Recently my parents and I had to make last minute travel plans to Illinois . While we all wish that last minute travel is for fun reasons, more often than not, they are made due to a death in the family or the medical emergency of a loved one.
For our particular trip, we had three adults, two dogs and two days to figure out how to get to Illinois. My parents had more flexibility in their work schedules and with two miniature schnauzers, we decided to drive.
With less paid time off to work with, I, personally, chose to fly. In total, we needed a last-minute rental car, a last-minute cheap discount airfare bargain airlines tickets flight from Orlando to Quincy, Illinois and a pet-friendly hotel in which to stay.
1. Ticket Prices . Booking a flight at the last minute means it will likely cost more, so be prepared to spend extra. cheap discount airfare bargain airlines tickets If you frequent a particular airline, cheap discount airfare bargain airlines tickets their prices may not be reasonable at the last minute. Booking travel through search engines, often times, leads to less expensive flights. For this trip, I used AAA.com , as it gave the best rates of several airlines.
2. Longer Flight Schedules . Most people prefer to travel with as few layovers as possible. Unfortunately, many direct flights will already be booked, and last-minute travelers are more likely to have layovers to reach their destination.
Be prepared to travel for a longer cheap discount airfare bargain airlines tickets period of time with layovers or with more layovers than you re accustomed to. You can get where you re going although, many times it just might not be the most direct or shortest way. Here flexibility is the key.
4. Puddle Jumpers. In case you find a puddle jumper as part of your flight itinerary, think when you pack. These are small, weight-conscious flights. If you know you are going to be on one, pack as light as you can.
Ladies, realize cheap discount airfare bargain airlines tickets on these flights your purses will be weighed. And yes, you will be asked how much you weigh especially if there is a larger group of people taking the puddle jumper. cheap discount airfare bargain airlines tickets Heavy suitcases run the risk of being left behind to follow by some other means in order to take all the passengers on the plane.
If time permits, renting a car is another means of last minute travel. This is also a good means of last minute travel for those taking pets. For this trip, my parents needed to leave Central Florida and be in Quincy before I arrived by plane Wednesday morning, and they had two dogs with them.
1. Heading out of state? If you are, call the car rental company first. Not every company will allow for out-of-state travel without prior knowledge of it. Keep in mind that most car rentals are made by those wanting temporary transportation at their destination. There could be a fee involved or other requirements to rent a car which will be taken out-of-state.
2. Call Before cheap discount airfare bargain airlines tickets Reserving. Depending on how last minute your car rental is, you might want to call to make sure they have a car available in the class you want to rent. While car rental agencies cheap discount airfare bargain airlines tickets have been known to upgrade rentals for free if the reserved car class is unavailable, confirming that what you want is already there and waiting when you go to pick it up will give you peace of mind and one less thing to worry about.
Many people travel with their pets and, often, last-minute travel with pets isn t unusual. Some take their pets with them no matter what. But taking pets on a last-minute trip means finding a place to stay that accepts pets at the last minute also.
2. Do Some Quick Research. One hotel might initially seem perfect, but your yellow lab can t stay there because they only allow small dogs. Do some research cheap discount airfare bargain airlines tickets about pet-friendly hotels. Start by listing each hotel that allows pets, then inquire about fees and restrictions. Look at room rates in combination with any fees for the hotels that will accept pets of your furry friend s size.
Recently I worked on the 14th edition of AAA s PetBook . I never imagined I d need such a resource so soon after its publication, but I will admit that it saved us some time since it already listed the hotels that accepted pets and some information about their restrictions. This made the search for a hotel quicker and easier.
3. Call to Confirm. Before booking a room at a pet-friendly hotel, call to be certain of the details of any restrictions. For example, if housekeeping services have restrictions cheap discount airfare bargain airlines tickets for rooms with pets, find out for certain what those restrictions are, as you may need to bring a crate for your pet.
Last minute traveling can be tough to plan. There s a whirlwind of things to consider when to leave, how to get there, what to pack, where to stay. It is possible to plan a bit and eliminate the classic movie scene of standing at the ticketing counter, suitcase in hand, trying to figure out how to get to your destination. Once you know you need to travel at the last minute, immediately begin looking at your travel options.
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