access. Looking for the perfect trip to Las Vegas last minute? Travelocity has your back.  When I searched for a trip to Vegas in two weeks, I found hotel and airfare for under $1,000 for a five night stay. 

Editor’s Note: All of the products featured in this story were hand-selected by our travel editors. Some of the links featured in this story are affiliate links, and SmarterTravel may collect a commission (at no cost to you) if you shop through them. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. This story was originally published in 2017. It has been updated with the latest information. Genevieve S. Brown and Dara Continenza contributed to this story.

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We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.

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Last-Minute Deals

Ever booked a vacation spur of the moment? No time like the present! Celebrate the moment with an unexpected getaway. Just make sure you book soon to take advantage of these special deals. Free cancellation on most hotels up to 24 hours before your trip. Because flexibility matters.

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Last-minute hotel deals.

Sometimes you just need to get away. Whether you’re traveling for business or for fun, search Travelocity’s last-minute travel deals when it’s time to get out of town.

Planning a trip ahead of time isn’t always possible. Sometimes life happens and you simply don’t have time to arrange an entire vacation. Travelocity has plenty of great options for travelers making last-minute plans. If you’re looking to save a few bucks on your upcoming trip, you’ve come to the right place! With a little help from your friends at Travelocity, you can score last-minute vacation deals that won’t break the bank.

From a simple room with a bed to a luxury resort that has all the amenities you could ask for, there are great deals to be found if you simply know where to look. That’s why we’ve gathered a list of hotels with last-minute deals that will provide you with a welcoming place to call home while you’re out of town. You’ll be saving on cost, but you won’t be missing out on clean, comfortable rooms and must-have amenities.

Find the hotel that best suits you and take advantage of the great deals at Travelocity. You’ll sleep even better in your hotel room knowing that you saved a bundle booking with us.

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Hotels: Offers valid at participating hotels only. Minimum night stay may be required and rules, restrictions, and blackout dates may apply. Please check individual property for details. Hotel prices displayed are per room per stay based on the cheapest double room available on the specific dates shown. Prices are updated regularly and are accurate when published. Applicable discount, if any, will be applied to the price of selected hotels, excluding taxes and other fees. Hotel savings are based upon Travelocity's everyday hotel rates, excluding taxes and other fees for the date(s) searched. Additional terms may apply.

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• Mobile Apps

8 Best Apps for Last-minute Flights and Hotels

Download these travel apps so you're prepared for your next last-minute getaway.

If you're feeling spontaneous and want to head out of town for a last-minute getaway, you'll need some help finding affordable airfare and hotel rates on a whim. There's a good chance you won't be in the mood to sit on your laptop and track price trends, either.

So instead of wasting time bouncing between websites, download these tried and true apps to make planning a last-minute vacation easier. These flight- and hotel-booking apps will help get you on the road — and likely save you money, to boot.

Whether you want a flight, hotel room, car rental, or total trip package, Expedia's easy-to-navigate app has thousands of last-minute choices for any destination. Though actual prices are usually around 20 percent cheaper than what's advertised on Expedia's website, it's not unusual to find savings of up to 50 percent.

Download for iOS or Android .

Type in where you want to go, and this app (or its website) offers up the lowest available fares over the next several months. Being flexible about your destination pays off: if you want to skip town this weekend, simply select your dates, and Fareness will display a list of the cheapest airfares to various cities.

Download for iOS .

If you're looking to book a flight tonight or tomorrow, this app from flight tracker Hopper is your go-to helper. The inventory is from major airlines as well as low-cost carriers, and the prices are always favorable. The app even allows you to keep track of flights so you will be alerted when prices go down.

HotelTonight

Snag a discounted hotel room for the same day or up to a week in advance in more than 1,700 cities. Look for properties with special Geo Rates, which target users based on their GPS location. For example, while you're waiting for a flight at the airport, search for a room at your destination — you can sometimes get a better deal than if you wait to book after you've landed.

Download for i OS or Android .

Cruise Finder by iCruise.com

You normally have to book cruises well in advance — sometimes even a year out. But those looking to hop on deck on short notice can use Cruise Finder's Hot Deal feature to find last-minute savings. Go ahead and book that ocean-view room on a three-night cruise in the Bahamas. You'll pay as little as $200 for a departure within the next month or about $500 for next-day travel.

Download it for iOS or Android .

SecretEscapes

This app lists last-minute deals for upscale hotels — sometimes as much as 70 percent off the rates published online — at properties all around the world. Travelers can also use it to book air and hotel vacation packages.

Travelzoo's app not only lists discounts on packages, hotels, cruises, and flights, but also has an extensive range of special offers for restaurants, spas, and activities. For example, on a recent search, we found a deal for business class tickets on round-trip flights to South America starting at $799.

This app is loaded with suggestions for dining, activities, and events, which you can search based on your travel preferences. It also offers savings on hotel rooms that average around 25 percent off rates advertised online.

Related Articles

How to Find Deals on Last Minute Airfares

A primary piece of advice for people seeking deals on last minutes airfares is to find out which flights have empty seats.

But how is such information obtained? It's unlikely airlines would share such precious information with you, a mere consumer.

You won't get a direct answer to that question, but the airlines indirectly tell you where seats are empty by discounting selected routes and posting them with market-driven names like "special deals," or "hot deals" or "last-minute deals."

These gaudy titles often are splashed across the home pages of your favorite airlines. Usually it's a link that you'll click that sends you to a page with time-sensitive deals. Whether or not any of these deals interest you, it's often safe to assume that the routes have some seats empty on certain days, and it's time to fill those seats as quickly as possible. 

Just as Priceline operates on the principle that getting something for an otherwise empty hotel room is better than getting no revenue at all, airlines would rather slash their rates at the last minute rather than have empty seats when the plane leaves the gate.

What follows are links to special offer pages for airlines based on all continents. They are worth scanning at the start of your shopping experience.

North America and Central America

This is the continent with the most far-reaching airline network on earth. On a given route, you are likely to have several airline choices, even in small-market cities.

The major airlines here make special offers on webpages pages that are updated frequently, and many will honor requests for weekly email blasts announcing the fare cuts that exist for only hours at a time.

North American travelers with flexible schedules often pay a fraction of what someone on a business trip forks over, so try to free up a cushion of time as you plan North American air travel, and consider using a web service such as Yapta that will alert you if that great airfare falls even lower after your purchase is completed.

Major airlines are feeling pressure from budget carriers, so they'll sometimes cut fares to compete. Even at slightly higher prices, the majors often win, since so many travelers benefit from loyalty programs and don't like paying a la carte charges with budget airlines for everything from pillows to boarding passes.

Beware: the lower fares don't last long. Once a budget carrier has been vanquished, the majors will increase their prices again.

Caribbean and South America

New resorts are springing up across the Caribbean to mixed reviews. But all those new rooms, restaurants, and golf courses signal a strong interest in visiting the region, and airlines connect visitors with more Caribbean destinations than ever.

Some Caribbean islands are just now developing the infrastructure needed to compete in the new vacation marketplace, but affordable airfares might take even longer to materialize. As a rule of thumb, the more limited an island's airport infrastructure, the more expensive the flight.

South American airlines cover the vast distances in large nations such as Brazil and Argentina, and it's possible to find seasonal airfare deals. These places are catering to European tourists in growing numbers. Quito, Ecuador built an all-new airport outside the city with hopes of attracting more international tourism. Look for lower airfares on occasion to such cities.

Another country where airfare deals appear is Colombia, which has suffered through years of adverse publicity due to drug wars. Cities such as Bogota, Medellin, and Cartagena sometimes can be reached at reasonable round-trip rates from U.S. and European airports.

A generation ago, flying within Europe was considered one of the most basic mistakes a budget traveler could make.

But that situation has turned around significantly. Europe has become the world's most competitive airline market, with a host of budget airlines providing rock-bottom one-way fares between major cities. Many of these fares are highly competitive with the venerable train ticket option.

Some of the budget carriers have become large and very well established, while others wither and die amid the white-hot market conditions.

It's best to begin your search with major budget air hubs such as London, Brussels, Paris, and Amsterdam. But deals also are available from smaller hubs across the continent. 

On a continent where ground transportation can be difficult to arrange and impractical to use, airlines provide the only real options for many travelers.

Distances here are large, and roads, when they exist at all, sometimes prove challenging to navigate. Many airlines in Africa are small and face less intense competition than what is found in Europe and North America. The splashy, attention-getting deals language is far less common in Africa, but bargains do exist, so look through airline web links and find a few that will offer solid discounts.

Asia and Australia

In terms of quality and personal service, some of the world's best airlines operate in Asia and Oceania. Many will offer discounts to fill seats on costly long-haul flights, and there are many to consider with such far-flung hubs as Singapore, Sydney, Beijing, and Tokyo. 

Study the terms carefully and plan your itinerary to take advantage of the best prices, remembering that most of these deals have very short shelf lives.

This is also a place to find great deals through air passes. Similar to the rail passes so popular in Europe, air passes enable budget travel to a series of cities within a given time period for one price. 

5 Ways to Find the Cheapest Train Travel

Last Minute Flight Deals on Europe's Biggest Airlines

How to Find the Best Cruise Deals

Budget Airline Baggage Fees

Tips for Budget Business Travel

Saving Money on Your Summer Vacation

North American Airlines With Last Minute Airfare Deals

Flight Insurance That Protects Against Delays and Cancellations

Best Hotel Booking Sites

How to Find Cheap Flights to Asia

The Top 10 Low-Cost Airlines for Affordable Flights

A Guide to Major Airports in Africa

Top Tips for Booking a Cheap Flight to Africa

Book Your Airfare to Hawaii

Where to Go in 2021: 10 Future Trips You Can Start Planning Now

O.R. Tambo International Airport Guide

Short-Notice Travel

Last-Minute Adventures, Minimal Planning

Sometimes, the most exciting travel experiences lie just a short drive from the city-center. An unexpected day-trip or weekend excursion can introduce you to some hidden treasures you wouldn’t have otherwise seen. These destinations, just a stone’s throw from metropoles like Manhattan and Paris, require little to no planning ahead. So grab a few spontaneous friends—or pack up your whole fam—and head to these nearby neighborhoods, outskirts and picturesque towns.

Brighton, UK

If you live in London (or planning to travel there), take a day outside the Big Smoke to the seaside town of Brighton. While sunbathing may be off limits in the wintertime, the town’s scenery is just as quaint, with  candy-colored houses lining the streets—straight out of a Wes Anderson film. Plus, fish and chips taste great all year around—they’re sure to be the best you’ve ever had!

Porto, Portugal

Just up the coast from Lisbon, Porto is emerging as Portugal’s hottest new travel destination. It’s easy to add this city by the sea to your agenda if you’re visiting Lisbon—in the summer, you’ll stroll past countless beachy bars, cafés and restaurants to enjoy in the areas around the beaches Praia do Molhe and Praia de Gondarém.

Versailles, France

Versailles is sophistication at its finest. After all, the Château de Versailles was home to infamous fashionista and lover of all things extravagant, Marie Antoinette. Just a 30-minute bus ride outside of Paris, the opulent palace stays open through the winter, and the size of its sprawling gardens will still make you gasp—a perfect day trip.

Brooklyn, NY

If you find yourself with free time after ice skating in Manhattan’s Rockefeller Center and staring upward at Shelby (the name of the plaza’s 75-foot Christmas tree), be sure to make a quick jump across the East River over to Brooklyn. Neighborhoods like ultra-hip Williamsburg are teeming with vintage boutiques and record stores (perfect for gift shopping!); while the Brooklyn Museum in Prospect Heights offers Winterfest through Dec. 31, where you can walk through a giant snow and take a selfie with the world’s largest snowman.

