With the economy the way it is, people are looking, now more than ever, for whatever way possible to escape from their troubles and get a break from the big bad world. As a result, even though the economy is in rough shape, people are treating themselves more than ever, to movies, to magazines, to makeup, and even to vacations. Something that is highly noticeable in the travel industry is the tendency of potential buyers to wait until the last minute to buy tickets. The style of last minute travel is exciting sure, but is it worth the potential risks involved? If you found yourself on this page, then you like so many others are wondering - does the good outweigh the bad when it comes to flying by the seat of your pants, and is last minute travel worth it?
Let us consider carefully the pros of last minute travel first. More often than not the main reason people wait until the last minute to make their travel plans is in order to save money which will either go into their vacation itself or - for the savvier last minute traveler - feed directly back into their savings account. It is true - if you shop at the last minute you may find deals you won't be able to find if you plan months ahead. You may also find yourself drawn, due to lower rates, to different states and countries that you never would have planned to travel to originally, causing you to have a vacation that much more exciting and enriching than the one you originally planned. These are some pros of last minute travel that may already have you booking! But before you do, let us look at the cons of last minute travel and see if they outweigh the pros.
The first and most obvious con of last minute travel is this - sometimes the crapshoot of waiting it out for a better rate backfires and even the chanciest of last minute travelers find the 200 dollar airplane ticket they have been eyeing is now suddenly 600 dollars! If you have your heart set on a vacation, if it is a vital necessity to your health and happiness, than the cost of buying way ahead of time might outweigh the stress of last minute travel. Also, with last minute travel, you make certain concessions - you may not sit beside your traveling companion, your hotel may be slightly out of the way. To some last minute travel lovers these are just petty annoyances, but if you already know you are a high maintenance traveler, than these things might not be worth the headache or the money saved.