What is included in the hot package. What is a last minute tour

30.03.2020

Every person knows how magically he is attracted to the words: “discount”, “sale”, “promotion”, and they are so deeply rooted in our everyday vocabulary and our everyday life. A similar equivalent can be found everywhere, including in promotions carried out by travel agencies that offer tour packages at discounted prices due to the fact that they are on sale or on sale early booking. Thus, calling on potential tourists to buy a vacation tour from them and also save money. Is this really so? Myth or reality - last minute tours?

The concept of “last minute tours” first appeared in tourist market in the crisis year of 2008, when tour operators bought hotel rooms in advance and reserved seats on planes for future tourists, only tourists, due to the economic situation in Russia, showed up for travel packages. After all, as we all remember, that crisis struck abruptly and unexpectedly. As a result, it turned out that people decided to save money on vacation. And tour operators had to make emergency decisions to try to save at least a small part of the money invested. They encouraged people to buy “last minute tours,” that is, vacation packages at a discount. That crisis is over, and the concept of “last minute tours” has taken root in the Russian tourism market. And there are so many advertisements for such tours that sometimes it seems that for “two kopecks” you can fly on vacation to anywhere in the world, you just have to look at travel agency websites more often. Somehow this is mythical and unrealistic, so do last-minute tours exist or is this fiction? Let's figure out what can be hidden under the concept of “last minute tour” and why it can “burn”.

In general, the main cost of a tour package is the price of round-trip air tickets and hotel accommodation. Thus, a tour may become last minute due to the fact that there is little time left before departure for a vacation, and the tour operator has unsold tickets for a charter flight; - there are a large number of unsold places reserved at the hotel, which the tour operator bought in advance; - the reserved hotel has many available rooms, and the hotel adjusts prices downwards. It turns out that a “last minute tour” is an ordinary tour, but with discounts provided by the tour operator or the hotel itself, and possibly both. It is not realistic that somewhere “through connections” they will sell you a last-minute tour, since all these tours are available on the tour operator’s website, just like regular tours. A last minute tour can be bought at any travel agency, but in one it may turn out to be cheaper with the same parameters than in another. Ask why: the fact is that every travel agency has an agent discount that it can give to a particular client. That is, one travel agency may charge you more and, accordingly, the tour will cost you less. Therefore, before purchasing any tour, always inquire about the discount that the agency can give you, especially when it comes to regular customers, which are already available in client base travel agencies. Another subtype of a last-minute tour - a canceled tour - is when someone refuses for one reason or another the purchased tour. This is rare, but it happens.

Myth or reality: last minute tour for the days of the planned vacation, which will be in two or three months? Of course, this is a myth, because not a single respectable tour operator has information about last-minute tours that may appear in a couple of months or in six months. After all, a travel agency manager cannot know about the demand for a hotel in a particular country, which will be after some time, or about the percentage of occupancy of passenger seats in a given country. charter flights one or another vacation destination, as well as the future pricing policy of the tour operator or hotel.

A real last minute tour is when there is very little time left before departure, but no more than two weeks. If you are planning a vacation in a country where you need a Schengen visa, and you have one, it will certainly be profitable for you to buy a last-minute tour there, then you can really win in price: from thirty to seventy percent of the estimated price of the tour - everything will depend on How close is the departure date? After all, the tour operator understands that such a tour has a real possibility of remaining unsold and thus causing losses. Therefore, in the last three to four days before departure, the tour operator sells the tour even at a price below its cost. If you are free and can fly out any day, then wait for the tour price to drop. If you are strictly limited in the departure date, then we do not recommend that you rely on a last-minute tour, since no one can know whether a last-minute tour on the date you need will be available or everything will be sold out, and you will be left with nothing. This is one of the disadvantages of last-minute tours.