Mount Hood, Oregon

Looking to slide outside Portland today? Grab your favorite flannel and take a short drive out to Mount Hood for some of the best skiing the Pacific Northwest has to offer. After a full day on the slopes, head to one of the dozens of local wineries scattered around the base of the mountain to warm up and get your merry-and-bright on. .

Kamakura, Japan

Looking to celebrate New Year’s outside the buzz of the Tokyo? Kamakura, about an hour’s drive north of the city, is an incredible cultural trip with its countless shrines and temples—many of which stay open all night on New Year’s Eve. Kamakura is known for its street snacks, so be sure to sample everything from inari sushi to lemon sugar crepes and—if you’re one of those people that love drinking iced coffee in the wintertime—matcha gelato.

full_time_travel

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Maybe it’s the gentle pace and rural scenes rolling past the window, or the inevitably of crossing paths with strangers – however briefly. Whatever the reason, there’s something about train travel that adds a touch of nostalgic romance to any journey – especially if that journey happens to whisk you through some of the world’s most striking landscapes. Rather than taking passengers from point A to point B, these train trips are travel experiences in and of themselves, offering fine dining and high-end hospitality as they traverse canyons, mountains, deserts and coastlines. Link in bio to see the list! ...

A scenic coastal drive in Africa. Reel: @joshstrauss_ ...

At The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, HaSalon is the spot for upscale, experiential dining. With an energetic atmosphere, exceptional service, and the freshest eats, HaSalon nails high-end, upbeat interactive dining. ...

Atlantis Ibiza: Famous for its cliffs and coves, perfect for adventurous activities like cliff diving and snorkeling. Reel: @saltinourhair ...

Located in the historic center of Mexico City, @sohohousemexicocity offers a blend of luxury amenities. The pool area is meticulously designed with chic loungers, umbrellas, and lush greenery, creating an oasis in the heart of the bustling metropolis. 📍 @sohohousemexicocity ...

Soar above the city hustle at Cloud 22 Dubai—where every view is a postcard moment and the skyline is your playground. 📍@cloud22dubai Photo: @taramilktea ...

"Known for its rugged mountains, Grand Teton National Park has a lot to offer for outdoor adventurers. With the airport located inside the national park, landed in Jackson Hole, Wyoming is an experience. It is home to a wide variety of wildlife including elk, wolves, black and grizzly bears. With glacial alpine lakes and mountain ranges all around, Grand Teton National Park is a treat for rock climbers, hikers and backpackers." 📍 Mormon Row 📍 Schwabacher Landing 📍 Delta Lake 📍 Hidden Lake falls Reel: @seekthatadventure ...

Explore the fascinating world of Piedra Pómez in northwest Argentina! This lightweight volcanic rock is used in everything from construction to beauty products, while its unique formations create breathtaking landscapes that attract adventurers and nature enthusiasts alike. Reel: @danielkordan ...

From hotels to restaurants, and fashion to relaxation, we reveal the best in destinations to help you travel like an insider, and Curaçao is never short on unforgettable experiences. The best way to get to the full island effect is to discover all this Southern Caribbean gem has to offer. Experience picturesque views, culture in abundance, and peace of mind. Link in bio for Full-Time Travel recommendations for the best of Curaçao. ...

Spring has arrived in the state of Washington. Reel: @jakeguzman ...

Off the grid - at the end of the world, where dunes collide into the Atlantic Ocean. 📍 Sandwich Harbor / Namibia Reel: @formgestalter ...

Reel: @s.x.traveler ➡️ Escape to the rugged beauty of Calhau das Achadas da Cruz, where Madeira`s wild heart beats in harmony with the Atlantic`s endless blue. Nestled in the remote northwest, this gem in Porto Moniz is a world away from the everyday. ...

As any seasoned traveler will attest, having insider intel on your destination is the key to a memorable trip. Once you’ve arrived in Curaçao, chatting up small business owners (instead of your hotel’s concierge) is the best way to find the hidden gems. Link in bio for a hotlist of locals-approved beaches and non-touristy to-do’s you’re sure to enjoy. ...

Nothing beats spring in the English countryside. Reel: @dpc_photography_ ...

Swim with killer whales, camp with friends, and cool off in a river surrounded by the beauty of Baja, California. 🇲🇽 Reel: @rodtrvn ...

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The secrets to cheap last-minute flight deals: Here’s how to save

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If you’ve ever tried to book a flight at the last minute, you’ve probably had the same frustration many of us face. Fares are usually sky-high compared to booking in advance, and availability can be very limited (if not impossible to find). Airlines are happy to charge top dollar to folks who have no choice but to travel at short notice, be it for a family emergency, sudden work trip, or even an opportunity for a spontaneous getaway.

Fortunately, there are a few steps you can take to save money on last-minute flights. Having miles and points from the best travel credit cards will help, and knowing where and how to book can sometimes make the difference between an affordable trip and a painfully expensive experience.

I’ll run through some strategies you can use to find cheap last-minute flight deals.

How to get cheap last-minute flight deals

Start with google flights to set your expectations.

Before you start investigating ways to book your last-minute flight, it’s important to find the baseline on fares airlines are charging for your route and dates right now. Google Flights is an excellent resource, because you can search for the cheapest fares on multiple airlines at once. You never know when you might find a cheap ticket.

Google Flights is also handy if you’ve discovered you’ve got some time off and aren’t picky about where you go, or if you’ve had to wait until the last second to book a vacation because of uncertainties in your schedule. They’ve got a nifty explore function where you can see a map view of all the places you can go from your airport – you just specify the dates and the maximum price you’re willing to pay.

Keep in mind, some low-cost airlines (like Southwest) won’t appear on Google Flights, so you’ll have to search those airlines separately on their own websites. Read our post on how to use  Google Flights search like a pro.

Don’t ignore budget airlines

If you’re one of those rare travelers able to travel extremely light, you could make out like a bandit flying low-cost airlines like Spirit, Frontier, Allegiant, WestJet, etc. You get what you pay for with these carriers — and you don’t get what you don’t pay for. Many budget airlines charge extra for things like:

• Choosing your own seat
• A carry-on bag
• A checked bag
• Airport boarding passes print-outs
• Onboard refreshments — even water
• Emergency oxygen masks (not really)

As long as you acquaint yourself with these fees before you fly, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Even if you decide to spring for an expensive checked bag, you could still save a fortune over big airlines. Just be sure to price your ticket with all its hidden fees before jumping on a cheap fare.

Search multiple airports at once

Airports can have dramatically different ticket prices. In some cases, a nearby airport (or destination) will sell tickets for hundreds of dollars cheaper. It pays to price the surrounding airports. When you’re looking for alternate airports, Google Flights allows you to search multiple routes at once.

See, many areas have more than one nearby airport. For example:

• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• John Wayne Airport (SNA)
• Long Beach Airport (LGB)
• John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
• LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
• Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
• Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP)
• Washington Dulles Airport (IAD)
• Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA)
• Baltimore/ Washington Airport (BWI)

Search for flights from one or two of the closest airports. You may be able to save big by driving a little farther. For example, if you’re looking for cheap flights from Lexington to Tampa, you can enter multiple airports in both the origin and destination box.

You’ll then be taken to the results page which automatically shows you the cheapest tickets for every permutation of origin and destination. In this case, Cincinnati to Clearwater is $90 cheaper than Lexington to Tampa. You’ll have to weigh if the extra driving is worth the money — but if you’re traveling with family, a $90 savings per person can add up fast .

You can also click “Nearby airports” near the top of the page if you don’t know off-hand which alternate airports surround your destination.

Redeem airline miles for award flights

While we always recommend booking award flights as early as possible to get the most availability, you might not know that some airlines release extra award seats close to the date of departure. Don’t assume you won’t be able to find an award flight just because you’re traveling last minute.

MMS editor Jasmin used airline miles to book a last-minute flight. Her dad’s cousin passed away unexpectedly, and tickets to Calgary for the funeral were over $500 at the last minute. That’s a lot of money for a senior on a fixed income, and he wouldn’t have been able to go. But luckily there were plenty of award seats available, so she redeemed 15,000 Air Canada Aeroplan miles for his ticket and he was able to attend, which meant a lot to him.

Meghan redeemed 25,000 United Airlines miles for a last minute, round-trip domestic ticket for her sister when she realized she had a few days off to visit family before starting a new job. That same ticket was selling for over $700, and Meghan was able to quickly transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United Airlines to book the flight.

Note:If you have certain Chase United Airlines credit cards , you’ll get access to more available United award seats – even if it’s the last seat on the plane. This includes cards like the United℠ Explorer Card.

The examples above bring up another good reason to collect transferable points. You’re not locked into a specific airline, so if you suddenly have to book a ticket, you can move your points to the frequent flyer program you need if an award seat is available. Here are the major transferable points programs and their partners:

• Chase Ultimate Rewards :   Transfer to United Airlines, Southwest, JetBlue, British Airways (for American Airlines flights), and Flying Blue (for Delta flights), and more
• AMEX Membership Rewards :   Transfer to Delta, Air Canada Aeroplan (for United flights), British Airways (for American Airlines flights), and more
• Citi ThankYou :   Transfer to Singapore Airlines (for United flights), Qantas (for American Airlines flights), JetBlue, and more
• Capital One :   Transfer for Singapore Airlines or Air Canada Aeroplan (for United flights), Qantas (for American Airlines flights), and more

If you’re having trouble finding seats, be sure to check out award flights on Southwest and JetBlue. With both these airlines, as long as there’s a seat for sale on the airplane, you can book it with points. Keep in mind the price of an award is tied to the cost of a paid ticket, so expensive last-minute tickets will cost more points. It’s still worth it if you absolutely must get on a certain flight.

Use flexible bank points for paid flights without blackout dates

Don’t be discouraged if you can’t find award seats – all is not lost if you have flexible bank points in your arsenal. You can still redeem miles and points for paid flights by booking tickets through the bank travel portal, or in some cases directly with your card.

The easiest method is to use a card like Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card to pay for your ticket. Once the transaction posts to your account, you can redeem your miles to “erase” the charge within a certain time frame. And it works for just about any airline – even low-cost carriers. Read our full guide for how to use Capital One miles .

With this card, your miles are worth 1 cent each toward paid travel. There’s no minimum redemption amount if you use Capital One Venture miles (unless you’re using miles to partially pay for the ticket, in which case the minimum is 2,500 miles or $25).

You can use Capital One Venture miles to erase airfare charges on your card, even with low-cost airlines. (Photo Credit: Spirit Airlines)

You can get a value of more than 1 cent per point if you have certain cards and redeem your points to book airfare through a bank travel site like the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal or Citi ThankYou Travel Portal . This is my favorite method, because there are no blackout dates, and it can actually get you a better deal than transferring points to an airline to book an award flight if a ticket is inexpensive. It’s easy to do and works similarly to third-party sites like Orbitz or Expedia .

Here’s the  Chase points values  you’ll get with each eligible card:

The information for the Chase Freedom has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

I priced out a random one-way coach flight between Indianapolis and Orlando. On the Chase Travel Portal, the cheapest fare is an American Airlines flight for $81, or 6,488 Chase points (with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card). The same flight would cost 10,000 American Airlines miles — so you’re effectively getting the flight for 4,500+ fewer points.

