Do last-minute holiday deals still exist (summer hols)?

[origamiwarrior]

It's been ages (15 years +) since I have looked at the last-minute holiday market that I don't even know if deals still exist!

Thinking of booking the first week of the summer hols off work, and then booking last-minute (maybe a week before) on a package to somewhere hot (quite flexible about the details) for me, DH and DS.

Are we likely to find anything?

You will but the price will be comparable or even more, depending on flights, than if you book it now.

Hmm. That's what I feared....

I guess when I previously travelled I wasn't looking in school hols.

Is that the only time you can go?

We've been to Mallorca in very late August before, which is usually still hot in the Med/Canaries etc and it must have been cheap/non school holiday prices because we wouldn't have gone otherwise.

Depending on when DS goes back to school, you could stray into September and if you are in the north of England, have a look at flying from a Scottish airport (jet2holidays fly from Glasgow and often have good value packages) as Scottish schools go back in mid August.

My DC are older now but years of school holiday travel on package hols taught me that the most popular and most expensive week is the first week after they break up and the cheapest is the last week of August.
Book now and you will get to choose where you go and get extras like transfers thrown in.
Last minute bookings are usually rubbish flights and the hotel nobody else wanted to book, plus they charge extra for transfers and sometimes luggage..

The first week of August is a ridiculously expensive time to do anything - I'd lay bets it may be the most expensive week of the entire year.

As others say the very end of the holidays is generally significantly cheaper.

I think last minute can work as long as a) you're not going in school holidays, and b) there's only one of you...

Unless you don't mind all being on different flights etc!

I rent out holiday apartments and the last week of July/first week of August, I could book out 20 times over. Demand is particularly high now in resorts and countries perceived to be 'safe'

Deals for school hols don't really exist and certainly not the first week of school hols. my travel agent friend always tells me that the last minute deals on holidays are the ones no one else wants and you have to ask why.

you say you don't mind where you go, does that mean countries perceived as not safe as well? honestly would not leave it unless you have very deep pockets.

At the moment holidays are not cheap since a number of the package tour destinations are off limits for lots of people. Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia in particular. As such you have more people looking at what they perceive to be "safer" destinations and so the prices remain high.

I'd echo that if you're looking for it to be slightly less expensive/with more options available then the last week of August is the time to go.

We live in Scotland and as DS goes to private school we have scarily long summer holidays with no holiday club available for the last week so we often go away then and there seems to be reasonable availability for most things.

Don't know about last minute - I've got all our hols booked up to October already .

We tried last year, I kept an eye on flights prices throughout the year and they went up after the kids had broken up. I was even still looking the day before we wanted to go and still nothing came down in price.

In the end we got a deal on a holiday park in the uk.

I don't think there are many deals to be had these days.

Generally nowadays you'll find accommodation last minute but not flights

Prices do vary somewhat - I find that about 8 weeks before you want to go is as late as you want to leave it for 'last minute' bookings.

We also go for end Aug/beginning Sept, which seems to be a little cheaper than earlier in the summer.