Tips for traveling and booking at the last minute

Traveling at the last minute can be a whirlwind experience, often leaving you feeling like you're in a high-stakes adventure. While the rush and spontaneity can't be entirely eliminated, these tips can help you navigate the chaos and maintain your sanity.

Tip No. 1: Put it in the hands of a trusted travel professional

The fact is, travel pros work for you. They work within the parameters you give them. If you have a budget, tell them. If you’re looking for something spur-of-the-moment, they’re the ones always paying attention, so they have recommendations handy.

If you want to leave the country in a couple of days, you really don’t have the time to sift through sites and offers looking for the best one. Let them do it.

Also Read: What to Look for in a Luxury Trip

Tip No. 2: Put it all in the hands of AI

Ask your favorite AI chatbot for recommendations for last-minute travel sites and it will deliver, much better than if you ask it for specific last-minute deals, which may take it outside the range of its training data.

Remember that garbage-in/garbage-out applies totally to AI suggestions, so be very specific about what you’re looking for.

Even if you eventually use some other resource, going to AI gives you the lay of the land, so if something weird happens later on the red flags can go up.

Tip No. 3: Be travel-ready

Instead of packing up everything, conduct an inventory and make sure you have these at hand:

• An up-to-date passport
• Medical records
• Chargers and plugs
• Copies of prescriptions
• Luggage and a travel backpack
• Rainwear and travel-ready shoes
• Packing cubes

Having the basics squared away will help you throw them together at the appropriate time. Oh, and it’s not enough to have these things: You have to know where they are, too.

Also Read: Our packing lists for all kinds of trips

Tip No. 4: Be flexible

Chances are you’re not going to get the one-hour-layover flight to your top hotel pick at your first-choice destination. Let the deals dictate your destination.

Where can I go that has a one-hour layover and a nice place to stay? Maybe you wind up in Estonia instead of Germany. Okay; lots of people speak German there, and Tallinn is cool.

The point is that the more adventurous you are, and the more willing you are to go where the deals are, the more of the world you’ll see, and the better stories you’ll have to tell.

Also read: Try the Slow Travel Trend

Tip No. 5: Have a backup plan.

Along those same lines, if plan A falls through actually have a plan B.

It doesn’t have to be in the same part of the world. Plan A could be Singapore and Plan B could be Morocco. What’s important is to have some idea of where you might look if your first choice is unavailable.

This applies to components of your trip as well as destinations, so …

• Airlines
• Airports
• Accommodations
• Activities
• Art museums

And we haven’t even gotten out of the A’s yet.

Years of traveling have taught us that travel is unpredictable. The more you can mitigate that unpredictability, the better able you’ll be able to plan last-minute travel.

Also Read: 25 Safety Tips for Solo Travelers

Tip No. 7: Buy travel protection

Travel protection is great for last-minute travel. For one thing, it’s there for the buying. You can buy travel insurance with assistance services from Generali Global Assistance anytime up to 24 hours before departure.

(It’s best to buy as soon as you make your final trip payment, as that may qualify you for pre-existing-condition coverage and other enhancements.)

Last-minute travel is fraught enough without having to worry about mishaps ruining it. Travel protection can help give you the peace of mind you need in breakneck travel situations.

Fortunately, getting a quote and buying a plan is fast and easy.

That’s the last piece of the puzzle. With you prepped and ready you can face the specter of last-minute travel.

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