Be sure to compare the airfare you found on Google Flights with the prices on the bank portal. They’re usually the same, but if not, it’s worth a call to see if you can get the same rate.

You can also redeem Amex Membership Rewards points for airfare through the Amex Travel Portal at a rate of 1 cent per point. But here’s another handy trick to save money (and points) if you have The Business Platinum Card® from American Express.

As an Amex Business Platinum cardholder, you get:

• 35% of your points back for ALL first or business class flights booked through the Amex Travel Portal
• 35% of your points back for all flights, including coach tickets, booked with your  selected airline  through the Amex travel portal

This perk can really soften the blow of having to pay for an expensive last-minute ticket with points.

Here’s one more angle if you have certain Amex Delta cards, like the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card. Cardholders can use their Delta miles through Pay With Miles at a rate of 1 cent per mile toward paid tickets. It’s handy if you can’t find award seats, but you’ll spend a lot of miles for expensive tickets.

Search online for last-minute deals

This trick is most useful for those who are planning a spontaneous vacation or a family trip at short notice. Perhaps you weren’t able to hammer out plans for summer vacation and are just looking for anywhere cheap to take a trip, or want to book a package deal at a discount.

Sites like Orbitz and Expedia (and there are lots more) advertise last-minute flight, hotel, and vacation package specials that are worth checking out if you’re not super picky about where you go.

As with any booking, it’s worth taking a few minutes to compare prices elsewhere just to make sure you’re getting a good deal. And remember, you can “erase” purchases made with online travel agencies with miles from the Capital One Venture.

Or, pay with your Chase Sapphire Reserve – you’ll get up to $300 in annual travel credit for purchases with airlines, hotels, online travel agencies, and more.

Try different search engines

Yes, Google Flights is daddy of all flight search tools. But if you put in the extra effort to look at other search platforms, like Momondo and Skyscanner , a pleasant surprise will pop up every once in a while. Not all search engines provide every single available airline. And their prices can occasionally be radically different.

Unfortunately, the best deals are still sometimes directly on the airline website. One of the most popular airlines, Southwest, doesn’t advertise its prices on other platforms. You’ll have to go directly to Southwest and use their search tool to find out how much they’re charging for each route. Don’t forget Southwest!

With some other foreign airlines, it’s possible to get a huge discount on flights simply by purchasing your flight in the airline’s local currency. This sometimes means navigating their website in a foreign language, but the Google Translate extension can solve this problem for you. Flights can be 20%+ cheaper simply by not making the website price your ticket in USD.

Use fare deal sites

You’ve probably heard of sites like Scott’s Cheap Flights  and Secret Flying . These sites are mostly useful for international travel, but you’ll also occasionally receive some great domestic alerts. This’ll be hard to maximize for a last-minute deal — all the stars in the firmament would have to align perfectly for a random fare sale for your dates and routes — but they’re worth following and even paying for if you’re anticipating upcoming travel and you don’t want to blow miles and points.

Bottom line

Yes, booking airfare at short notice can be pricey, but with miles and points from the  best travel credit cards (and a few tricks), you can save money and get deals on last-minute flights. To score cheap (or free) last-minute airfare, you can take steps such as:

• Don’t assume – start with Google Flights to see if there are still cheap seats (and set your expectations for what airlines are charging)
• Search multiple airports at once to find the cheapest nearby routes
• Redeem airline miles for award flights (if you have transferable points from cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you’ll have more flexibility)
• Use flexible bank points to book paid flights with no blackout dates (Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is one of your easiest options)
• Search online for last-minute flight or package deals (ideal if you just want a last-minute getaway and aren’t picky about where) through sites like Orbitz and Expedia .
• Try different search engines — including directly with the airline

Do you have any tips or go-to sites to find last-minute flight deals? Share away in the comments! And  subscribe to our newsletter   for more tips to traveling cheap delivered to your inbox.

Joseph Hostetler

Joseph Hostetler is a full-time writer for Million Mile Secrets, covering miles and points tips and tricks, as well as helpful travel-related news and deals. He has also authored and edited for The Points Guy.

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How to Find the Best Deals on Last-Minute Flights

These five tips will help you find the lowest airfares possible for last-minute travel plans..

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You might save on a flight to Lisbon by buying a separate ticket to Dublin.

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Buying airline tickets is a lot like gambling or day-trading stocks. Fares go up and down unpredictably. As you get closer to your date of travel, it’s mostly up. But buying a ticket far in advance is not always the answer. You’re just giving the airline your money sooner than you have to, and your plans may change—or the airline might even alter the flight schedule—in the interim.

Most people buy their tickets within 90 days of their trips , so you’re not alone if you procrastinate. (That said, you might regret waiting that long to book a cruise .) Of course, airlines raise fares for travel during peak holiday periods and for last-minute travel , so here are some things to keep in mind as you search for the lowest prices. Traveling on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday, for instance, can save you money because business travelers are less likely to book on those days. And going to places like Las Vegas or the Caribbean will likely be most expensive on the weekends when hordes of leisure travelers are on the move.

Here are five more tips that can help you in your quest for cheap last-minute flights.

1. Don’t trust just one website

Independent travel websites claim to find you the lowest fares, but many do not search all airlines. Southwest Airlines, for example, is often bypassed. Shop around. Google Flights and ITA Matrix include the option to perform a month-long search and show the widest array of fares and flight options. Again, many low-cost airlines such as Southwest and Allegiant may not show up in these results—you’ll have to go to their websites to check their fares.

Because these two sites are not booking engines, once you’ve found an airfare that works, you’ll have to go to the airline’s website (or another booking site) to make the reservation. But taking this extra preliminary step could uncover fares that would not appear elsewhere.

On airline websites, don’t assume that search results are sorted starting with the cheapest ticket. Delta.com , for example, may show the quickest connecting time first, and you may have to scroll down to find something more affordable or select the tab that lets you sort fares beginning with the cheapest.

2. Understand airline fare buckets

It’s likely that every person on a given flight has paid a different price. It’s not that airlines are trying to trick you. It’s a smart business practice known as “revenue management,” which allows the airline to get the maximum value out of each seat on the plane, and if it believes it can sell a seat for $500 instead of $200, it will. Prices are determined in part by your origin and destination, of course, but they also have to do with the type of fare you booked. Within each class of service, there are what the industry calls “fare buckets.” Each fare bucket has a set of rules for the ticket, covering cancelations, changes, and so on. The cheapest fare buckets are likely to sell out first. The closer you get to a flight’s departure, the more likely that higher-priced fare buckets will be the only ones available.

3. Don’t automatically buy all your tickets together

When booking a flight for more than one person, begin by searching for just one seat—to find out the price. Then try a search for two tickets (and so on). There may be only one seat in the cheapest fare bucket; when you search for and buy two seats together, the airline might charge you the price of a higher fare bucket. If you get two different prices in the single-seat searches, you could save money by buying the tickets one at a time. This trick is especially valuable when booking family travel. Yes, you might end up not sitting together, but it could mean saving a bit of cash.

4. Consider alternate airports and separate tickets

It can be more expensive to fly to some cities than to others, often because there’s less completion between airlines. If you can’t find the price that you want for a ticket to, say, Lisbon , consider flying into London or Dublin and buying a separate ticket from there to Lisbon. This could save you a lot of money, but it is important to leave ample time to connect, as a delay on the first flight could stifle your onward journey.

Checking bags can also be a pain since not every airline will check your bags to your final destination when you’re traveling on two separate tickets. Before you book, call the airline and ask if it has an “interlining agreement” with the other airline to check your bags all the way through. An airline is off the hook if your baggage doesn’t make it onto a flight booked separately unless it has an interline agreement.

5. Keep an eye on extra fees

A cheap flight may be tempting, but it is important to consider the fees before handing over your credit card number. Many airlines in Europe and Asia, especially low-fare carriers, charge extra for you to select seats, print your boarding passes at the airport, and check bags they consider overweight (by their own standards). All of a sudden, that super-cheap ticket costs just as much as you would have paid on another airline with more convenient schedules.

We all want the best deal from point A to point B, and we can get it by paying attention and keeping a few tricks up our sleeves.

Products we write about are independently vetted and recommended by our editors. AFAR may earn a commission if you buy through our links, which helps support our independent publication.

>> Next: The Best Time to Buy Airline Tickets

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What is a mini-vacation.

A mini-vacation is a romantic weekend away, it’s 4 days of sun, sea, and sand, it’s an adventure for the whole family. It’s whatever you want it to be, mini-sized. To build your dream mini-vacation, enter your desired location and your travel dates, and let us take care of the rest. When you build your Expedia package deal, you bundle your accommodation, flights, and car rentals and save money.

Where should I go for a mini-vacation?

For a shot of sea and sun, head for the golden sands of Southern California , or hit the white-hot party heat of Miami . Prefer the great outdoors? Book a cosy condo in the mountains of Montana or enjoy the bo-ho chic of Washington State . Maybe you want a bit of culture and history, so stay at a spa hotel in Washington, DC . The choice is yours!

Where should I go for the best weekend getaway?

For a weekend of bright lights in the big city, try the high life and head to Vegas . If you want something a little more sedate, book a weekend in Waikiki . Or, if you’ve got the whole family in tow, book a stay in San Diego or a vacation rental in Myrtle Beach .

How can I find the best weekend getaway deals?

Whether you’re looking for a quick weekend getaway or a mini-vacation, Expedia always has amazing deals. You can choose from our attractive offers that include accommodation, flights, and car rentals, or build your own package and still bundle to save. Our vast network of partners and advanced filters make it easy to find, compare, and craft a trip that speaks to you and your wallet.

How do I plan a cheap weekend getaway?

To find cheap getaways, you can filter your Expedia search results by your per-night budget, so you only see available accommodation that suits you on the dates you want to travel. Look out for special offers and sign in to see member prices on all kinds of cheap weekend getaways. You may be best off looking in the low season and away from the main tourist areas to find more cheap trips ideas. If you’re traveling in a larger group, you might find a vacation rental or condo resort is a cheaper option than everyone booking a hotel room.

How do you plan a weekend romantic getaway on a budget?

Expedia makes it easy to plan the best weekend getaways for couples, even if you’re on a tight budget. You can filter your tempting search results by price, but more importantly, you can filter by amenities, such as hot tub, ocean view, spa to tailor make your unforgettable couple’s retreat.

Where should I go on a girls’ trip?

A weekend of skiing in Colorado –party included–or lounging on the beach in Cancun ? Mooching through the markets in Portland, Oregon , or hitting the big shops in New York . Whatever makes your best weekend getaway with the girls, you can get a great deal that suits everyone’s pocket with Expedia.

What are some excellent family weekend getaways?

If your family has a sense of adventure, head for Alabama and a mini-vacation that could include dolphin spotting, fishing, jet-skiing, and more. If you’re a brood of city slickers, take in the culture of Milwaukee , with exhibitions, museums, and sightseeing for all ages. Whatever family weekend getaway you’re looking for, we have it at Expedia.

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Travelling Without a Passport

Planning a Last-Minute Holiday? Here Are Our Top Tips (Updated 2022)

Although planning a holiday in advance has its advantages, there are also benefits with booking last minute. For example, you may get rewarded with a great hotel deal or a discount on an in-destination activity like scuba diving. So, if you’re thinking about embracing spontaneity and booking a last-minute holiday, read on for our top tips to make it a stress-free experience. 

Be flexible with dates

Flexibility is the key to last-minute travel. Being flexible with your travel dates will mean you’re able to secure better deals (and generally, this advice is true whether you’re travelling during a pandemic or not).

