Fly high but pay low

Finding last-minute flight and hotel deals can be tricky but with some flexibility and creativity, you can find what you need.

1 Flexible flying, part one: destination. If you just want to get away and don't particularly care where you go, look for sales from your local airport. Browse the web for sites that allow you to search for flights, hotels and packages anywhere and anytime from your home airport. Also, airline websites often display where the deals are for last-minute getaways.

2 Flexible flying, part two: timing. If you can take off on a Tuesday or a Wednesday, you're more likely to get good air fares. The cheapest flights also tend to be the first in the morning or late at night, though keep in mind that those times may rule out using public transportation to get to or from the airport.

3 Hotel location is key (no pun intended). When researching hotels, use a map to locate what you want to see and investigate nearby public transportation or driving routes and parking. Staying out of the hotspots helps too. Think of locations just outside the city.

4 Time your stay. The price you get on a room depends on the dates and the time frame, whether it's peak season or not. In a city such as Las Vegas, which caters to weekend leisure travellers, going midweek is cheaper than going on the weekend. On the other hand, a lot of the major cities are cheaper on weekends, especially the ones that do a lot of business with business travellers. Airport hotels also tend to have good deals on weekends.

5 Consider the alternatives. Read hotel reviews in guidebooks, newspaper archives and websites and decide the level of comfort you would like. (Do you really need a fitness centre and premium movie channels or are you happy with a bare-bones room and few amenities?) You may also want to explore options such as hostels, university dorms and rental properties. Sometimes bed-and-breakfasts can offer better value than hotels, especially if you factor in the cost of breakfast, snacks and wireless internet, which most smaller inns and B&Bs offer at no extra cost.

6 Bundle up. Online travel sites offer a variety of flight and hotel deals but you can save more by buying last-minute packages that combine flights, hotels, car rentals or activities.

7 Bid on it. Some sites offer auctions for flights, hotels, rental cars and more. Before you consider this option, make sure to read all the rules.

In general, flights are more susceptible to last-minute changes than hotels or other sectors of the travel industry. If a flight hasn't sold well, the airline may offer seats for as much as 60 per cent less.

Hotels have the flexibility to add or remove rooms from availability. At the last minute, a hotel may have a bunch of rooms that it doesn't think it can sell and those rooms are available for auction.

As for prices, customers may be successful with bids that are 50 per cent less than prices published online.