How to save money on last-minute holidays in 2025

If you’ve got annual leave to use up or are yet to book a summer getaway, there are ways to still snag a low-cost holiday.

Our tips could help you save hundreds on your last-minute trip, from the best price comparison site to discount sites that really offer good deals. 

We’ve also shared expert advice on the best time to book, whether all-inclusive really is cheaper, and how to save on extras such as airport car parking and sightseeing while you’re abroad.

Read on to get the best price possible for your next spontaneous holiday.

For more tips that you can trust from the experts, sign up for the free Travel newsletter

Use secret hotels to get cheap stays

Choosing ‘secret hotels’ on booking sites such as Lastminute.com and Hotwire.com can save you more than 40% in hotels all across the UK, Europe, the US and beyond.

Here, discounts on ‘mystery’ unsold rooms are available – with just the star rating, general location and a brief description revealed. You’ll only find out the name of the hotel once you’ve parted with your cash. 

However, with a bit of detective work, you can often uncover its identity beforehand. Many of the descriptions are taken directly from the hotel’s own website, so try searching for a few key phrases to see what pops up.

Consider cruises and tours…

Making the most of ‘stressed inventory’ can help bring down the cost of your trip. As the departure approaches for a cruise, coach trip or tour, a company or operator will often drop prices significantly to fill spaces, seats and slots. 

When you know your travel dates, check prices at the best cruise companies and top-rated tour companies to see if it’s cheaper than going DIY. 

When you factor in additional costs, such as public transport, meals and tourist attractions, a tour might end up being more cost-effective if you can find a last-minute steal.

Which? Travel trusted travel advice

Who to book with, how to get the best deals and inspiring destination ideas from the experts. £4.99 a month, or £49 annually

Join Which? Travel

Cancel anytime.

…hold your nerve for a package deal

Unfortunately, booking eight months in advance was the best way to get a deal. When we tracked prices last year, we found six of the 10 countries we tracked were cheaper when booked in advance.

But the next-best time to book and make a saving? The very last minute, for example, within two weeks of travel or less, as travel agents rush to fill empty spaces. This is especially true if you’re open-minded when it comes to the destination and don’t need to travel during school holidays (prices for these dates rarely drop).

Booking your flight and hotel in one hit can save you money, particularly if you find a late deal on sites such as Travel Supermarket, Holiday Pirates or Icelolly.com. Check out the best-rated travel deal sites.

Plus, you’ll benefit from the protections that a package holiday booked through a reputable provider can offer.

Find out more about Atol protection and other logos to look out for when booking your trip.

Going all inclusive can sometimes cheaper

Our research found that all-inclusive beach holidays are cheaper than DIY holidays in seven out of 10 popular destinations. 

So, if you tend to overspend, locking in the costs of meals and drinks through an all-inclusive package can help bring the price of your holiday down, especially if you find a good last-minute deal. 

Even if you prefer not to go all inclusive, consider packages that offer a free child’s place if you’re travelling with children, and with your meals and transfers thrown in, particularly for destinations such as the Caribbean, where the cost of eating out is high. 

Last year, a Which? Travel investigation found that holidaymakers could save up to £700 per person by going all inclusive for a week’s holiday in Barbados. 

Stay flexible — on date and location

Comparison sites trawl the market for the best air fares, so when booking last minute, it pays to be flexible. 

The Google Flights ‘explore’ tool helps you find destinations you might not have considered, which could be considerably cheaper than more obvious choices.

Similarly, Momondo’s search tool will find the cheapest destinations for your dates if you simply add ‘anywhere’ as your destination (or ‘everywhere’ with Skyscanner). 

Meanwhile, Kayak's Explore button will filter results by budget. Type in your home airport and set your top limit in pounds, keeping your dates/duration as broad or as narrow as you like. 

Read our guide to the best comparison sites to find the most reliable deals.

Sign up for discounts

Adding your email to airline or discount-club mailing lists means you’ll be the first to know when there’s a sale. 

Secret Flying and Jack’s Flight Club are free to join and send out bargain alerts to members. However, for more frequent updates, you’ll need to pay an annual fee of £48 with the latter (although, it's currently offering a trial of three months for £1 — just remember to cancel within the trial period if you don’t want to renew for a year).

These deals include error fares, where technical blips cause flights to be flogged at rock-bottom prices. 

Founder Jack Sheldon told us that roughly 60% of these are honoured by the airline; otherwise, you’ll receive a full refund. 

He advises waiting two weeks before booking hotels or tours, as tickets are rarely cancelled after that period.

Get last-minute Eurostar tickets

Eurostar offers last-minute deals of up to 50% using Eurostar Snap if you’re able to fill seats at unpopular times. Select a destination, along with a date and time slot, and Eurostar will email you within 48 hours of departure with last-minute tickets at a discounted rate. Sometimes you’ll even get as much as 14 days’ notice.

It’s also worth keeping an eye out for seasonal flash sales. We’ve seen these taking place every few months at Eurostar for the past year or so, and it’s often possible to get last-minute deals along with cheap seats available months in advance.

Promotional returns can be a steal and sometimes cheaper than one-way tickets. 

Eurostar also sells through tickets to a number of European cities, which can be cheaper and more convenient than splitting the journey. 

For multi-stop trips consider the ‘any Belgian station’ (ABS) ticket, which allows you to continue your journey from Brussels for an extra £6, as long as you get to your final destination within 24 hours.

Free walking tours and attractions

A free walking tour is a great introduction to any city, and you can tip as much or as little as you like. 

With a little bit of forward planning, you can also save a bundle on some of the top sights. 

Many Paris museums are free on the first Sunday of each month, including the Louvre (from October to March), while entry to the Vatican Museums is free on the last Sunday of the month. You can even book a free audience with Pope Leo every Wednesday morning (papalaudience.org/tickets). 

Dodge the ticket price at Schindler’s Factory Museum in Krakow on Mondays, excluding the first Monday of the month when it’s closed. 

Madrid’s Prado museum is free every evening from 6pm-8pm (Sundays 5pm-7pm). 

For details of what’s free and when, check tourist board websites, Time Out or Lonely Planet before you go.

Pre-book airport parking, even if it’s last-minute

So you’ve booked a last-minute holiday in a week’s time, but there’s just one problem: where to leave the car after driving to the airport. 

Some people assume that it’s too late to look for short-stay parking deals at this point, but our research consistently shows that it’s always worth prebooking rather than paying the turn-up price if possible. 

When we checked the price of a week’s parking at Heathrow Short Stay from 24 July with just two days’ notice, the prebooking price was £177.20. But if you turned up and paid on the day, you’d fork out a huge £658. Even two hours’ notice can make the difference, although short-stay car parks may be sold out at this point during peak travel times.

Getting someone to drop you off instead? Ensure they don't get caught out by barrierless drop off areas and car parks.