For example, travelling on Christmas Day is likely to be cheaper than on Christmas Eve, as fewer people are willing to sacrifice the 25th of December to a plane or train journey.

Be flexible with your plans

As well as being flexible with dates, if you’re planning to travel now or in the near future, it’s worth bearing in mind that restrictions are rapidly changing and you may be faced with the prospect of a cancelled trip or the requirement for isolation on your return.

It’s wise to build some degree of flexibility into your travel plans and be prepared with a Plan B.

Understand the fine print

Make sure to read up on the cancellation policies for your flight, adventure, and/or hotels. Many airlines have relaxed their policies and are offering flexible booking options meaning it should be easy to change your plans if need be.

Check at the time of booking your hotel whether it allows you to cancel or change the dates of your stay at short notice, so you don’t get caught out if travel restrictions in your area change.

Don’t forget travel insurance

Travel insurance is complicated at the moment, with different providers offering different levels of cover for COVID-related cancellations. If you already have travel insurance – an annual policy, for example – take a look at the fine print to see what terms and conditions have been added for coronavirus cancellations and disruptions.

If you’re booking a last-minute trip and don’t have any insurance, make sure to check out a variety of providers to see what they offer. Some travel insurance search engines will allow you to filter by COVID-19 protection, making the job easier for you.

Reach out to a specialist

Talking to a travel specialist may be your best bet for getting a good last-minute deal. Not only will they be able to source the best value trips for your money, but they will also prove invaluable in helping you to secure a refund should you need it. 

Consider a group or private adventure

If you’ve never taken an organised group or private adventure before, perhaps now is the time to try one. They offer the opportunity to pack a whole load of activities and sightseeing into a long weekend, week, fortnight, or longer.

If you’re booking last-minute, it means you’ve got a pre-planned trip ready for you, with no legwork required on your end to plan. You can get some great deals on adventures when you book closer to the departure date, and many operators are offering flexibility so you can re-book for a later date if your plans have to change.

Thinking of booking a last-minute adventure? Contact TourRadar’s team of Travel Experts now for personalised assistance finding your perfect trip.

Lauren McKay

Lauren is a freelance copywriter based in Edinburgh, Scotland. As well as writing, she loves exploring her country (and the rest of the world), and can often be found running up a hill or on her yoga mat.

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20 Travel-ready packing tips for travelling on short notice

by Anne Betts | Jan 17, 2024 | Luggage and Packing | 8 comments

Are you ready to grab an attractive travel deal at a moment’s notice? Are you occasionally asked to pack your bags for an unexpected trip with little time to prepare? For these and other scenarios, a partially packed travel bag and other travel-ready packing tips may be just what you need to grab last-minute travel deals, accept invitations from travelling companions, or take work assignments involving travel.

Table of Contents

Advantages of being ready to travel with little notice

1. identify a consistent place to stow travel gear, 2. be vigilant about the critical items, 3. work with a packing list, 4. know your limits, 5. be prepared with emergency medical insurance, 6. organize copies of important documents, 7. keep your emergency contact card up to date, 8. ensure your travel account and financial cards are always ready to go, 9. maintain an emergency cash stash, 10. keep foreign currency on hand, 11. keep cloud-based travel files up to date, 12. keep a password manager up to date, 13. ensure your devices are travel-ready, 14. maintain a stocked kit of toiletries and cosmetics, 15. have a ready-to-go health kit, 16. consider purchasing duplicates for home and travel, 17. have a pre-packed tech bag, 18. maintain a travel wardrobe, 19. unpack with the next trip in mind, 20. keep a travel bag partially packed.

Being partially prepared to travel any time

• takes the angst out of decision-making. It’s one less reason to decline, one more reason to accept.
• improves your ability to take spontaneous travel opportunities.
• removes some of the stress associated with getting ready to leave.
• promotes an organized approach to unpacking from a previous trip to be ready for the next.
• allows you to pack quickly if faced with time constraints.
• encourages and fosters a packing light mindset. Packing in a hurry isn’t an excuse for overpacking.

20 Travel-ready packing tips

You may be a consummate planner who starts packing several weeks before a trip. In that case, the following tips will undoubtedly enhance your approaches to planning and preparation. If you’re a last-minute packer, integrating some of these strategies will allow you to pack faster and smarter. If you agree, please let me know in the comments.

It helps to have designated places to store luggage, stash packing aids, hang travel clothing, store shoes set aside for travel, file a passport and related documentation, maintain a selection of travel-sized containers, and stow items packed for most trips.

For ‘dedicated travel stuff,’ a travel drawer (or two) works for many people. Or use a tote box or two, each one with a lid. Being ready to travel on short notice means not wondering where something is or having to search for it.

Make being travel-ready part of your everyday activities. Be on the lookout for solid alternatives to liquid toiletries and suggestions on travel clothing.  Collect travel-sized containers to add to your collection. Do the same with pouches, zip-top bags, or other packing organizers. Having a selection means finding the right one for decanting purposes or storing related or miscellaneous items in a purse or bag.

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Launder travel underwear from the last trip, pack it in its designated packing organizer, and add it to your travel drawer or partially packed travel bag.

Reach for your travel umbrella or packable, lightweight rain jacket if rain is in the forecast. Put your hands on a hands-free travel organizer containing your passport, trusted traveller card, emergency contact card, and laminated emergency medical insurance policy card.

An expired or damaged passport is a liability. Or one that isn’t valid for at least six months beyond an intended stay or has enough empty pages to be stamped. So is a soon-to-be expired prescription for medication that’s vital to your well-being. These are scenarios that may be difficult to overcome without adequate notice.

I find a master packing list works best, unlike separate lists by season, destination, or type of trip. As much as 80 per cent of what you’ll pack applies to all trips, so create an electronic version. My obsessively comprehensive list has every possibility for past and future trips, including brand names, sizes, and weight in some cases. It’s amended regularly to eliminate discards and add new products.

Print a copy and check off items as they’re packed. Working with a hard copy offers more opportunities to quickly add handwritten notes or flag items to be packed within the last few hours of departure. Having a checklist for reference makes last-minute packing more efficient and less stressful.

If you’re a member of an airline’s frequent flyer loyalty program, you’ll likely travel on that airline or one of its partners. Remain up to date on baggage allowance policies regarding dimensions and weight. If it’s helpful, keep a record in a Notes app on your phone, along with the exact dimensions of your luggage. Purchase a portable luggage scale . Ensure your luggage strictly adheres to baggage allowances and pack accordingly. It’s too late when you reach the gate and encounter a hefty fee for checking a bag because your bag was too large for the luggage sizer.

Travelling without emergency medical insurance coverage is never a risk worth taking. Does your existing policy make you travel-ready? Is it valid for the length of your trip and covers pre-existing conditions related to recent health issues?

If your policy has lapsed, how quickly will you be able to obtain coverage over the phone? Do you travel enough to make an annual multi-trip plan a worthwhile investment? You may be surprised to discover that an annual plan may be slightly more expensive than a single-trip one.

Keep a scanned copy of the information page of your passport in your Dropbox (or other cloud-based service) or email account. A handy complement is a laminated copy carried with you at all times, with a spare packed in your luggage. It will be invaluable to confirm your identity, obtain an emergency passport, or seek medical attention.

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What number do you call to report a lost or stolen credit card when the credit card is no longer in your possession? Most emergency medical insurance policies require contact with the policy administrator before seeking medical attention. Do you have that number at your fingertips? What if you need to contact your country’s consular services for assistance? These telephone numbers and other information associated with emergencies can be recorded in a digital wallet but what if you’ve lost your phone or someone else needs to call on your behalf? This is when a laminated emergency contact card the size of a credit card can be handy. Make several copies to store each one in a wallet, phone case, and travel bag.

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If relying on withdrawing cash from an ATM, ensure your travel account or pre-loaded financial card has the necessary funds. Not all pre-loaded cards are supported in all countries. Be aware of where your card is accepted.

Also, it’s wise to travel with more than one credit card from different card issuers and different financial institutions. Acceptance rates of American Express, MasterCard, and Visa vary, and one card could be blocked because of an issue with a PIN or suspected fraudulent activity. Or it could be an issue with the merchant’s terminal. I’ve had one card rejected, another accepted, and the rejected card accepted at another merchant’s terminal.

Download banking apps and familiarize yourself with them before travelling. Record essential details such as withdrawal limits and telephone numbers in a password manager . Having preauthorized payments set up on credit cards means one crucial task is handled automatically. Setting up voice recognition in advance will make contacting your financial institution much easier. In the case of two-step authentication, make sure you have the means to receive a text or call from your financial institution.

As a backup, always carry an emergency cash stash. It will be handy if your purse is lost, stolen, or pickpocketed. Or you might discover that none of your cards works at one or more ATMs.

There are small diversion safes on the market to hide emergency stash. For example, a small Mennen Speed Stick container with fake deodorant, plastic lipstick containers, or a phony USB power bank is built for this purpose. Or make your own. Sew or tape a pocket in a packing organizer, or save a used container such as travel-sized deodorant, lip balm, or a band-aid dispenser for a DIY diversion safe.

There may be delays involved in ordering foreign currency. Having a cache of local currency is handy when you first land in a foreign destination. It enables you to navigate public transportation, pay for small purchases, or tip service providers.

If you’ve travelled to that area before and are likely to pass through or travel there again, consider purchasing leftover foreign currency from travelling companions at the current exchange rate before returning home. It saves on fees for everyone. Organize leftover foreign currency in see-through sleeves cut from page protectors. Keep a handy list of foreign currencies and their value in a Notes app on your phone.

You undoubtedly have files that accompany you on all trips. These might include a user manual for your camera, emergency medical insurance policy, vaccination certificate, and various documents or spreadsheets. Filing them in a cloud-based storage system makes them accessible while on the move. Also, ensure you have the right apps or programs to update them while travelling.

Each time a password changes or information relating to one of your accounts is modified, take a few moments to update your password manager. It will be invaluable when trying to access accounts from afar.

Is your phone network unlocked? Have you set up biometric controls such as facial recognition or fingerprint access? Do you have a Virtual Private Network (VPN) subscription? Have you downloaded your chosen airline apps and set them to receive notifications regarding check-in and flight delays? Do you and your key contacts have a VoIP app such as WhatsApp to video and audio chat using Wi-Fi? Have you paired your luggage tag tracker with your phone?  Do you have a selection of playlists, movies, podcasts, and other forms of entertainment downloaded? What are the costs of your carrier’s roaming packages? If you have lounge passes as one of your credit card benefits, have you downloaded the app and set up your account? Is your phone eSIM compatible? As Uber is a popular rideshare option in many countries, have you downloaded the app and established an account to book an Uber on the fly?

Managing these and many other issues means you can rely on your devices for navigation, banking, research, booking travel, entertainment, social media and email management, and communicating with folks back home.

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Your travel toiletries most likely consist of many of the same products you use at home. The difference may be that they’re in travel-sized containers and packed in a small hanging toiletry kit.

• If your trips are of a predictable duration, decant enough for that many days — no more, no less.
• Label everything. It removes the guesswork from similar-looking products.
• Clean empty containers at the end of one trip and add enough product to be travel-ready for the next. If the next trip is longer, top-up containers as necessary.
• Toiletries and cosmetics have expiration or Period After Opening dates. Keep these in mind when assembling and replenishing your toiletry kit.
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A small first-aid kit with the basics will serve you well when travellers’ diarrhea, a headache, cuts and scrapes, bug bites, and other ailments strike. Maintain a related collection of health aids for sanitizing, hydration, gut health, and immune support. Include pressure-reducing earplugs and other in-flight essentials for a healthy flight.

