booking holiday last minute? How cheap does it get?

[Piddypigeon]

I haven't been on holiday with the DC but I promised to take them somewhere this year. They are absolutely desperate to go somewhere in the sun.

I have a teeny tiny budget only (max 1.5k for the three of us, DC are teenagers if that makes a price difference) and couldn't find anything now for the Summer.

Is booking last minute an option to get something really cheap in the school hols? I am thinking of booking a week of annual leave and then try to find something at short notice for very little money?

Both have disabilities, and camping is out of question. We need a hotel.

How about these Check out this package deal I found on Expedia: https://expe.app.link/ywjdGYBvZJb

Check out Aparthotel Bahía on the Expedia app. https://expe.app.link/g8hGRbYvZJb

https://www.teletextholidays.co.uk/serp?searchId=0d270c65-335e-49c8-9c57-4d50b6f22ff3&searchParams=%257B%2522destination%2522%253A%257B%2522parent%2522%253A%257B%2522countryName%2522%253A%2522Turkey%2522%252C%2522slug%2522%253A%2522turkey%2522%257D%252C%2522provinceName%2522%253A%2522Antalya%2522%252C%2522slug%2522%253A%2522antalya%2522%252C%2522airportCodes%2522%253A%255B%257B%2522airportCode%2522%253A%2522AYT%2522%257D%255D%252C%2522displayName%2522%253A%2522Antalya%252C%2520Turkey%2522%252C%2522hotelKey%2522%253A0%257D%252C%2522departureAirports%2522%253A%255B%257B%2522id%2522%253A%252221%2522%252C%2522airportCode%2522%253A%2522LCY%2522%252C%2522airportName%2522%253A%2522London%2520City%2522%252C%2522isGroup%2522%253Afalse%257D%252C%257B%2522id%2522%253A%252241%2522%252C%2522airportCode%2522%253A%2522LGW%2522%252C%2522airportName%2522%253A%2522London%2520Gatwick%2520%2522%252C%2522isGroup%2522%253Afalse%257D%252C%257B%2522id%2522%253A%252242%2522%252C%2522airportCode%2522%253A%2522LHR%2522%252C%2522airportName%2522%253A%2522London%2520Heathrow%2520%2522%252C%2522isGroup%2522%253Afalse%257D%252C%257B%2522id%2522%253A%252223%2522%252C%2522airportCode%2522%253A%2522LTN%2522%252C%2522airportName%2522%253A%2522London%2520Luton%2522%252C%2522isGroup%2522%253Afalse%257D%252C%257B%2522id%2522%253A%252233%2522%252C%2522airportCode%2522%253A%2522STN%2522%252C%2522airportName%2522%253A%2522London%2520Stansted%2520%2522%252C%2522isGroup%2522%253Afalse%257D%252C%257B%2522id%2522%253A%252251%2522%252C%2522airportCode%2522%253A%2522SEN%2522%252C%2522airportName%2522%253A%2522London%2520Southend%2520%2522%252C%2522isGroup%2522%253Afalse%257D%252C%257B%2522id%2522%253A%252250%2522%252C%2522airportCode%2522%253A%2522BRS%2522%252C%2522airportName%2522%253A%2522Bristol%2522%252C%2522isGroup%2522%253Afalse%257D%252C%257B%2522id%2522%253A%252252%2522%252C%2522airportCode%2522%253A%2522BOH%2522%252C%2522airportName%2522%253A%2522Bournemouth%2522%252C%2522isGroup%2522%253Afalse%257D%252C%257B%2522id%2522%253A%252248%2522%252C%2522airportCode%2522%253A%2522CWL%2522%252C%2522airportName%2522%253A%2522Cardiff%2522%252C%2522isGroup%2522%253Afalse%257D%252C%257B%2522id%2522%253A%252253%2522%252C%2522airportCode%2522%253A%2522EXT%2522%252C%2522airportName%2522%253A%2522Exeter%2522%252C%2522isGroup%2522%253Afalse%257D%252C%257B%2522id%2522%253A%252249%2522%252C%2522airportCode%2522%253A%2522SOU%2522%252C%2522airportName%2522%253A%2522Southampton%2522%252C%2522isGroup%2522%253Afalse%257D%255D%252C%2522departureDate%2522%253A%25222024-08-11T23%253A00%253A00.000Z%2522%252C%2522howLong%2522%253A7%252C%2522guest_rooms%2522%253A%255B%257B%2522adults%2522%253A1%252C%2522children%2522%253A2%252C%2522childAges%2522%253A%255B12%252C12%255D%257D%255D%252C%2522isDatesFlexible%2522%253A3%252C%2522returnDate%2522%253A%25222024-08-18T23%253A00%253A00.000Z%2522%252C%2522preferredHotelkey%2522%253A0%257D

Though this is for an adult and 2 x 12 year olds as the scrolling wasn't working too make the 'kids older.

