Last-Minute Getaway
Don’t Be Shy to Negotiate
When looking for deals on places to stay, go to sites like HomeAway, Kid & Coe or even Booking.com. When you find a place that you like, don't be afraid to negotiate with the owners. Rentals sit unused all the time. It's worth the owner's time to work with your budget, since they would otherwise make zilch. Focus on asking for lower nightly rates and keep in mind that things like housekeeping might not be negotiable since the owner has to pay the cleaning crew after your visit either way. Tell them what you can afford and see what the owners come back with.
Image via Kid and Coe
Take Advantage of Unsold Rooms
If you're looking to stay in a hotel, download the Hotel Tonight app. It will let you know which hotels have availability and how much the rooms are going for. Always remember that, just like rental properties, hotels don't want unsold rooms. When in doubt, call the hotel to see what sort of discount they can give you. Priceline's Name Your Price tool can also get you a cheap rate, if you are willing to take your chances on exactly which hotel you will be staying in. Keep in mind that Priceline's Name Your Price rooms are for double occupancy and your family of four might wind up with just one king bed. (If this happens, call the hotel immediately and see if they'll put you in a room with two beds instead.)
Roomer is another resource to check out, which will allow you to buy someone else's nonrefundable hotel reservation when they need to cancel their trip.
Last-Minute Flights
Last-minute flights can be tricky, but they aren't unheard of. Airlines don't like to fly with empty seats. Go to SkyScanner to see where you can get to on your budget. Also, the new app SkyPicker will find the cheapest route to wherever you want to go—even if it is on multiple airlines. Switching carriers mid-trip may add to your travel time and increase connections, but at least you can stay on budget.
Another pro tip: Sign up for newsletters from your favorite budget airline, which will guarantee you first word of their latest deals, suggest Katherine and Tom Temple, travel bloggers and co-creators of The Travelators.
Look for Glitch Fares
A "glitch fare" happens when the airline accidentally publishes the wrong fare, but will still honor it. Sign up for The Flight Deal's Daily Deals—a daily email that rounds up glitch fares along with other bargain flights—so that you can sweep it up as soon as possible. In addition to glitch fares, keep "flash sales" on your radar as well. Jet Blue, for example, offers flash sales for as low as $20 each way to certain destinations.
Travel by Night
If you can travel when people would rather be sleeping, chances are you're going to find a much better deal. And that deal will probably be sweeter if you can fly out on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, note The Travelators. Even with kids in tow, you can turn an early-morning 4 a.m. flight into an adventurous pajama party. As a bonus, being the first flight out generally means less chance of delays, too.
That said, don't forget to look into bus or train options too, which often offer discounted fares for kids. Amtrak, for example, offers free rides for children under the age of 2 and half-price fares for children between the ages of 2 and 12. Greyhound buses also offer a 20 percent discount for children under 12.
Think Beyond the Hot Spots
When you want to do a last-minute trip on a budget, any "hot spot" shouldn't be on your list. Instead, get creative in your research and look for places just beyond where you might want to travel, suggest The Travelators. For instance, consider spots like New Mexico, Idaho or Montana for skiing instead of the popular Rocky Mountain ski resorts. For an incredible budget-friendly beach vacation, set your sights on Central America or Colombia instead of the Caribbean; and for a charming European vacation, consider Estonia, Lithuania or Latvia over London and Paris.