Review your collection occasionally to discard expired items and order replacements.

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• Carry-on essentials and packing tips for long flight s

Consider buying duplicates for items consistently used at home and while travelling. It avoids the possibility of overlooking them when packing. This might include chargers, a travel adapter, a small flashlight, a refillable water bottle, a pen, a sleep mask, and a pocket shopping bag.

Relying heavily on devices creates pressure to ensure they remain secure, charged, and able to safely venture into cyberspace. Your tech bag might include an international adapter, charging cords with the correct connectors, a headphone jack, a data blocker, and an adaptor for connecting wireless headphones to an in-flight entertainment system.

A grab-and-go bag that can be quickly packed alleviates collecting charging cords and accessories from around the house on the eve of departure. Leave home with the knowledge you’ll have what you need to power up and connect with confidence throughout your trip.

• Pack light with the inCharge X, a 6-in-1 keychain charging cable
• Do you need a USB data blocker? You do if you use public USB charging stations
• Pack light with a USB to AC international travel charger

If packing clothes is a significant challenge, consider setting aside lightweight, quick-drying, tried-and-true pieces of a capsule wardrobe and reserving them for travel. Choose versatile pieces that are wrinkle-resistant and can be mixed and matched to create multiple outfits with fewer items.

Exploring destinations can be a pleasurable or painful experience depending on your choice of shoes. Once you’ve found comfortable, versatile footwear that blends with your capsule wardrobe, consider setting it aside for travel. For most destinations, I pack my AllBirds Wool Runners , Teva Tirra sandals, and Havaianas Slim to use as slippers and shower shoes.

It’s reassuring to know that I can easily walk at least 20 kilometres / 12 miles in my tried-and-tested AllBirds Wool Runners or Teva Tirra sandals. In neutral colours, both can transition to smart casual wear when going out for supper. By setting them aside for travel, they retain their like-new look for several trips.  

A ready-to-go sewing kit you assemble will contain thread that matches your travel wardrobe. Spare buttons will also match; add them to your sewing kit or attach them to the inside of the respective piece of clothing.

• What are the best walking sandals for travel?

Unpack as soon as possible from each trip. While doing so, incorporate a post-trip debrief with yourself as it relates to packing. Make a note of what wasn’t worn or used, what worked or didn’t work, and amend your packing list accordingly.

Launder travel clothes, clean and dry shoes, replenish or clean out travel-sized toiletries, and wash and dry your reusable water bottle. 

Only partially unpack from each trip. Keep items routinely packed for every trip within your semi-packed travel bag. If you’re a fan of packing cubes and other packing organizers, leave your favourites in the bag. These might include a laundry bag, shoe bag, dry bag to keep moisture in or out, a compression sac for bulky clothing, or tried-and-trusted clothing folders and cubes.

Packing with little notice is a scramble that many travellers face, often leading to forgotten essentials or overpacked suitcases. Preparing to take advantage of last-minute travel opportunities involves having systems to facilitate quick and efficient packing.

If you found this post helpful, please share it by selecting one or more social media buttons. What are your packing tips for being ready to travel with little notice? Please add your suggestions and thoughts in the comments. Thank you.

The Amazon links are affiliate links. If you click on one and purchase something, you don’t pay more but Packing Light Travel earns a small commission which helps with the costs of maintaining the site. Thank you for your support.

I find these tips are good even for the planned vacation. I can’t tell you my frustration when I have to go to the pharmacy or department store to purchase expensive medicines (such as aspirin) or clothes items because I forgot to pack. I recommend keeping a list in your suitcase entitled “Things I Need On Every Trip.”

Excellent tips. Keeping travel stuff organized at home always helps me when it’s time to pack – whether it’s spur of the moment or not.

Great advice! I feel like your tip about keeping everything well organized/knowing where it is is huge! You can pack a lot faster if everything is already in a place you know of and can put things together quickly!

So useful! I also find having a master packing list is the best option, and I do it all the time, but apart from my slippers & jandals already in the backpack, I unpack and pack again every time … I’m definitely gonna do the travel underwear thing!

Great tips. My husband travels a lot for work and has a stash of foreign cash from around the world (separated by location). It definitely helps to have a little change on hand when you arrive in country.

What a great article! So many useful tips. A travel many years and I consider myself being good in packing for my trips, still I did not think about about emergency contact card, for example. Thanks for sharing!

So many great tips. It’s always good to be prepared for any sudden travel plans. My brother-in-law recently had a heart attack so it was good I didn’t forget anything as I rushed out the door!

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Last Call Travel

Last Minute Short Notice Condo Vacation Rental Holiday Lodging Accommodations

LAST CALL TRAVEL – Last Minute Short Notice Condo Vacation Rentals

Last Call Travel specializes in last minute, short notice condo vacation rentals.

Luxury weekly condominium stays are available in the most popular places, such as Disney (Orlando/ Kissimmee) and south Florida, Williamsburg, California & Oregon coast, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, Texas, the Carolinas, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, upstate New York, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

Because we get lower rates on short notice dates, we pass along the savings to you.  Just let us know what you need (location, dates, unit size/number of guests) and we’ll see what we can find for you!

Or browse HERE and see what’s available!

Contact us at [email protected] or 520-761-1412 when you are ready to grab a last minute rental.

We accept credit cards using Square and PayPal, or cash/bank transfer/checking account//debit card payments using cashapp, Google Pay, or PayPal Friends and Family.  And, we offer a discount if you pay cash!

Due to the clearance, liquidation, or wholesale nature of these last minute condo vacation rentals, all reservations are non-refundable, non-changeable, and non-cancellable.

Planning a vacation months or even years from now?  How organized of you — and you can still save a lot of money by reserving your vacation time through us!  Please use the following links to visit our affiliate websites (and, don’t forget to check the last minute specials page on each of these sites as well!):

• Eastern United States (east of the Mississippi)
• Western United States (Pacific Coast)
• Florida and Alabama
• Arizona Spring Training Condo Rentals (Arizona Cactus League baseball and Grand Canyon)
• Rocky Mountain Rentals (western US ski condo rentals)
• Midwest Vacation Rentals  (Great Lakes to Great Plains)
• Short Stay Vacations  (book any length stay at Worldmark resorts, up to 9 months in advance)
• Real-Time Worldwide Inventory
• WestWeeks.com (our parent company)

Contact Information

If you have any questions or need any help regarding anything on our website, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our email address is [email protected] , and our telephone number is (520) 761-1412 .

Filichia Insurance Agency Sucks

Need a  bad insurance agent ? Don’t have enough problems in your life? Then, consider Filichia Insurance Agency, where their policy is Screw ‘Em, Then Sue ‘Em. We complained about them; they filed a lawsuit against us. Review our complaints with Filichia Insurance Agency of Titusville, Florida at http://www.filichiainsuranceagencysucks.com.

Ace Hardware Sucks

Here’s a company that really doesn’t care about its customers or its corporate reputation.  Read about this company’s ignorant, discriminatory, and vile behavior here.

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How to Get Next-Day Travel Money in the UK

Byron Mühlberg

Monito's Managing Editor, Byron has spent several years writing extensively about financial- and migration-related topics.

Links on this page, including products and brands featured on ‘Sponsored’ content, may earn us an affiliate commission. This does not affect the opinions and recommendations of our editors.

Do you need foreign currency in a hurry? Although it's generally possible to arrange, unfortunately for you, these snappy services always come at a premium, with hefty delivery fees and hidden exchange rate margins chipping away at the total foreign currency amount you receive.

However, it's not all bad news. In this short guide, we look at the three main options for getting foreign currency in a pinch: ordering travel money to your door, picking it up at a foreign exchange bureau, or, if you can afford to plan ahead a little, using a travel debit card.

In a rush? Here are our recommendations:

• Next-day delivery (pricey): Sterling FX
• Next-day pickup (pricey): Change Group
• Next-day virtual debit card (cheapest): Revolut

All About Next-Day Travel Money

• 01. Have travel money delivered to your door scroll down
• 02. Pick up up travel money from a branch scroll down
• 03. Use a travel money debit card scroll down

Option 1: Have Your Travel Money Delivered

The simplest but priciest option to receive next-day travel money in the UK is to order it online and have it delivered straight to your door. There are several providers which offer this service, including Travelex, Tesco Bank, Sterling FX, and John Lewis Finance (all of which we compare below).

The first thing to note is that all of these providers impose cut-off times on when you can order foreign currency the day before to be eligible for next-day travel money delivery. These include:

• Sterling FX: Before 12 PM
• Travelex: Before 3:00 PM
• Tesco Bank: Before 1:30 PM (USD and EUR only)
• John Lewis: Before 3:00 PM

Once you've ordered, most providers will use trusted private couriers or Royal Mail Special Delivery to send the money to your door, which you'll have to sign for upon delivery.

Fees For Next-Day Delivery

The table below compares the costs for the FX specialists mentioned above. As you can see above, Sterling FX offers the best exchange rates to the euro, but they have a higher minimum order (£300) and no-delivery-fee threshold (£700) than the other providers.

Quoted: 10/8/2023

Option 2: Pick Up Your Travel Money

Another option for getting travel money on a dime is to order foreign currency online and then pick it up the next day from a currency exchange bureau at an airport or city centre branch. Most of the services we looked at in the previous section also offer this service too. This way it works is simple:

• visit an FX provider's website and choose the foreign currency and amount you want to buy (you can normally specify the amount either in sterling or in the foreign currency you want to buy),
• choose the pickup branch and time convenient for you,
• pay for the transaction by card (this is the fastest method),
• collect the cash in person at the branch the next day (branches are commonly found in city centres and airports).

Of course, this method only makes sense if there's a branch near you, but fortunately, exchange bureaus make their home in practically all major UK airports, so if you're planning to leave the UK by plane, then this should be an accessible option for you.

Fees For Next-Day Pickup

Like travel money delivery, pickups are often charged on the exchange rate, meaning the provider gives you a worse exchange rate than what they themselves use to convert your currency. These rates are usually identical to the rates for delivery (1% to 5% or more depending on the exact currency), except you won't pay the extra delivery fee if it applies.

We recommend checking out  Change Group , whose rates are slightly lower than the market average at  only around 2% or 3%  for conversions to most major currencies. You can arrange your conversion online and pick up your travel money at any of their branches, which can be found in airports and city centres around England, especially in the London area:

Option 3: Use a Virtual Travel Card

A final option for getting travel money at short notice is to sign up for a travel debit card like Revolut or Wise and use the virtual debit card they give you. With both providers, you'll get a virtual debit card automatically upon signing up, and if you can afford to wait a few days before you travel, you'll also get a physical debit card too.

Like their physical counterparts,  virtual debit cards  are fully-legitimate debit cards (typically issued by Mastercard or VISA) with a 16-digit card number associated with your account, an expiry date, and a three-digit CVV number. You can use your virtual debit card the same as your physical one, the only difference being that you won't be able to swipe or insert it at payment terminals, so you'll need to tap your mobile phone instead (for which you'll need an internet connection).

• Trust & Credibility 8.9
• Service & Quality 7.9
• Fees & Exchange Rates 8.3
• Customer Satisfaction 9.4
• Account Name:  Standard
• Monthly Fee:  £0
• Virtual Card Type:  VISA
• Max. Number of Virtual Cards at Once:  20
• Can Set Spending Limits:  Yes
• Can Block Card Online:  Yes
• Mobile Wallet Compatibility:  Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Fitbit Pay, Garmin Pay.
• More Info:  See our full  Revolut review  or visit  the website .

