Last-minute travel

It’s easy to take a last-minute break these days, thanks to budget airline tickets and online booking facilities. To help you get the best deals, see our guide below, including details on Direct Line’s great value Travel Insurance to make sure you don’t leave home without essential cover.

Where to go

This is largely up to your budget, your schedule and your taste. Budget airlines have made it easier to hop on a plane at the last minute from a range of cities in the UK, making destinations in Europe especially attractive as last-minute options. More exotic locations such as Morocco now fall into this category too, with cheap flights there taking only three hours. Direct flights to popular cities such as New York have also seen better deals in recent years, making last-minute weekend breaks possible here too. If you want more of a last-minute holiday than a quick break, the Internet now offers thousands of deals where you can pick up flights, accommodation or a package in an instant, and be off the next day. This is especially true for package deals and charter flights offered out of season.

When to go

Tourist destinations do have their peak seasons, so look out for deals that fall out of these times.

Happy hunting grounds include:

• Mediterranean - May, June and later September
• European cities - January
• Ski resorts - March
• Long distance
  (Asia, South America, Australia etc) - Check for ‘winter’ seasons, but be prepared for monsoons

When to book

Even if you book within a week of departure you will find plenty of choice for holidays, especially if you are searching online. Keeping your options open – searching for any European city as opposed to just Paris, for example – should give you access to more deals and is especially good if you are really on a budget and just need a break. If you’re after a bargain on a long-distance flight, then last-minute can still be okay, but do be aware that flights for peak times (Easter, Christmas and other holidays) sell out quickly and tend to get more expensive, not cheaper, nearer to flight time.

Avoiding the last resort

Remember, if you make a late booking, the chances are that you are choosing from holidays that no one else wants at the time. This doesn’t matter so much with transport, where seats in the same class are generally of the same type. But with accommodation you may quite literally be getting the last resort and possibly a holiday from hell. So, before you book make sure you really do your homework – get lots of images and find references if you can. In general, ‘allocated on arrival’ can often end in tears, as you can’t even check up on what you might get. A package deal you find online that names a trustworthy tour operator is often a safer option. Larger, more luxury hotels also come with a good reputation, even for cheaper rooms, and these often offer the best off-peak accommodation deals compared to privately owned properties.

Don’t forget your health

If you make a later booking to a long-distance location you also need to consider if you are fully prepared to leave immediately and travel safely. Many far-off countries require you to have immunisation jabs, especially if you will be going off the beaten track or are travelling in the rainy season – and often these jabs must be done a few weeks before departure. For more health information on specific countries, visit www.who.int/ith/countries/en/. For trips in Europe you should hold a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) – to take advantage of the free healthcare it offers while abroad, apply online at www.ehic.org.uk. You should also make sure your Direct Line Travel Insurance is up to date and covers you for the countries you will be travelling to. The policy covers medical emergencies overseas up to £5m per person.

Essential Travel Insurance

Just because you’re going last minute doesn’t mean you should go without travel insurance. Direct Line offers a range of great value Travel Insurance including Single Trip Travel Insurance, Annual Travel Insurance and Discoverer (which is designed for longer trips over 91 days), covering medical, theft, cancellation and curtailment situations, and emergencies. You can find out more about each type of cover in our Summary of Travel Cover or Travel Insurance Policy Documents online. Our Single Trip insurance covers you for 90 days’ travel if you are aged less than 60 years of age (if you are over 60 years of age, the maximum trip duration is 42 days). But Annual Travel Insurance is particularly good for those aged less than 75 years old who want to go on a trip at the last minute as it covers you for a total of 120 days a year, with a maximum of 42 days per trip. That means you could almost have a long weekend break every week of the year!

Don’t do last minute without cover. For Direct Line Travel Insurance in an instant, apply for a quote now.