But there are also a number of negative aspects associated with them. Firstly, when buying a last-minute tour, you do not independently choose the country or hotel you need, but make a choice from what the tour operator has already offered you. It’s good if what you are offered matches your expectations, which is not always the case. As for hotels, it is worth remembering that popular hotels with good ratings are usually booked in advance. Secondly, last-minute tours have a very limited geography; last-minute tours are often offered to countries with visas, and if you don’t have this visa, then you will not always have enough time to apply for it. Thirdly, it very often happens that a person decides to buy a last-minute tour, even has already paid for it, but the hotel reservation was not confirmed to him, or this hotel all places have already been filled, that is, the tour operator will return your money, offer to reconsider your vacation destination or country, departure date, etc. This happens especially often when a last-minute tour is purchased three days before departure. Some hotels confirm your reservation within two or three days, so it’s worth asking yourself: do you need to wait on pins and needles and be disappointed at the last moment? Fourthly, when purchasing a last-minute tour a few days before departure, you may not have time to obtain travel insurance, which is usually issued ten days before departure. And if you refuse a last-minute tour, your costs for canceling this tour will be one hundred percent. Fifthly, by waiting for the final dates before departure and the maximum reduction in prices for last-minute tours, you can outsmart yourself and end up losing: tour operators most often reduce the cost of tours ten to fifteen days before departure, when their competitors still have many similar options tours, but by the final departure date, other operators have run out of offers and seats on the plane, which means competition disappears, but there is still tourist demand, then prices for tours increase sharply. That is, it is not always profitable to wait and delay the purchase of a last-minute tour. Buy a last minute holiday tour to beach country in summer - a myth! During the season, tours are actively sold out, the occupancy of hotels and planes is almost one hundred percent, with rare exceptions. Therefore, hoping for a last-minute tour in August for a vacation to the sea, you can be left without rest.

Many tourists are led by the stories of their friends who purchased a last-minute tour at a ridiculous price. They then go to the same travel agency and ask to see a tour with the same parameters, but they tell you a higher price. Why does this happen? The fact is that buying a last minute tour for the same date and to the same hotel at the same resort is a low probability. Since the tour is on fire, most likely the hotel has the last seats and you will be offered something next door, but at a different price, or on a neighboring departure date, but this will also cost more. And it often happens that tourists put off purchasing a New Year and Christmas holiday until the end, hoping that by some miracle a last-minute tour will appear, and as a result they celebrate the holiday at home. Because last minute tours are on New Year can not be! The occupancy of hotels and flights to popular destinations during this period is full and prices for tours at this time rise sharply, as they are raised both in hotels and airlines. Another common situation is when tourists wait for a reduction in the price of a last-minute tour, but due to a jump in the dollar and euro, the price not only does not decrease, but also increases. Therefore, sometimes it is better to think not about a last-minute tour, which often turns out to be a myth rather than a reality, but about an early booking promotion, which is much more reliable.

It doesn’t matter what kind of tour you buy: regular, last minute - do it only from travel agencies and tour operators that inspire your trust and have good rating reliability. Of course, it doesn’t always happen here in Russia as we plan; basically, this can be afforded by European tourists who know and are confident exactly what the situation with finances and politics will be like in a month or a year.

Sun, sea, beach... how wonderful it is! Especially if you managed to save a lot on your trip! My first “last minute” purchase was very spontaneous and exciting. And since the ticket was purchased 1.5 days before departure, I received the documents on the way to the airport. This made me very worried. I was very lucky, the travel agency was responsible and everything was fine! :) But, unfortunately, this does not always happen.

"Last minute tour" - what is it

In simple words,"Last minute tour" is travel voucher , which, closer to the departure date, risks remaining unsold, which means causing a loss to the tour operator. And in order to minimize their losses, tour operators are ready to sell such tours, just to at least recoup their costs on them, and sometimes at a loss. But very often the phrase “Last minute tour” is used as marketing ploy, and under these tours they sell an ordinary tour at the average market price. After all, it is not always possible to meet a real “Last Minute Tour”.
When usuallyThere are “Last minute tours”:

at the beginning/end tourist season;
in the off-season.

When there are no:

at the height of the season;

during holidays (New Year's, May, etc.), vacations (July - August).

Of course, there are exceptions. Special offers also appear during the season, but this is rather rare.