With Revolut's state-of-the-art mobile app, in particular, you can easily exchange balances in over 30 foreign currencies at very low exchange rates on the weekday (though fair use limits and weekend surcharges may apply). Even if you have multiple currencies on your account simultaneously, the card will automatically detect your country and start using the local balance first.

See Our Other Travel Money Guides

Why Trust Monito?

You’re probably all too familiar with the often outrageous cost of sending money abroad. After facing this frustration themselves back in 2013, co-founders François, Laurent, and Pascal launched a real-time comparison engine to compare the best money transfer services across the globe. Today, Monito’s award-winning comparisons, reviews, and guides are trusted by around 8 million people each year and our recommendations are backed by millions of pricing data points and dozens of expert tests — all allowing you to make the savviest decisions with confidence.

Monito is trusted by 15+ million users across the globe.

Monito's experts spend hours researching and testing services so that you don't have to.

Our recommendations are always unbiased and independent.

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Last-Minute Travel Insurance: Your Safety Net for Short-Notice Trips

Jessica Merritt

Editor & Content Contributor

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Best Last-Minute Travel Insurance for Low Cost: Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection

Best last-minute travel insurance for travel delays: img, best last-minute travel insurance for sports: axa assistance usa, best last-minute travel insurance for primary medical: travelex insurance services, best last-minute travel insurance for coverage limits: trawick international, how last-minute travel insurance works, how to get last-minute travel insurance, what you’ll miss with last-minute travel insurance, is last-minute travel insurance worth it, what travel insurance covers, what to look for in travel insurance, when is it too late to buy travel insurance, what travel insurance costs, final thoughts.

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

Planning a last-minute getaway, or just forgot to buy travel insurance? You can still protect your trip with last-minute travel insurance, which covers travel delays, emergency medical treatment, and more. 

Travel insurance policies are generally available up to a day before departure . Some travel insurance companies offer post-departure travel insurance, too. It still makes sense — even at the last minute — to buy travel insurance to protect your finances and health while traveling.

This article explains how last-minute travel works, its benefits, and how to choose the best travel insurance policy before you head out the door.

The 5 Best Last-Minute Travel Insurance Plans

You can get good coverage for your travel plans with a travel insurance policy purchased up to the day of departure. We’ve quoted several comprehensive travel insurance plans you can get at the last minute, searching for plans purchased the day before travel for a 37-year-old visiting Spain on a $2,500 trip :

While it was the most inexpensive last-minute travel insurance policy we quoted, Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection’s ExactCare Value plan offers a good variety of coverage for the price.

It has trip cancellation and interruption coverage, up to $15,000 in medical emergency coverage, and up to $150,000 in coverage for emergency medical evacuation or repatriation. It also offers coverage for travel delays and baggage delays or loss. We were quoted $45 for this plan.

Our quote for an iTravelInsured Travel Essential policy from IMG didn’t include emergency medical treatment or emergency medical evacuation and repatriation coverage.

However, it excels in travel delay coverage with up to $2,000 in travel delay benefits after a 12-hour delay. It also offers up to 100% reimbursement for trip cancellations and 125% for trip interruptions. COVID-19 coverage is included in trip cancellation and interruption benefits. Our quote for this plan came to $56.13.

The AXA Assistance USA Silver plan covers sports and adventure activities, including sports equipment baggage and sports fees. Additional coverage includes trip cancellation and interruption, up to $25,000 in secondary emergency medical benefits, $100,000 in medical evacuation and repatriation, and benefits for travel delays and baggage loss. The quote for this policy was $78.

Though $15,000 in emergency medical coverage isn’t much, it’s primary coverage with an Insurance Services Travel Basic plan from Travelex . With primary coverage, you can use your emergency medical benefit to pay for medical treatment without going through other applicable insurance first.

This policy also offers up to $100,000 in medical evacuation benefits and 100% reimbursement for trip cancellations or interruptions. We were quoted $87 for this policy.

While more costly than some of the other policies we reviewed, the International Safe Travels Explorer plan from Trawick International offers higher benefit limits than most lower-priced policies.

You’ll get up to 100% reimbursement for trip cancellation and interruption and up to $50,000 in emergency medical reimbursement. There’s up to $200,000 in medical evacuation and repatriation benefits, up to $1,000 for travel delays, $750 for baggage and personal item loss, and $500 in missed connection benefits. This policy had a quote of $88.74.

What Is Last-Minute Travel Insurance?

Last-minute travel insurance is travel insurance coverage that you purchase just before departing on your trip . While less robust in coverage than travel insurance purchased shortly after booking, last-minute travel insurance can cover cancellations, interruptions, delays, medical emergencies, and more. It’s a good option if you want travel insurance coverage but haven’t purchased it for a trip that’s coming up quickly.

Like regular travel insurance , last-minute travel insurance covers travel-related financial risks. You’ll get quotes and review the policy’s terms, purchase coverage, and travel as planned. You can file a claim if you experience a covered loss, such as a trip cancellation or medical emergency.

You might pay about the same for less coverage using last-minute travel insurance, but it can save you money and offer peace of mind if you run into any trouble with your trip.

You can get last-minute travel insurance just like a policy purchased right after booking. Start by getting quotes from travel insurance companies, comparing costs and coverage, and purchasing a plan. Once you’ve obtained your last-minute travel insurance policy, be sure you understand the terms and conditions and keep contact information and policy details handy if you need to use your coverage.

If you’ve waited until the last minute to buy travel insurance, you can still get a travel insurance policy, but that doesn’t mean you should expect the same level of coverage you could get if you purchased travel insurance shortly after booking your trip.

Trip cancellation coverage is the main benefit you’ll largely miss out on with last-minute travel insurance. While you can get cancellation coverage at the last minute, your coverage generally doesn’t take effect until the next day — and travel insurance policies generally only offer cancellations up to the day before departure. 

If you’re buying travel insurance the day before you travel, you won’t take advantage of the cancellation benefit. That’s far less valuable than a policy that offers weeks or months of trip cancellation insurance and can reimburse you for your prepaid, nonrefundable deposits.

Some travel insurance coverage is only available if you buy your policy early on, including Cancel for Any Reason coverage and waivers for preexisting conditions . These coverage types are generally only available if you purchase your policy within about 2 weeks of booking your travel.

Learn more about the best time to buy travel insurance in our guide to when to buy travel insurance .

Last-minute travel insurance offers less value than insurance purchased shortly after booking, but travel protection is still worth buying. Even if you can’t take advantage of trip cancellation benefits, you can still get a lot of value out of other coverage areas, especially emergency medical benefits.

Travel Insurance 101

Travel insurance provides financial protection and support for your travel ranging from coverage for trip cancellations to medical emergencies. Coverage varies between policies, but these are common benefits offered by travel insurance:

• Baggage Protection: You can use travel insurance to get reimbursed if your baggage or personal belongings are lost, stolen, or delayed on your trip.
• Emergency Assistance: Travel insurance generally offers a Travel Support 24/7 hotline you can call to get connected with what you need, whether it’s medical facilities or replacing lost documents.
• Emergency Medical Evacuation and Repatriation: If you’re critically injured or seriously ill, travel insurance emergency medical evacuation benefits can pay for moving you to an appropriate medical facility. Repatriation benefits can cover bringing your remains home if you die while traveling.
• Emergency Medical Expenses: Many travel insurance policies offer coverage for medical emergency treatment if you’re injured or become ill on your trip.
• Missed Connections: Travel insurance can cover the cost of rebooking your flight and accommodations if you miss a connecting flight or cruise.
• Rental Car Coverage: Your travel insurance policy may cover your rental car insurance so you can decline it at the rental desk.
• Travel Delay: You can get reimbursed for additional expenses related to travel delays, such as accommodations and meals, if your trip is delayed due to covered circumstances such as severe weather or airline strikes.
• Trip Cancellation: When you purchase travel insurance early enough, coverage extends to trip cancellation, which reimburses you for nonrefundable prepaid travel expenses if you need to cancel your trip. However, with last-minute travel insurance, you may not have time to take advantage of this benefit.
• Trip Interruption: Travel insurance can cover the cost of getting home and reimburse you for unused trip expenses if your trip is interrupted for covered reasons such as a medical emergency or natural disaster.

Optional coverages often include preexisting medical conditions, adventure sports , and Cancel for Any Reason .

As you consider last-minute travel insurance policies, take these factors into account:

• Customer Service Reviews: You want to be sure your insurance company is there for you when needed. Check customer service reviews of travel insurance companies to find out if other customers had a good experience, especially if they needed to file a claim.
• Deductibles: Understand whether the policy has deductibles you must pay before your insurance coverage kicks in and consider whether you can afford the deductible if necessary.
• Limitations and Exclusions: Consider the maximum benefit limits for coverage areas and also understand what isn’t covered by the policy.
• Trip Duration and Destination: Verify whether the policy covers your trip’s entire duration, as some don’t cover long trips. Likewise, make sure your planned destination is covered.
• Value: Compare costs to coverage, terms and conditions, and other policy details to determine which last-minute travel insurance policy offers the most value for your needs.
• What’s Covered: Find out what each policy offers in terms of benefits and ensure your priorities are covered.

You can generally buy travel insurance up to the day before departure . Some insurance companies also offer post-departure travel insurance . It’s generally not too late to buy travel insurance — unless you’ve already run into trouble with travel. 

For example, if there’s a named hurricane heading to your destination or you’re showing signs of illness, it’s too late for you to get covered for hurricane or illness-related travel insurance coverage.

Annual Travel Insurance

If you want to get ahead for your next trip and avoid the drawbacks of last-minute travel insurance, you can purchase an annual travel insurance policy . With an annual travel insurance policy , all of your travel within the specified period is covered — and you don’t have to remember to purchase it early enough to get the best benefits.

Travel insurance generally costs 5% to 10% of your total trip cost . Purchasing at the last minute means you’ll get less coverage for your money because you don’t get the benefit of a lengthy trip cancellation period, but you generally won’t pay any more or less for last-minute travel insurance. However, your options may be more limited, particularly for add-on coverage such as Cancel for Any Reason and preexisting medical conditions.

Credit Cards With Travel Insurance

Panicking because you think your upcoming trip isn’t covered? You might be doing better than you think — if you have the right credit card. Many credit cards offer travel protection benefits; if you’ve paid for travel expenses with that card, you may already have coverage. 

But before you rely on your credit card travel insurance protection benefits, ensure you understand the coverage and any limitations. You may need more coverage than what your credit card provides, in which case it’s probably a good idea to purchase travel insurance — even at the last minute.

Read our guide to the best credit cards with travel insurance to learn more about credit card travel protection benefits.

Planning a trip can be a whirlwind experience but don’t forget to protect your trip with travel insurance — even if it comes down to the last minute. You might not get the same amount of coverage you’d get as you would with a policy purchased earlier, but last-minute travel insurance can offer a safety net while you travel. Compare policies to find last-minute travel insurance coverage that can offer peace of mind and protection.

Check out our guide on the cheapest travel insurance for further reading.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you buy last-minute travel insurance.

You can buy last-minute travel insurance. Often, travel insurance companies offer policies as late as a day before departure. There are also options for post-departure travel insurance.

Can I buy travel insurance and use it immediately?

Immediate travel insurance isn’t quite possible. Travel insurance usually goes into effect the day after you purchase it. You won’t be covered immediately, but it’s pretty close.

Does travel insurance get more expensive closer to the trip?

