Peter Greenberg: Last-Minute Trips

By: Peter Greenberg | Source: AARP.org | 2008-07-22

We are retired and able to travel at the last minute. What are the best sites for us to look for travel options?  
–Donna, McComb, Miss.

A number of sites offer last-minute deals and would be appropriate for you. With last-minute sites, it often pays to check around as much as possible for the widest range of deals and prices.

Among the sites you might check are the following:

www.lastminutetravel.com
www.lastminute.com
www.11thhourvacations.com

A number of major travel sites also offer last-minute deals for steep discounts, including the following:

Travelocity: http://travelocity.lmdeals.com/
Smarter Travel: http://www.smartertravel.com/last-minute/
Travelzoo: http://last-minute.travelzoo.com/

Some sites, such as Priceline and Hotwire, also offer last-minute deals, but these sites are considered “opaque”—meaning that you won't know which hotel you're signing up for until you've paid for the reservation. Therefore, they're not necessarily recommended unless you're very flexible as travelers.