What to consider when purchasing a Last Minute Tour

The issue of saving is sometimes beyond common sense for us. And yet, I advise you to think carefully about everything before purchasing such a tour. risks. After all, you must admit, it’s better to fly away on vacation for a little more money than not fly anywhere at all...
The main disadvantages of last-minute tours:

Lack of confidence that a special offer will appear for the period you need. This is especially dangerous if the vacation period is strictly regulated.
There is a possibility of checking into another hotel. I had to face this situation. Part of our group was accommodated in another hotel; we were lucky that it turned out to be even better than planned! But often the opposite is true.
It is better to purchase last-minute tours to visa countries with a valid visa, otherwise there is a risk of not having time to complete it.
Lack of travel insurance(for registration you need at least 10 days before departure). Risk of losing high cost trips to insured event.
Danger of running into scammers. The most unpleasant of risks, but often encountered.

Therefore, if you decide to purchase a Last Minute Tour, weigh all the pros and cons. Give preference to a trusted tour operator and try to understand why such a special offer appeared. And the possibility of relaxing in a 5* hotel for the price of 3* always exists! The main thing is to believe in it! ;)

In Soviet times, good workers received vouchers to sanatoriums from trade unions. And when a hard worker for some reason refused a ticket, and even at the last moment, they said that it was “on fire.” The expression “last minute trip” has taken hold and migrated to the modern tourism industry.

Nowadays last-minute tickets are those that are sold a few days before departure and at very low prices. There are especially many such offers during the low season. For beach tours- this is early spring and late autumn, and for skiers - summer.

Due to the reduction in charter traffic, there are not many last-minute tours now. Tour operators try to make commitments in accordance with forecast demand. The hottest offers are at the beginning of the season, when demand is lower and charter flights have already begun.

Veniamin Bondarev

Where do last minute deals come from?

Before the start of the tourist season, tour operators buy or book air tickets and hotel rooms in advance. The formed tours are sold by travel agencies. But it is impossible to predict exactly how many tickets will be sold.

When they talk about a last-minute trip, they usually mean a trip that has a very close departure date. In this regard, it needs to be sold urgently. The price goes down because you need to fill the remaining space on the plane and hotel and earn at least something.

In order not to lose the money spent on bookings, tour operators and travel agencies have to sell tours almost at cost. Yes, they will not receive the planned dividends, but they will not remain in the red.

For a tourist, this option is beneficial if he is willing to take risks and wait until the last minute for the sake of a low price or, for example, if free time for the trip appeared suddenly.

Ilya Otkalo

According to Ilya Otkalo, the law does not have the concept of a “last minute tour,” so by and large, a “last minute tour” is just a marketing ploy so that a tourist can highlight offers whose price is lower than the market price. At the same time, by selling cheap tours, travel agencies receive grateful, loyal customers.

Another reason why a trip becomes last minute is the cancellation of already purchased tours. For example, a person was planning a vacation, booked a trip in advance, but literally a week before departure he got sick and canceled the trip. To prevent seats on the plane and hotel rooms from becoming empty, travel agencies reduce the cost of travel packages and try to resell them quickly.

Finally, sometimes last-minute tours appear on the market due to force majeure events in the host country. If the political situation in a country has worsened or a natural disaster has occurred, the demand for tours to this country drops sharply. Tourists can only be lured by a significant reduction in prices so that the desire to save money prevails over safety considerations.

Features of last minute travel packages

Trip to visa-free countries It usually becomes hot 2–5 days before departure, and for countries where a visa is required to travel - 7–10 days. This means that time is running out for everything. In just a couple of days you need to pay for the tour and arrange everything Required documents and pack your things.
You need to be prepared for “low-season” service. On the one hand, there will be few tourists around, which is a plus for many. But on the other hand, there is also less entertainment and attention from the staff. Don't be surprised if many shops and restaurants are closed and the hotel guide only offers a couple of excursions.
Travel agencies do not book last-minute travel packages without full payment from the client. If, when purchasing a regular tour, you first pay part of the amount, and give the remaining money later, receiving tickets and a voucher, then in the case of a last-minute tour, you will have to pay it immediately and in full. This money is not refundable.

Thus, a last-minute ticket is an excellent solution for a person who is easy-going but has limited funds. This kind of tour is suitable for you if you don’t care (as long as there is sea, mountains...), and you can adjust your vacation to the trip (and not vice versa).