How late you purchase travel insurance generally won’t significantly influence the cost of your coverage. However, last-minute travel insurance coverage options are usually more limited than travel insurance purchased earlier.

How late is too late for travel insurance?

You can usually purchase travel insurance policies up to the day before departure. Your policy options will significantly decrease if you wait until the day of departure or after departure to purchase your policy. And it’s too late if you want to get covered for circumstances already threatening your travel plans, such as a named hurricane or showing symptoms of illness.

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About Jessica Merritt

A long-time points and miles student, Jessica is the former Personal Finance Managing Editor at U.S. News and World Report and is passionate about helping consumers fund their travels for as little cash as possible.

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Investigations

When judges get free trips to luxury resorts, disclosure is spotty.

Tom Dreisbach

Carrie Johnson

Many federal judges receive free rooms and subsidized travel to luxury resorts for legal conferences. NPR found that dozens of judges did not fully disclose the perks they got. Chelsea Beck for NPR hide caption

Many federal judges receive free rooms and subsidized travel to luxury resorts for legal conferences. NPR found that dozens of judges did not fully disclose the perks they got.

Dozens of federal judges failed to fully disclose free luxury travel to judicial conferences around the world, as required by internal judiciary rules and federal ethics law , an NPR investigation has found. As a result, the public remained in the dark about potential conflicts of interest for some of the United States' top legal officials.

Federal judges — occasionally with family members or even their dog in tow — traveled to luxury resorts in locations as far-flung as London; Palm Beach, Fla.; Bar Harbor, Maine; and the outskirts of Yellowstone National Park for weeklong seminars. The judges received free rooms, free meals and free money toward travel expenses, together worth a few thousand dollars.

Victims of harassment by federal judges often find the judiciary is above the law

At one event, a far-right German politician with a history of racially inflammatory and anti-immigrant statements made a presentation to dozens of judges. At others, judges heard from an advocacy group that uses lawsuits in federal court to change environmental policy, as well as from corporate CEOs in the oil and pharmaceutical industries.

For almost two decades, the federal judiciary has recognized that the combination of apparent luxury and ideological content can present the appearance of undue influence on the courts. In response, the judiciary has required more transparency in the form of public disclosure.

An NPR investigation found that the disclosure systems often fail to give the public timely information about the outside benefits that judges receive and from whom.

As a result, judicial ethics experts say, people with cases before these judges lack important information about a judge's potential biases. That information, if received in time, could be used to request that a judge recuse from a particular case.

"It also matters to the public, even if someone never shows up in a courtroom, to believe in the integrity of our judiciary and to trust in the decisions that are issued by judges," said Renee Knake Jefferson, a professor at the University of Houston Law Center. "Having disclosures of judicial financial interests goes directly to the public having confidence in the outcomes of the decisions — that they are free of any bias or influence."

Many judges defend these events as helpful forums to discuss important issues, and they reject criticism that a stay at a fancy hotel could influence their decisions. Critics call them "junkets" and glorified vacations that reward ideological allies.

Both sides agree that disclosure is needed.

There are two primary ways the public can view information about judicial education events and see which judges attended: One disclosure is filed soon after the event, and the other is submitted much later.

First, within 30 days of an event, judges are required to file a form that details the host of the event and the entities that provided funding, as well as the speakers and topics of discussion. This form, called a " Privately Funded Seminar Disclosure Report ," is posted on every federal court's website.

Second, federal law requires that judges report the reimbursements they received for the events on an annual financial disclosure report. That report also includes information like alternate sources of income (such as a book deal or teaching job) and what stocks a judge might own. Those reports are eventually posted on a centralized online database maintained by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

By closely examining the portion of these events subject to public records laws, NPR identified problems with both systems.

In nearly 40 instances, judges attended events at luxury resorts but failed to properly file a report within 30 days. In fact, the forms were uploaded months or even years late and only after NPR began asking questions.

In 13 cases, NPR found that judges failed to declare the benefits they received on their annual financial disclosure forms.

NPR contacted all those judges for comment.

And in another dozen cases, judges' financial disclosures for 2021 or 2022 were simply unavailable to the public. By all accounts, judges are filing those annual disclosure reports on time. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts bears responsibility for posting those reports online and has acknowledged delays in getting the system up to date.

There is no indication that the judges intentionally withheld information in order to deceive the public. And the office that administers the annual financial disclosure website told NPR that it struggles to work through a backlog of reports, as well as requests for redactions to protect judges' safety, but is making progress.

Ethics experts said delays and omissions in these reports undermine the entire purpose of the transparency rules.

"That information loses most of its value if it's a year and a half later," said Kedric Payne, the senior director of ethics at the nonprofit watchdog Campaign Legal Center. "It's just too distant from the potential conflict of interest."

Regardless of intention, the result is that the public is kept in the dark. And NPR's findings likely represent an undercount of the larger problem.

Events with ideological presentations and a side of luxury

Nonprofits, legal organizations and private universities all host judicial education events around the world. But those groups are generally not subject to public records laws. As a result, their full attendee lists are shielded from public scrutiny.

When it comes to the hosts of these events, George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., is exceptional in two ways.

George Mason University's campus in Fairfax, Va., in 2018. Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images hide caption

George Mason University's campus in Fairfax, Va., in 2018.

For one, GMU — particularly the university's conservative-leaning Law & Economics Center — has long stood out as one of the most prolific hosts of judicial education events. Collectively, hundreds of judges have attended the university's events at luxury resorts over the years. GMU is quick to point out that the events are paid for by private donors. The Law & Economics Center's website lists donors that include major corporations like Amazon, Pfizer, Google and Facebook, as well as the business lobby group the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. According to the New York Times , conservative activist Leonard Leo helped gather $30 million in donations to rename the law school after late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

GMU is a public university in Virginia, which means it is subject to the state's Freedom of Information Act. NPR requested attendee lists for eight of its judicial education events from 2021 to 2023. By comparing attendee lists with the publicly available records, NPR was able to identify dozens of missing disclosures.

That missing information may be relevant to both the public at large and people with cases in front of these judges.

For example, dozens of judges took part in a 2022 event that featured a speaker from the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany) political party. Germany has been rocked by massive protests in recent months over revelations about AfD's ties to right-wing extremism. A regional AfD leader is facing charges in Germany for allegedly using Nazi slogans, which he denies.

Gunnar Beck, a member of the European Parliament and an AfD member, spoke to the group of American federal judges about "European Jurisprudence." Beck has a history of anti-immigrant and racially inflammatory statements.

In 2021 — the year before his presentation to the judges — Beck took multiple photos of Black families, including young children in strollers, and posted them on social media. In one of the posts, he used the photo to criticize what he called the Afrikanisierung (Africanization) of Germany. (This post was deleted after NPR contacted Beck.) In another, Beck wrote that due to immigration, "Germany has no future as an industrial and cultural nation, but it does have a future as a welfare office."

Beck told NPR in an email that "each country and its people have a right to control their border with a view to safeguarding their maintenance of their national culture and identity" and that "I do not think these views are either fascist or racist."

The GMU events have also featured presentations from a nonprofit that says it uses lawsuits to promote a pro-market, as opposed to pro-regulation, approach to environmental policy; the CEO of a U.K.-based pharmaceutical company ; and the CEO of an energy company that is currently suing the federal government over financial regulations.

One recent event included a reading assignment on the "worst decisions ever handed down by the Supreme Court" as defined by conservative and libertarian legal scholars. Roe v. Wade , which established a constitutional right to abortion, was No. 2. Landmark cases establishing rights to same-sex marriage and the use of birth control also appeared among the top 10 "worst" decisions.

Given the power of judges to affect Americans' lives on issues from guns to abortion, the environment and crime, transparency about these events is critical, said Gabe Roth of the nonprofit watchdog group Fix the Court.

"The public has a right to know whether or not its top legal officials have any potential conflicts going into hearing cases," said Roth. "Sometimes they're small bore, but a lot of the times they have major national impact."

The agendas for the GMU events showed that the event programming often ended around noon, followed by a five- or six-hour "study break." In some instances, the agendas leave days completely free.

It's unclear exactly how judges spent that time. But attendees had the opportunity to enjoy the Ritz-Carlton's clay tennis courts, the Alyeska Resort's Nordic Spa or the short walk to Buckingham Palace from the May Fair Hotel in London. The agenda for GMU's 2022 Bar Harbor Colloquium in Maine reserved 90 minutes for a wine tasting .

The Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, Alaska, in 2009. John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images hide caption

The Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, Alaska, in 2009.

A spokesperson for GMU did not respond to NPR's specific questions for this story.

"Topics are selected based on foundational concepts in the economic analysis of law relevant to judges and other areas of interest to the judiciary," wrote Ken Turchi, associate dean of GMU's Antonin Scalia Law School, in an email. "Every judge who attends has the option to complete and submit a disclosure form detailing expenses incurred and reimbursed."

Which judges have disclosure problems?

Problems plagued the paperwork for judges appointed by presidents of both major parties going back decades, including Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

And the judges who failed to fully comply with the disclosure requirements include some notable names.

In this screenshot, Aileen Cannon speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing to be a U.S. district judge for the Southern District of Florida on July 29, 2020. She was appointed to the position later that year. U.S. Senate via AP hide caption

In this screenshot, Aileen Cannon speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing to be a U.S. district judge for the Southern District of Florida on July 29, 2020. She was appointed to the position later that year.

Judge Aileen Cannon of the Southern District of Florida is presiding over former President Donald Trump's criminal trial for allegedly mishandling classified documents. Cannon, herself a Trump appointee, attended two seminars at a luxury resort in Montana, but the privately funded seminar disclosures for both events were not posted online until NPR began making inquiries. Clerk of court Angela Noble told NPR in an email that the absence of the disclosures was due to technical issues and that "Any omissions to the website are completely inadvertent."

Judge Robert Conrad is the director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. U.S. Courts hide caption

Judge Robert Conrad is the current director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, which implements the policies of the federal judiciary. Conrad, who was appointed by George W. Bush to the Western District of North Carolina, attended three privately funded seminars from 2021 to 2023. He later included the events on his annual financial disclosure but did not file a publicly available disclosure for any of those events within the required 30-day time limit. "He inadvertently did not make the additional disclosure in the separate system for private seminar attendance," said Peter Kaplan, a spokesperson for the Administrative Office. "Judge Conrad appreciates your bringing this oversight to his attention."

Judge Leslie Gardner of the Middle District of Georgia, who is the sister of prominent Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, also failed to file a privately funded seminar disclosure on time. Additionally, NPR found that Gardner omitted the reimbursements she received for lodging, meals and travel on her annual financial disclosure. In a phone call to NPR, clerk of court David Bunt said that Gardner, an Obama appointee, was updating her annual financial disclosure and privately funded seminar disclosure, which were incomplete due to an "oversight."

"I don't have really an excuse for it, and I'm going to correct it"

Judges contacted by NPR largely described the issues with their disclosures as the result of an "inadvertent oversight" or an "accident." In a handful of cases, court clerks blamed technical issues with the online system for uploading paperwork. One judge appeared to be unaware of the requirement to file a disclosure report within 30 days. Several judges thanked NPR for contacting them and prompting them to update their disclosure reports.

"It looks like we blew it," said Judge Philip Gutierrez of the Central District of California in a phone call to NPR. Gutierrez failed to file a disclosure within 30 days of attending a judicial seminar at The Breakers, a resort in Palm Beach, Fla., in 2021. "I apologize. It's important. I'm embarrassed."

Gutierrez immediately uploaded the missing disclosure.

