Planning a budget vacation doesn’t exactly conjure images of “last minute” in the same sentence. But, rest assured, it is possible to plan a last-minute budget vacation although, typically, a vacation takes weeks or months ahead to plan. Sure this has its perks and allows for a lot of thinking, but there’s something amazing about just deciding to go somewhere. When it comes to planning a list minute vacation, the key word is “flexible”. That’s because you don’t want to spend too much on this.

We are known to just decide sometimes mid-week that we want to go somewhere over the weekend or take a day trip. These short escapes allow us to break the routine and do something fun, while not spending too much money.

1. Make sure you have a budget

Start with a general, total budget. Then you can drill down by category: transportation, accommodation, food and activities. Generally speaking, transportation and accommodation take up most of the budget.

>>read more about how to travel on a strict budget

2. Choose a destination near-by

Unless you can snatch a very cheap flight, your next option is to look for a place where you can get easily either by public transportation or by car. Set a radius. You don’t want to travel for longer than 5 hours, for example.

Don’t settle for the first idea you come up with. Choose at least three options and then start evaluating the cost versus the things you can do.

And don’t forget to check out the last minute vacations. Who knows what might come up.

3. Long weekend, at most

The last-minute budget vacations are best suited for weekend travel. Maybe you can find a way to take a long weekend. I prefer Friday to Sunday, as opposed to Saturday to Monday, but this depends on what you like to do and where you want to go.

If you are lucky enough to be able to take days off during the week, you can easily plan a mid-week escape, which typically means fewer crowds and cheaper places to stay at.

4. Consider camping

If you travel during warm months, camping is a great option. It is affordable and fun.

Thankfully, online accommodation booking sites list campings!

Planning to go camping and don’t know what to pack? Here’s a list of useful camping gear!

5. Stay with friends or family

Remember those friends of yours who you haven’t visited in a while? Time to plan that trip.

6. Free things to do

One of the best ways to save on your last minute vacation budget is to look for free things to do in the area you are visiting. If you are heading to nature, the hiking and walking trails are almost always free to explore.

Read more about free things to do in:
>> Rome, Italy
>> Bratislava, Slovakia
>> London, England
>> Athens, Greece
>> Vienna, Austria
>> Budapest, Hungary
>> Arad, Romania

7. Day trips are not too bad either

If you don’t have the time or money for a longer escape, then you can take a day trip. It eliminates the need for accommodation and you can easily plan the day around free or cheap things to do.

Read more about day trips from:
>> Arad , Romania
>> Cluj Napoca, Romania
>>Budapest, Hungary

8. Check out last minute deals

If you decided to go on a getaway at the last moment, take advantage of sites that are created for this purpose: finding last minute deals. Whether you want to find a hotel or a rental, look for a flight & hotel package, you might find some really nice gems.

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