But you shouldn’t agree to the first “hot” offer you come across. Not every trip that is called last minute is such.

How to find out a real last minute ticket

When the soul and heart require rest, it is difficult to remain calm when faced with sentences that begin with the words “Super promotion!” or “The most low prices season."

But a tempting price tag does not guarantee that this is a really last-minute ticket. Perhaps the price did not fall, but simply became normal. Travel agencies sometimes deliberately inflate the cost of tours in order to later attract customers with discounts. In order not to become a victim of the “attraction of unprecedented generosity,” study the prices on the market and find out how much the package of services offered to you costs in other companies without any discounts.

Many travel agencies, in order to stimulate sales, can pass off regular tours as last-minute tours. They simply take tours with the lowest price and present them as last minute.

Ilya Otkalo

Also, the most ordinary tours with very, very cheap hotels are sometimes disguised as last-minute tours. For example, it could be a hotel that has just opened and has not yet earned a reputation, or a hotel located far from the sea.

Be sure to look at TopHotels.ru or TripAdvisor.ru and find out what kind of hotel they offer you.

You may not be satisfied with the level of comfort, even if the tour is completely free.

You can recognize pseudo-hot tours by other indirect signs.

Accommodation prices in expensive hotels, belonging to some large network, are usually stable and do not decrease depending on the tourist season. If you are offered inexpensive trip When you check into such a hotel, there is a high probability that the travel agency has cut the package of services somewhere and is disguising the tour as a last minute one.
During national holidays, vacations and vacations, there are very few last-minute offers. If you manage to snag a ticket that was turned down, you're in luck. If a travel agency offers a large assortment of last-minute tours during peak season, be careful.
Visit some large-scale foreign event, for example a cool one music Festival or a sports tournament, it’s almost impossible on a last-minute ticket. Flights and hotels for these dates are booked many months in advance. And you should be very careful if a travel agency suddenly makes a “tasty” offer.

You are really offered a last minute tour if:
- less than two weeks left before departure (the closer the departure, the lower the price);
- This is a charter flight;
- accommodation is offered not in a city hotel, but in a popular beach hotel, where tour operators book blocks of places.

Veniamin Bondarev

What you need to pay attention to when buying a last minute ticket

Package of services

In this regard, a last-minute ticket should be no different from one booked in advance. Flight, transfer, meals, accommodation, insurance, excursions - everything is as in a regular tour to a given country given time. If you are offered a reduced package of services, then, most likely, they are trying to disguise the trip as a last-minute one.

You need to understand that a last-minute offer may be last-minute because no one simply bought it in advance. The hotel may be lousy, the flight may be inconvenient, the food may be unsatisfactory. Therefore, carefully study the contract and the composition of the offer and, of course, look at the reviews about the proposed hotel.

Ilya Otkalo

Be sure to ask about the reason for reducing the cost of the tour. And in general, do not hesitate to ask the travel agent questions - time is short, and it is better to immediately clarify all unclear points.

Advice: read the contract carefully. Pay attention to the legal details of the tour operator and travel agency, information about the license to carry out tourism activities, dates of flights, check-in and check-out. Study the conditions for changing and terminating the agreement, as well as the procedure for filing claims.

Travel agency reputation

Almost all travel companies offer last minute deals. After all, they all enter into contracts with large tour operators and use their databases. But not all travel agencies fulfill their duties conscientiously, and some sometimes openly cheat.

In order to find out whether the price is really reduced, you can compare tours for upcoming dates using online tour search engines.

Veniamin Bondarev

To buy a cheap last minute tour, and not just cheap tour with disgusting conditions, contact trusted companies that have been working on the market for a long time. It is best to choose an agency whose services you or your friends have already used. It is also worth looking for reviews on travel forums.

Advice: if you have any doubts, check the tour operator according to the Unified Federal Register of Tour Operators, and the travel agency according to the register of travel agencies.

Visa

Last minute tours are usually tours to popular tourist destinations. This is because a ticket receives last minute status 7–10 days before departure. It is difficult to obtain a visa during this time.

Yes, travel agencies usually have already established work with consulates. But difficulties with documents can always arise: the wrong certificate, the application form filled out incorrectly, and so on. And then the client will be denied a visa, he will not fly anywhere and his money will simply be burned.

