Procrastinator’s discount: when booking late pays off

Clock Project. Photo: Andrew Magill / Flickr

Slow and steady wins the race, but sometimes it’s the hare that gets the best travel deals. The great productivity website Lifehacker had this article on the virtues of being late: How to plan an awesome, last-minute vacation on the cheap.

The article covers everything from choosing the destination to booking a flight to finding a place to stay.  Flights are often the biggest expense.  Reserving your flight as close to takeoff as possible allows you to reap a big discount, because the airlines will sometimes slash airfares to keep the plane from flying with empty seats.  As long as you’re not heading into a major holiday, that strategy is solid.

However, the article didn’t cover one of my favorite aspects of travel: food.  One of my top tricks is to look up restaurants on Chowhound, a popular discussion board for serious foodies and gourmets.  There are hot discussion threads on cuisines from all over the world, for a wide range of budgets.

Do you have any stories of snagging great deals on the fly?  Please share your stories in the comments.