Have you ever had that irresistible urge to drop everything and drive, fly or sail off into the sunset? Well, you’re not alone.
According to a Travel Industry Association poll, 64 percent of leisure travelers plan at least one of their getaways within two weeks of taking the trip. Vacation suppliers are now offering substantial savings to travelers willing to drop everything and leave at a moment’s notice.
Non-risk takers may be skittish about not having concrete travel plans well in advance. “I’m not a fan of traveling on a whim, as I like a bit of certainty in my life,” said John Frenaye, owner of Travels with Fred, an Annapolis-based agency. “But with the volatility in airfares and gas prices, combined with the economy, you may be able to score a bargain at the last minute.”
Destinations for spur-of-the-moment deals are all over the map.
“The big movers this year have been New Orleans and national parks such as the Grand Canyon and Bryce,” said Lauren Volcheff, director of marketing of Travel Holdings Inc., the parent company of Lastminutetravel.com. “Cancun is also up this year, and Cocoa Beach has overtaken Fort Lauderdale as the top destination in Florida.”
Online travel shoppers can reap the benefits of the multitude of Web sites dedicated to impromptu excursions. “Travelers are getting smarter about how they make purchases,” said Greg Samson, general manager of Lowfares.com. “Savvy shoppers can easily compare multiple travel options by searching the right sites.”
Savings on packaged vacations can be considerable. “Just the other day, I received a special from Apple Vacations for $799 per person for three nights at the Iberostar Dominicana, a five-star resort in the Dominican Republic,” said Frenaye. “It’s an all-inclusive rate that has airfare from Baltimore and would normally be priced at over $1,000.”
Experts advise to be flexible in order to reap the most savings. “Resolve with yourself that you may not get the room you want, the resort you want or even the destination you want,” Frenaye said. “But to be honest, you may even end up with a much better experience.”
