Ever since I was a kid, travel has always been a huge part of my life yet in 2017 I haven’t been able to do much traveling since all my focus was on moving to Dallas. Of course moving to a new city means tons of exploring but lately I’ve been craving a quiet getaway near the water and decided to book a last minute vacation to Palm Beach (in February!) which has been on my travel list for years . This was my first time booking a trip last minute so I thought I’d share some tips for anyone who’s feeling adventurous and wants to go on vacation soon!
C H O O S E Y O U R D E S T I N A T I O N W I S E L Y
Depending on the time of year, some destinations will be difficult to go to so make sure to choose your destination wisely and when in doubt, choose places that are close to home which will most likely be cheaper to travel to. Palm Beach is only a three hour plane ride away from Dallas and not many people are going there in February so it was easy finding flights and hotels this time of year.
_____
B E F L E X I B L E
If you’re willing to be flexible then you can save tons of money! Some ways to be flexible is with your travel dates (flying/staying in hotels on weekdays is significantly cheaper than weekends!) and staying in budget-friendly chain hotels such as the Holiday Inn which has tons of rooms compared to places like boutique hotels (I know it’s not the most Instagram-worthy but I’ve always had good experiences and you’re going to be exploring the city anyways!) or an Airbnb.
_____
D O Y O U R R E S E A R C H
Normally I always plan my trips at least 3-4 months in advance in order to get the best deals and save money on flights and hotels. Yet when it comes to spontaneous travel, the whole thing can get quite expensive if you’re not careful. I always like to search multiple websites (99% of the time I always book through Expedia but I always check sites like Hotels.com and Google Flights just in case!) and here’s a pro-tip: try to search late at night on a weekday or on a Tuesday afternoon which I’ve found to be great times to get a good deal. Another way to save money is to try and book your flight and hotel separately instead of a package which some people say can be cheaper. Personally I haven’t used this method and always preferred booking through one website in order to avoid complications but it doesn’t hurt to try!
_____
S E T A B U D G E T
I’ll admit, when I go on vacation I never have a daily budget and instead just save up a bunch of money that was intended for the vacation beforehand and well, spend it lol. Yet when it comes to going on a last minute trip, I like to play it safe and make sure I don’t go overboard with the spending and create a daily budget for food, attractions, transporation, shopping, etc.
Hope these tips helped! Anyone planning any vacations right now? I’d love to know!
