One of the smartest ways to save cost on your travel is by booking early. But most of the time, you end up not making your booking ahead of the trip. Here, Africa’s largest online travel company, Wakanow, outlines some of the smartest ways to find cheap last-minute travel deals this season.
Go for unattractive flight hours
Except you are willing to spend an arm and a leg, booking last-minute flights is not the right time to be picky. For best deals, opt for flying at odd hours – definitely not mid-day flights. Most people don’t fly this time, and that means less demand, and cheaper deals for you too. Essentially, you’ll need to be flexible with time, number of stop-overs and brand names.
Use your reward points
Have you been flying all year or booking travel with online agents? Have you been using the same hotel during the year? Now is the time to make your loyalty pay off. Most of these online travel sites offer amazing reward points for every booking on their platform that you can use to pay for your next booking. So, this is when to flaunt your loyalty card and get reduced fares.
Explore ‘last-minute deals’ offers
Most travel agents offer ‘last-minute deals’ section where you can find cool deals to selected destinations. If you are looking to spend less on your eleventh hour booking this Christmas, reach your travel agent for these seasonal promos.
Sign up for travel newsletters
Most of us detest those creepy mails dropping in our inbox every now and then. But signing up for newsletters by your travel agents or airlines is a good idea, and it offers you first-hand information on great promos, flash sales, discount offers, etc.
Got air-miles? Use them
If you are a frequent flyer and have gathered some air-miles overtime, now is perhaps the best time to use them. Even though your air miles may not be able to offset the total cost of your fare, it will go a long way in helping you save big on cash.
Travel solo
Looking for a cheap flight deal when traveling in group can be very tough. Last-minute cheap flights don’t come so easily. Instead, opt for a solo trip. For group travel, it’s best to go for packaged vacations since they are more likely to be discounted last-minute than booking a flight alone.
