Sometimes you just have to plan a last-minute trip, be it for a family emergency or a last minute vacation when you're in between travel nursing assignments. Either way, don't stress about the planning. You may assume that booking a flight and rental car the week of your departure will cost you an arm and a leg, but that doesn't have to be the case. While planning your getaway, keep a few of these money-saving tips in mind:
Search the right sites
Most people turn to travel sites when booking a trip – these provide a simple look at most of the airline, hotel and rental car options available all in one place. If you've ever taken the time to compare rates from the top booking websites, you'll find that the prices are generally always the same. And the later you wait, the higher the price! But we know, you don't have time to sift through endless options during your break on a travel nurse shift. NBC News turned to Genevieve Brown and Sarah Schlichter from IndependentTraveler.com to find out what the best sites for scheduling a last-minute getaway are, so check these out:
- American Airlines
- CheatCaribbean.com
- LastMinute.com
- LastMinuteTravel.com
- LicketyTrip
Depending on what the purpose of your trip is, you will likely find that some of these options are more useful than others.
Apps for your phone
You can plan your trip from anywhere if you download the right apps. From booking and what you need should pack to road trip destinations and hot spots at your final destination, there's always a program you can get on your phone. Just try not to let yourself get distracted on travel nursing jobs playing around with these top apps:
- CheapOair allows you to book flights with more than 140 airlines as you travel worldwide!
- GetPacked is an app that inquires about your trip and then creates a custom list of what you need to bring – and more importantly, what you don't!
- Roadside America is great for planning a road trip across the U.S. – it provides you with both descriptions and directions to more than 9,000 unique roadside attractions.
- Scout keeps track of any events that are going on in the area you'll be vacationing. You can also find top nearby restaurants and the lowest price on gas with the app's GPS feature.
Last-minute vacations can be stressful to plan, so consider booking ahead of time whenever possible. If you haven't set up your next travel nurse assignment yet, in between jobs may be the perfect time to book. Any flexibility on departure and arrival times can bring down your cost as well, especially if you are able to travel during the week, as the weekend getaways are the most popular. Real Simple magazine also points out that some companies provide specials to their Twitter followers, including United Airlines, JetBlue and Quickbook (for discount hotel rates).