Dh and my first holiday together was via Teletext.

£99 each (school holidays too)
Flew a couple of weeks later.
All we knew was it was Halkidiki, room only or B&B
Was hotel/room allocation in arrival.

I remember going to Greece in those allocation in arrival holidays a few times when dh and I were young. Usually found via Teletext or Ceefax, and then a telephone call later.

Very much cheap and cheerful but we had great fun!

I’ve found a week in Marcia Ibis leaving from Manchester on the 31st July for £606 on love holidays.

• Murcia

There's quite a lot on Jet 2 flying from your airports if you're happy to self cater.

These would all be very worth a look .

Jet2 will give you a check in bag allowance whereas the cheap deals with LoveHolidays and OnTheBeach are often with Ryanair and only use a rucksack allowance . Also they are proper packages with their own airline so less risk of things going wrong .

Is £1500 the total spend, e.g. including food, spending money. Or is that just for flights and accommodation?

I've never seen them get really cheap closer especially in school hols.

I find that they only seem to go one way so I try to book by end of Jan to get the best deals. I've left it later in the past and ended up over paying compared to prior years and that was outside school hols.

A search on loveholidays for any destination, north west airport any time in August for less than £500pp all inclusive shows 73 holidays. Mostly 3 star rated on trip advisor, but a few 4 star + rated across Antalya, Morocco, Costa Brava and Bulgaria.

I wouldn’t bother trying last minute though as I don’t think the deals are every that good nowadays.

Have a look on Skyscanner. Search for anywhere for the whole of august and see what cheap flights come up. (There are some flights to Barcelona in August for around £30 each way for example.). Then look for accommodation. Would Airbnb be an option? I think you'd struggle for a package deal at that price but we usually.manage to find somewhere for £1.5-2.k in the holidays as a family of four.by doing it this way.

I'm not sure cheap.last.minute hols are as much of a thing anymore.

Try LuckyTrip App

I follow holiday pirates on Facebook and they do come up with some good deals. You don’t book through them it will be through whoever the travel website is. They just find and post deals

Have a look on love holidays. This is flying from liverpool

We’ve done a week all inclusive in Ibiza for £600 a head - ask about single parent discounts and be prepared for funny flight times x

I quite liked benidorm. You've not said what your dc needs are, but it's very flat and pedestrian friendly. It seemed to be very accommodating of disabled people, cheap food, nice beach and plenty of cheap hotels.

It's possible, but you need to hold your nerve to the last minute to get the cheapest price and it's always a chance that there simply won't be any availability. Needing a room for 3 doesn't help.

But last year my dd got a weeks cruise in the med including flights for £410 each 36 hours before they flew!

Tui release secret deals on Tuesdays but you need to sign up for them. There's a few self catering options close to budget so 8 weeks out when they release the deal it might be ok

In your position, I’d get the cheapest Ryanair flights you can find - often Italy/Sicily or Zadar in Croatia is cheap, then find a hotel separately.

Sign up to travelscoop, they publish a weekly email with absolute bargains

I'd look at Bulgaria

Last min deals are no more sadly,

look for flights and hotels for tomorrow/next week and there is nothing cheap around!

You can get deals on the cusp of the 6 week before departure.

The large Tour Operators will have many hotels that are ‘guaranteed units’.
In essence this means they’ll have contracted with that hotel/apartment and have guaranteed to the hotel they will fill those rooms (usually a large amount of rooms in the hotel), so much so that they will have paid the hotel for those rooms in advance (in most cases hotels are paid after the event by Tour Operators). Now as time passes and those guaranteed rooms aren’t sold, they will look to shift them by selling them cheaper (better they get some money rather than have paid for rooms in advance they can’t sell to their customers). Once it hits 6 weeks before departure, the ‘release period’ ends, so those rooms are now out of guarantee and are released back to the hotel so they can sell them.

Sorry, this was a bit long winded.

Turkey has a lot of unsold rooms this year, as does Rhodes (people remember the fires from last summer).

Easyjet Holidays are also cheaper than Tui and Jet2 for package holidays at present.

We just come back from Spain and dropped off there, it looked alright!

Albania is cheap. I have no idea about the flights as I don't live in the UK.