Advice: To fly to Europe on a last-minute trip, apply for a Schengen visa in advance yourself.

A last minute tour is a trip purchased by a tour operator, and on approaching departure dates there is a risk of not being sold. In order to recover its costs for the tour, the tour operator reduces its cost. Sometimes this can be a price almost at the cost of the tour. The factor by which the voucher “burns” is the approaching date, as well as a large number of unsold seats on a plane or hotel. Last minute tours also depend on the beginning or end of the season in the country of departure. Therefore, last-minute tours in all directions throughout the year are impossible.

What are the pros and cons of purchasing a last minute tour?

The advantage of purchasing a last-minute tour is that you can really get interesting vacation at a lower price than buying it as usual. Discounts on last-minute tours can be 30-50%, and sometimes reach 70%. Of course, such prices may seem dubious to some, but it is worth remembering that in this case the tour operator is trying to avoid losses from an unsold tour, and not to deceive the tourist with tempting words.

The disadvantages of buying a last-minute tour can only appear if you have entrusted your vacation to an unscrupulous tour operator or travel agency. In such cases, upon arrival in your holiday destination, you may be accommodated in another hotel, albeit of the same category; offer a cheaper room because others are occupied; It turns out that you have to walk a kilometer to the beach, or you won’t be able to fly out on vacation at all, and your expenses won’t be reimbursed. All this can be avoided by buying a last minute trip from trusted tour operators and agencies.

When do tours happen, and how to “catch” them?

How to understand whether a tour is really “last minute” or just beautiful name to attract attention? To choose the right one, you should know about which destinations and at what time there may be last-minute tours. You won’t be able to catch a last-minute tour in a month during your vacation; such tours are unlikely to really “burn.” Typically, such offers appear 1-7 days before departure. Therefore, it is worth considering the time of year of your vacation and the direction in which you want to fly, because such offers may simply not be available.

You shouldn’t count on last-minute tours to popular destinations for the New Year or May holidays, such tours may not exist due to the large number of tourists wanting to fly to warm countries. For example, in winter there may be no tours to the UAE and Thailand - many want to escape the melancholy winter under the warm sun. But in the middle and end of September, fly to the Emirates by favorable price Maybe. The season is just beginning, the intense summer heat is already subsiding, but the sea is warm and the flow of tourists is not yet so great. In Egypt in May, winds blow and sandstorms arise, and if this does not bother you, then it is quite possible to purchase a last-minute tour at this time. In the summer you can fly to Thailand cheaply, as many people don’t like the fact that the rainy season begins there at this time. However, the showers at this time, although heavy, are short-lived, and mainly at night.

In general, we can say that you should catch a last minute tour based on the time of year and the destinations that tour operators can offer. Most often they appear in the off-season.

What should you consider when choosing a last minute tour?

When choosing a last-minute tour, it is worth tracking the average cost of the hotel it offers. After all, you can buy a last-minute tour at a low price, but to a bad hotel.
Conduct an advanced search for all tour operators among last-minute tours, then you can choose the most profitable option.
Consider seasonality different directions and look for last-minute tours in the off-season.

Trust your vacation only to trusted tour operators and travel agencies, this will allow you to avoid deception and misunderstandings regarding flights and hotels. Always check the number of days and features of the offer.

You can see what last-minute tours we offer now. Have a comfortable trip!

Probably everyone has heard about the existence of some kind of “last minute tours/vacations”, although as statistics show, not everyone understands what they really are. This article will try to shed light on last-minute travel deals. What are they, what are their benefits and differences from other types of tours - all this and various nuances will be discussed in this article.

Those who have already set out to purchase a tour in one direction or another have probably come across last-minute tours (a trip and a tour are interchangeable and equivalent concepts), and were able to notice that they cost much less than regular ones. Many had the feeling that there might be some kind of catch here.

Is it possible to have a normal rest on a last minute package?

This is indeed possible, provided that, under the guise of a last-minute tour, the travel agency did not simply sell a low-quality one. If there was no catch, then you can relax relatively cheaply even in a not very prestigious resort.

