Last-Minute USA, Caribbean, and Mexico Travel Deals - Feb. 2012

Look for alternatives when booking a vacation and do a little comparison shopping (Compare Here) as prices for the same trip can fluctuate up to 50% depending on what travel source you decide to use. Smart consumers always read the fine print so be sure to do your homework and research the sites carefully before booking your travel.

Wal-Travel also recommends using TripAdvisor.com where you can read all reviews from real travellers like yourself before commiting to a deal of a lifetime. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true… it just might be! Make sure you read all the details and find out if the costs advertised includes all the taxes and service charges.

Also consider using online reservation wizards like Hotwire.com where you aren’t told exactly what hotel you’ve booked with until you’ve paid. This protects the higher end hotels from advertising the lower rates than what their own corporate sites advertise. Once you book and pay, all the required information will be forwarded to you and everything is guaranteed. This can save you quite a bit of money because now you aren’t paying the big brand prices.

TIP: If you’re not sure what hotel you are about to book when booking with Hotwire.com and you want to get a better idea of which one it is, simply read the hotel amenities and description and you can usually pin point what hotel it is when you do a google search of hotels in the area.

If a little bit of extra time is on your side, you can also save money on connecting flights as they could be a lot cheaper than flying to your desired destination directly without any stops. But keep in mind that you also run a greater risk of flight delays.

Also check out meta-search engines like TravelGrove, Kayak.com as they search and compare all the online rates for you. There are also other individual travel sites (Orbitz.com, Travelocity.com, Cheaptickets.com etc.) that offer their own deals of the week as they negotiate these specials fares with flight providers. Don’t forget to use your frequent travelers points (if you have one) as if you don’t use it, you run the risk of losing it.