I’m a last-minute traveller, but not exactly by choice…
I’m notoriously indecisive, which makes locking in my travel plans harder than it should be. My internal dialogue is in a constant tug-of-war between, ‘Ohhh, should I?’ or ‘Hmm, maybe not.’ When deciding when or where to go for my next adventure, I’m guilty of getting lost in the details. Suddenly, months have slipped away before I’ve shortlisted where I want to go. Every year, June and July roll around, and my travel plans are nothing but a heap of ‘maybes’ and words.
But once I finally land on where to go, the feeling of finally locking in any travel plans is the ultimate feeling. Plus, once it’s booked, there’s (almost) no turning back – and the decision is made. The beauty of a little bit of last-minute pressure and a time crunch forces you to (quickly) make a choice and stick with it. The tricky part is just getting to the ‘when, where or how’.
This is the indecisive traveller’s guide to the perks of last-minute travel through the eyes of someone who can never decide when or where to go.
Lean into the seasons to guide when or where to go
Seasonality can be super important when it comes to deciding where to go. This past June, like on cue, I decided to book a last-minute trip to Asia and had my eyes on the Philippines. I had a stretch of leave approved by my manager, but soon realised half the places I wanted to visit in Asia would be in the middle of monsoon season. And, when I went to look at Intrepid trips in the Philippines, I realised there were no departures between June to October. Maybe next year…
Sure, monsoons aren’t the end of the world, but this discovery helped narrow down my list of places to visit. Being so close to the departure time helped me understand the upcoming weather and schedule my plans around Mother Nature. Turns out, this time of the year is a great time for wildlife adventures in Borneo – somewhere I hadn’t planned to visit but as a destination, it worked perfectly with the dates I had requested off work. A big thanks to a friend who shared that hot tip with me. Friends and family can also be one of the best ways to crowd-source inspiration for your next trip too.
Keep an eye on last-minute travel deals to inspire your next adventure
I keep tabs on my last-minute deal pages from my favourite travel companies. Back in 2021, I was lucky to get a last-minute deal on the 15-day Annapurna Base Camp trip, just five weeks before it started. Sure, it’s not a super spontaneous, race-to-the-airport style of last-minute travel, but it felt like a big win to find an available trip on sale departing so soon.
I’d always dreamed of going to Nepal but was overwhelmed by many exciting trips and could never decide which trip was right for me. The discounted price was just the push I needed to narrow my decision down – it was the right trip at the right time and at an even better price. And luckily, exactly what I was looking for.
Go for travels that do some of the deciding for you
My last-minute trip to Nepal could have been slightly stress-inducing, but going on a trip where almost everything was taken care of helped with that. The biggest detail I had to worry about was booking my flights, packing the right gear, and making sure I was sorted for travel insurance, which made this last-minute trip a breeze.
Most of the decision-making was all sorted for me, and the 15-day trip covered getting from A to B and beyond. From the moment we landed, I felt instantly at ease knowing that our leader, Chandra, knew exactly where I needed to go and how I was going to get there. This included accommodations, local transportation, meals and even permits for trekking. Hello, stress-free holiday.
Let a last-minute flight deal be the guide for where to go next
My inbox is flooded with short or long-haul offers from airlines looking to fill seats close to departure. If you’re an email lover like me, it never hurts to sign up for updates from different airlines to see what’s on offer. If you have a gap in your calendar and an appetite for a last-minute trip, this is a great way to decide where to go – without really having to decide.
While there’s never any guarantee the right flights will align with the right dates, sometimes a good deal on a flight to somewhere you’ve never been is just the kick you need to go somewhere unexpected when you don’t know where to go.
Be open to new ways of exploring new places
A hiking trip in Nepal or a wildlife adventure in Asia might not have been part of my original plans, but that’s all part of the fun – being open to new travel experiences.
There’s so much freedom in stepping outside your comfort zone. If decision fatigue or overwhelm gets the better of you, let the decision-making fall into the hands of seasonality, last-minute travel deals or leave it to travel experts to make some decisions for you.
You never know where you could end up, and this unexpected adventure might just be the trip of a lifetime – and you better believe I’ll be telling everyone I know that Borneo is THE place to be in the middle of the year (even if I ended up there on a total whim). Maybe next year, I’ll (finally) get organised and get to the Philippines…
If you’re looking to travel within 60 days, Intrepid’s last-minute deals offer limited-time savings on selected trips.