Most often, our mentality is a hindrance here. Most tourists bypass cheap offers simply because in our understanding, cheap must necessarily be bad, “and in general, I don’t go to resorts every day.” As a result, people miss out on great deals.

True, in Lately the situation has begun to change for the better, and some now go traveling exclusively on last-minute tours.

Why last minute tour is profitable

There are many reasons that can be listed. But it's better to start with evidence. As such, you can bring tourists from Europe, the USA and some other regions, where they know what quality service is. People from these countries have been going on vacation on last-minute packages for a long time and do not complain about their “second-class” quality.

Thanks to this, they can invest more money in recreation and entertainment once they arrive. So, having decided to buy a last-minute tour, a tourist can visit restaurants more often, order more excursions, and much more for the same money.

To understand how this is possible, you need to figure out where last-minute deals come from, and why they are suddenly both good and cheap. To do this, you will have to delve a little into the work of a tour operator.

Even before the start of the tourist season, the tour operator begins to prepare ready-made tours to any destination. Naturally, he wants to get the maximum amount of profit, so everything that can be booked is booked as early as possible. Thus, the cost of the tour is reduced to the minimum possible, and even with a minimum markup, the tour operator will remain in the black.

Naturally, a tour operator cannot predict in advance what the demand for tours in the chosen destination will be. If the company is small, then it can prepare an insufficient number of vouchers, but large tour operators They usually prefer to prepare more than they need because it is more profitable.

In addition, when a company not only books tickets, hotel rooms and everything included, but does it in large quantities, it receives additional discounts, which allows it to further reduce the cost of the tour. After that, all that remains is to sell all the vouchers and make a profit. But, if everything were so simple, then no last-minute tours would exist in nature.

However, many factors influence how tours will be purchased. It can be:

weather changes;

financial fluctuations;

political events, etc.

In addition, it often happens that a client of a travel company bought a tour, but then for some reason (for example, illness or family reasons) was forced to cancel it. In this case, he gets back most of cost, and the tour itself is put up for re-sale, this time at a reduced price.

However, this example refers rather to the type of last-minute tours that are commonly called “cancelled” tours. Actually, a last minute tour is simply a tour that was not sold before the reservation deadline.

The fact is that any reservation is valid only until a certain period, and if the tour remains unclaimed, the reservation will be burned, and the hotel, the airline company, and all other organizations with which the travel agency cooperated will consider that the travel agency has used the reservation. As a result, the latter will be at a loss.

To prevent this from happening, the company begins to reduce the price of the trip to a minimum when the day begins to loom on the horizon when the entire reservation may “burn out.” This is where the tradition of calling such tours last minute came from. That is, in fact, this is the most ordinary tour, which differs only in that its expiration date will soon expire.

Simply put, last minute deals are a side effect of the inability to accurately predict demand for something. tourist destination. In addition, vouchers may have different levels of service and maintenance. In one year, 5-star hotels will be in demand, and in another, 3-star hotels.

Accordingly, in the second case, a large number of last-minute tours may appear on the market, offering 5-star accommodation at a price that will be even lower than in the case of a 3-star service, but for a regular (non-last minute) tour. Now it becomes clear why Europeans focus specifically on burning products.

When the tour gets hot

Since for tour operators, hope is also the last to die, the price reset and transfer of the tour to last-minute status occurs only at the very last date. If the tour involves traveling to a country that does not require a visa, it will become available 1–5 days before departure.

In the case of countries that are allowed only by visa, the trip may become last minute a little earlier, sometimes even 10 days in advance.

How much can you save on a last minute tour?

Here a lot depends on what the markup on the ticket was. The time remaining before departure also plays a big role. Because the tour operator does not immediately reduce the cost to cost, then the closer the departure day is, the lower the price of the last-minute tour will be. If a tour is purchased a couple of days before departure, its cost may drop by more than half.

Dangers and disadvantages of last-minute travel packages

Actually, such tours do not have any dangers. Young, inexperienced and small travel agencies that do not have an established reputation in this market may be a source of concern. Since they have nothing much to lose, and the desire to “go up” is usually off the charts, some of them (let’s say right away, not all) simply collect packages of very low quality, the cost of which is simply minimal.

