Let's begin with the watch words of the year Credit Crunch and reccession, and what it means for holiday shoppers this year. I recall that when I first started in the Travel Industry last century - I do laugh when I throw that one out - twenty two years ago going on holiday was a luxury to be cherished. By the late eighties quickly followed by the n nineties, going on holiday evolved from being a luxury shared by a small minority to becoming an absolute necessity shared by the nearly all and a way to keep your head for the rest of the year. It was also something to aspire to and look forward to and despite the saturation of the travel industry it still holds that certain magic for the great British public going away wanting to leave their humdrum lives behind and live the dream, catching the rays, looking at beautiful sunsets, tasting different foods meeting different people as well as enjoying the culture. Needless to say this year in 2009, there has been a bit of panic about whether going on holiday is going to be a possibility for most couples and families and the media's ongoing credit crunch mantra hasn't helped those with fears to the average traveller.

However, I am going to go on record and state with absolute confidence and clarity that this is going to be a dream year for last minute holidays and great bargains will be bountiful in this buyers market. However and there is a 'however' to consider you'd better know what to do and when. As any self respecting gambler will tell you, you just have to know when to gamble and when to fold. Last minute holiday bookings do not necessarily mean that you book your holiday a day before departure to get the best deal, infact it can work against you and you end up paying more than someone who probably booked five weeks before you even nine weeks. If I could count the amount of times I have heard my clients literally kicking themselves for playing the waiting game on brilliant offers they were given a few weeks before and because they have gambled and waited till a day before departure thinking they would get it even cheaper, was a foolish gamble and it wont work in your favour. Make sure you leave yourself enough time before booking if you are looking for something quite specific, I have often found disappointed clients searching for Sharm El Sheik two days before departure and finding nothing go somewhere they did not plan on going and end up not having the best of holidays so book a minimum of four weeks before departure so that can clinch your dream deal. If however you are the type who wants to just turn up at the airport with a suitcase not caring where you go as long as you get a bit of sun then a few days before departure for a great late holiday deal will suit you just fine.

Again word to the wise, gambling with a last minute holiday a day before a Bank Holiday or the start of any school holidays is a definite no-no, trying to find a suitable last minute holiday bargain a couple of days before you want to get away can be an extremely stressful exercise for a family with specific needs and requirements, so always start looking five to nine weeks before departure. Be prepared when booking a last minute holiday make sure your budget is accounted for on your debit or credit card, losing a holiday to something as routine as a ten minute account to account fund transfer. If you are sans debit or credit cards, then phone a friend or family member and ask them to help you out with the use of their card details which you of course repay, and make sure you have this in place before you start searching for your last minute holiday, as some offers need to be booked and paid for straight away or you may lose out on a great deal by the time you try and sort out ways to pay for your holiday. Remember no one holds options on last minute holidays anymore. You will find companies are more than willing to offer competitive prices, and it's easy to get caught up in getting companies to compete with each other to get the best deals. But take too long and use too many companies to do your bidding war and it could end up you become the loser, as the electronic data been gathered by the operator gives them the idea that the demand on the holiday you are searching for is great and the price will go up. So snap up that fantastic lasty minute holiday, and do so with some defiance, 2009 is going to be one of the best years to find last minute holiday, so enjoy it!

Copyright (c) 2009 Casper da silva