Many people believe that the best travel deals are only available three weeks or more in advance, but surprisingly, there are good bargains to be had for those who are patient. This article contains a number of helpful tips, which will show you how to find those last minute deals.

When packing, make sure you split up your valuables. If you are packing multiple bags for a trip, spread your more expensive items out between them. Always avoid putting all your valuables in one bag in case this bag is lost or stolen. Losing only one bag is still terrible but might not ruin your trip.

Pay attention to hidden fees when booking airline travel. It is becoming commonplace to charge fees for checked baggage, especially overweight baggage. In addition, airlines now charge fees for checking in at the terminal instead of online, and may even charge extra to select a more coveted seat on the airplane, such as exit row seating.

If you are traveling to an area where the tap water tastes strange to you, try using the hotel ice machines to get your water. The ice machines make use of water filters, so the quality is better but you don’t have to cover the expense of bottled water. This can be used for your coffee maker in the room as well as other drinks.

Bring a bag-of-fun for your kids. Make sure to have enough supplies to keep your kids entertained for the duration of the flight. There’s nothing worse than an, “Are we there yet,” ten minutes into a three-hour flight. Card games, special coloring books, and puzzles work well and, if you can afford one, pick up a portable video player. The hours of entertainment value are well worth the cost.

A great tip to keep in mind when you’re looking to book airline tickets, is to compare airline rates online. By comparing airline rates online, you can find the cheapest deal available, and save yourself a lot of money.

First thing to do when you get into your hotel room is to check the alarm clock. The worst thing that could happen is to be startled by an alarm clock when you’re fast asleep that a previous guest had set to early. In order to get the most rest, turn the alarm off or set it for the time you actually want to be awake.

For a stress-free vacation, make sure people can get in touch with you. Take your cell phone with you and keep it charged. Bring your laptop with you if you know you will have an internet connection where you are staying. In case of emergency, people can let you know what is going on and you won’t have any bad surprises when you come back.

As was stated in the beginning of this article, finding last minute travel deals is rather easy if you are patient. If you know the right place to search for deals, then you might get something much better than if you had booked early. Apply the advice from this article and you’ll be on your way to scoring a great deal on travel.

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