Then they add a markup and sell them under the guise of a last-minute tour. If a tourist does not pay attention to the details, he may pay inadequately high price for a frankly third-rate vacation.

To prevent this from happening, it is advisable to use the services of those companies that have been on the market for a long time and have a good reputation. In this case, the likelihood of such a scam is almost zero.

Alternatively, you can simply check all components of the tour. Now there are enough services on the Internet where real tourists leave real reviews about a specific hotel, tour operator, carrier company and everything related.

It will also be useful to compare the cost of the tour with the price of a similar tour from other tour operators. This can bring good results even in the case where there is no deception, simply due to the fact that another company can offer the same trip cheaper.

As for the disadvantages that are not related to fraud, the only noticeable disadvantage of last-minute travel packages is the rush. The tourist will have to collect everything necessary as soon as possible in order to be on time for departure. True, this is not a problem for everyone - there are those who see a kind of romance in this, and are generally easy-going.

The difficulty lies in the fact that planning such a trip is almost impossible. You can only select a certain period of time during which you will be looking for a ticket, but no more.

Experienced travelers say that you shouldn’t even plan a destination, since you can always come across a very profitable trip to a country that you haven’t even thought about. For this reason, last minute deals are not very suitable for people with busy schedules, parents with small children, very elderly people, etc.

In addition, when planning to travel on a last-minute trip, you need to realistically assess the situation. For example, during the holiday season, and even on holidays, the likelihood that you will be able to find such a tour is almost zero.

You need to be realistic about your ability to quickly collect everything you need. Particular attention should be paid not to things, but to documents. In the case of countries where entry is only possible with a visa, it is advisable to take care of opening it in advance, otherwise the tourist may simply not have time to apply for it before the day of departure.

It is also worth noting that such tours are not sold on credit. This is because speed is important here, and it is not possible to waste time on obtaining a loan. So you need to make sure you have enough cash.

What is important to know:

Always check the weather and epidemiological conditions in the country where the last minute tour is being sold. Perhaps there was a hurricane, or a malaria epidemic. Both of these can cause a sharp decrease in demand, and, accordingly, an increase in the number of last-minute trips.

When and where

As mentioned above, go to the height of beach season to Egypt or Turkey is unlikely, since the demand for such destinations at such times is very high. It's a completely different matter during the low season, when the likelihood of finding a last-minute tour increases sharply.

The situation is somewhat different with European countries, which require a Schengen visa to visit. Here, in order to save money, you just need to book a trip right away, which can “remove” about a third of its cost (provided that it is booked a couple of months in advance).

The only exceptions are Mediterranean countries, such as Italy, Greece, Spain or Cyprus, where last-minute trips are sold quite often, although not as intensively as to Turkey or Thailand.

In most cases, last-minute deals involve beach holiday at popular resorts. Simply put, we can’t expect such a tour to Norway or Iceland in the foreseeable future.

Most often, such vouchers appear in the off-season. This period will be different for each country. For example, for Egypt the off-season falls in February, and for Turkey - in April and the second half of May. Therefore, such questions need to be clarified in advance.

It is also necessary to take into account that certain regions of the country may be practically inaccessible. For example, there are almost no last-minute deals on Samui, while there are more than enough of them on Phuket.

Last minute trip or reservation: which is more profitable?

Here, a lot depends on when and for what period the reservation will be made. If you book in advance, the cost of the tour can be reduced by 1/5. If a summer tour is booked six months before departure, its price may drop by about 40%. It's very great importance has a travel agency

Last minute trips provide an opportunity to save a large amount, but they have their disadvantages, which were mentioned above. The advantage of booking is the ability to accurately select the time, date, duration of stay, etc.

In addition, you won’t have to rush, and the choice of destinations will be much wider. And tourists will not be limited to the low season or off-season. The downside of booking is the inability to accurately predict the future six months in advance. The tourist does not know how things will be in his homeland, and what the situation will be in the country where he intends to go. Although the latter can be partially compensated by an insurance policy against travel cancellation.

Again, it’s worth taking into account your own needs: if you just want to visit a certain country, you can buy a last-minute tour. If your plans include a beach holiday or watching humpback whales, then you need to make a choice in favor of booking.