Judge Gary Fenner of the Western District of Missouri attended the same GMU 2021 seminar in Palm Beach but failed to file a privately funded seminar disclosure and omitted the event from his annual financial disclosure that year.

"I am really surprised that I did not report that," said Fenner, an appointee of Bill Clinton, in a phone message to NPR. "I'm going to rectify it. I'm embarrassed about the fact that somehow that was overlooked by me. But I don't have really an excuse for it, and I'm going to correct it."

Judge Keith Starrett of the Southern District of Mississippi, a George W. Bush appointee, said he had thought he marked his attendance at GMU's seminar at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa in Colorado in 2021 on his annual financial disclosure. He acknowledged that it was missing from the forms due to an "oversight."

"I'm going to do whatever I need to do to get it right," he said by phone.

In the District Court for the Southern District of Texas, NPR found three judges — Jeffrey Brown, Andrew Edison and Charles Eskridge — who had not filed the required privately funded seminar disclosure forms. After NPR contacted the court, the judges uploaded the forms, and clerk of court Nathan Ochsner said in an email, "At the direction of Chief Judge Randy Crane, my office will routinely remind all [Southern District of Texas] judges of this reporting requirement."

Meanwhile, the delays in getting access to annual financial disclosure reports appear to be the result of the time limits built into the transparency laws, as well as a combination of long processing times for redactions requested by judges and, in some cases, security concerns.

The law requires that judges file their annual financial disclosure reports for the previous year on May 15. Many judges request and receive a 90-day extension, pushing that deadline to mid-August. Judges can then request that the judiciary redact "personal or sensitive information that could directly or indirectly endanger" the judge or the judge's family, but then a committee has to review the request.

"So if you're a judge that asked for a 90-day extension and then, on top of that, you're asking for redactions," said Roth, of Fix the Court, the public release of the annual disclosure is "already well into the following year."

Former federal Judge Jeremy Fogel, who is now the executive director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute, evaluated some of these redaction requests when he served on the judiciary's Committee on Financial Disclosure.

"I don't think that the problem you described is one where the judiciary doesn't want to share the information," said Fogel. "I think the problem is that they have not been able to put the resources in place to get the information online and available to the public in a timely manner."

The Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building in Washington, D.C., houses the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Andrew Harnik/AP hide caption

The Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building in Washington, D.C., houses the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

NPR sent a list of judges to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts and asked why their annual financial disclosures for 2021 or 2022 were still unavailable. Kaplan, the Administrative Office spokesperson, said he "could not comment on specific judges' filings." In general, Kaplan blamed missing disclosures on backlogs in the system and reviews of filings for possible security issues.

"Currently, nearly all filings from 2021 and more than 80% of the filings from 2022 are available on the database," said Kaplan. "We are continuing to cut into the backlog of reports."

An ongoing debate over judges and luxury trips

Even if judges universally filed their disclosure reports on time and if the federal judiciary sped up the release of information, it would likely not end the ongoing debate over judges getting thousands of dollars in free perks, especially at ideologically slanted conferences.

Fogel said that in his time as a judge, he tended to avoid events that might be perceived as ideological.

"I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's unethical," said Fogel. "But I think it's better — it's a best practice — for judges to avoid programs that have a particular philosophical or ideological viewpoint."

Judge Starrett, of the Southern District of Mississippi, has attended five GMU legal events in the last three years and even brought his German shepherd to one of them.

He rejected the idea that his views could be swayed by a certain speaker's agenda or free perks.

"I've been called a liberal judge. I've been called a conservative judge. I've been called a son of a bitch. That comes with the territory," said Starrett. "I pay close attention to speakers that are politically biased one way or another. I listen to them, and I challenge some of them. I ask pointed questions."

Judge Gutierrez, of the Central District of California, has attended three GMU events in the last three years.

"Certainly, I think people have a slant. But for the most part, I found them to be interesting and educational," he said. He added that a group of federal judges will always tend to ask tough questions and get into spirited debates — whether in court or in a legal seminar.

"We want our judges out in the world learning and teaching. And we want our judges to have friendships. We want our judges to be able to travel," said Jefferson, the legal ethics expert at the University of Houston Law Center. "It's the disclosure that matters."

Nick McMillan and Hilary Fung contributed reporting and visuals, with graphic editing by Alyson Hurt. This story was edited by Barrie Hardymon with research by Barbara Van Woerkom. Photo editing by Emily Bogle.

• Leonard Leo
• Aileen Cannon
• Federal Courts
• George Mason University
• federal judges
• financial disclosure

Business travel survives the Zoom era, as leaders jump back on flights

It turns out that jet-setting on the company dime has eternal appeal. Business trips can conjure up images of fancy first-class tickets to major cities or staying at a Hilton in a small town about 20 minutes from the airport. Either way, it seems that the pandemic didn’t kill the corporate travel bug.

The brakes on business trips were first pulled when COVID-19 hit, as lockdowns and international travel restrictions were implemented. Zoom took off while planes stalled, as the video-conferencing company went from 10 million daily meeting participants in December 2019 to 300 million a few months later in April 2020.

As the lockdown lifted, some itched to vacation again (surging to the point that the term “revenge travel” was coined), but corporate travel was slow to get its feet off the ground. Its sluggish return made some question if business trips were at the end of an era. Perhaps Zoom and remote work meant that there was no longer a need to leave the house, much less the country, to really connect with others. 

“Businesses aren’t going to support nonessential travel if the work being proposed can be done virtually,” Brian Bloom, Korn Ferry’s vice president of global benefits and mobility operations, said in 2021 . And while bosses were looking to cut costs by eliminating travel, workers weren’t looking to risk their health either. In 2021, only one-quarter of those over 55 were comfortable traveling for work even after being vaccinated, according to an IBM survey of 15,000 global participants.

But years later, it seems as if corporate demand hasn’t died off, it just was dozing off for a bit. And the airlines confirmed as much. Alaska Air reported a return to pre-pandemic levels of business travel, as sales for corporate accounts soared by 22% in the first quarter. Delta and United each reported 14% increases in first-quarter revenue, with a United executive noting that the company notched nine of its top 10 corporate booking days in its history this year. That’s coming off of the rebound in 2023 , as air travel rose to 94% of 2019 levels, according to the International Air Transport Association.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that business travel isn’t still going through growing pains . A 2023 report from Deloitte found that while recovery is occurring, the trend “likely faces a limited upside” in part due to the cost of flying and sustainability mandates. 

Still, the return of corporate travel is occurring in the background of a years-long campaign to go back to pre-pandemic ways of work, as big names in tech and finance push for a fully in-person week. One of the major talking points for those that suggested back to office work was that it would create better connections , a similar talking point that crops up when it comes to the merits of traveling to meet with clients in-person. 

It seems as if the mindset is slowly gaining traction, as a 2023 study from Global Business Travel Association projected spending on business travel will surpass pre-pandemic levels of $1.4 trillion this year and balloon to nearly $1.8 trillion by 2027. After Omicron and other surges, global business travel began to find its footing again in 2022, according to the trade group.

“The headwinds that were anticipated to impact the rebound of global business travel over the past year didn’t materialize and that is good news,” Suzanne Neufang, Global Business Travel Associate’s CEO said in a statement last year to Fortune’s Chris Morris. “This latest forecast now indicates an accelerated return to pre-pandemic spending levels sooner than anticipated as well as growth ahead in the coming years.”

As the ever-looming recession remains unannounced and executives continue to extol the benefits of in-person work, the company card has started to thaw. It appears as if the floodgates, or air gates, are beginning to open up again.

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Kenya Railways Resumes Commuter Services on Select Routes

T he Kenya Railways has announced the resumption of commuter train services on select routes following a temporary suspension due to heavy rains.

In a statement made on Monday, May 6, Kenya Railways announced the resumption of service in four routes.

“We are pleased to inform the public that commuter train services will resume Tuesday, 7th of May 2024, on the following routes,” reads the statement.

The routes on which the train has resumed services include Embakasi Village, Lukenya, SGR Link, and Syokimau, with the exception of Limuru and Ruiru routes which remain suspended for ongoing repair works.

This decision came after the corporation halted services on several routes due to safety concerns arising from the heavy rain the caused heavy flooding.

The corporation emphasized that the restoration of services is subject to change based on weather conditions and safety considerations, urging the public to remain patient and understanding during this period of transition.

“Commuter train services are subject to change at short notice, depending on weather conditions and other safety considerations.”

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“We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to restore normalcy,” further read the notice.

In addition,  Kenya Railways reaffirmed their commitment to passenger safety despite the disruptions caused by the heavy rains.

“The safety of our customers remains our top priority,” noted the corporation.

Kenya Railways Suspends Commuters Services

Kenya Railways in a statement on April 24 announced the suspension of commuter tarin services citing safety concerns amidst the relentless heavy rains affecting the country.

The corporation said the rains pounding different parts of the city had affected its railway lines and as a precautionary measure had decided to suspend services temporarily.

Also Read:   Kenya Railways Announces Suspension of Train Services

“We wish to notify members of the public that commuter train services have been temporarily suspended due to the ongoing heavy rains that have affected the rail lines,” read the statement in part.

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Tram and rail passengers face a week of disruption as strikes get underway

• rail strikes
• Monday 6 May 2024 at 9:20am

Rail and tram passengers face a week of disruption because of strikes which will lead to some parts of the country having no trains on days of industrial action.

Members of the train drivers’ union Aslef at 16 operators will launch a six-day ban on overtime on Monday, which is expected to cause short-notice cancellations.

They will also stage three, one-day strikes across different operators between May 7 and 9, as part of a long running dispute over pay.

Passengers are being urged to check before they travel, with services that do run on strike days starting later and finishing earlier than usual.

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No talks have been held between the union and train operators for more than a year, and for longer involving the government.

The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train operators, wrote to Aslef last week suggesting informal talks which could result in more formal negotiations.

A spokesman for the RDG said the rail industry is "working hard to keep trains running" but "it is likely that services on some lines will be affected on the evening before and morning after each strike between May 7 and May 9" as trains will not be in the right depots to start services the following day.

“We can only apologise to our customers for this wholly unnecessary strike action called by the Aslef leadership which will sadly disrupt journeys once again.

“It will also inflict further damage on an industry that is receiving up to an additional £54 million a week in taxpayer cash to keep services running, following the Covid downturn.”

Train drivers will strike on the following days:

Tuesday May 7: c2c, Greater Anglia, GTR’s Great Northern, Thameslink and Southern (including Gatwick Express), Southeastern, and South Western Railway;

Wednesday May 8: Avanti West Coast, London Northwestern Railway, Chiltern, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, GWR, and West Midlands Trains;

Thursday May 9: LNER, Northern, and TransPennine Express.

Aslef said its members have not had a pay rise for five years and has accused the government of “giving up” trying to resolve the dispute.

Meanwhile, engineers on the Croydon Tramlink will strike from 8pm on Sunday to 6am on Thursday in a separate pay dispute.

Unite said its members are paid up to £10,000 a year less than similarly qualified workers on London Underground.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said it is "outrageous" that Transport for London "somehow thinks it is acceptable to be systemically underpaying highly skilled workers who are essential to keep the tram system functioning.”

Department for Transport spokesperson said: “The Transport Secretary and Rail Minister have already facilitated a pay offer that would take train drivers’ average salaries up to £65,000 – almost twice the UK average salary. “Aslef are the only union left striking after the government oversaw deals with all the other unions. “Instead of causing passengers disruption, they should put this offer to their members and work with industry to end this dispute.”

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