Apps – Spontaneous getaways are the trend of the season, and who wouldn’t want to take one around Christmas? Of all the Christmassy destinations you can go to, it’s a hard decision.
Reykjavik, Iceland, the snowy goodness of Christmas markets, New York with its festive Rockefeller Centre and elaborate decorations, or even Germany with over 70 Christmas markets, and festive food, or why not bask in the winter sun for Christmas in the Australian summer?
Yes, winter in the sun during Christmas time is more popular than you think! In December 2021, over 240,000 people arrived in Australia, according to statistics. Aside from the hot December weather, Australia is popular during the festive season because of the beautiful beaches, Christmas traditions, and fabulously festive nightlife.
During this season, many nightclubs, bars, and casinos will make seasonal festive promotional offers to attract tourists. Casinos, in particular, may out promotions in specific games that are popular with tourists and casino visitors. Poker, live dealer casino games, and roulette are popular among this group and allow guests to play in person or through their phones or computers.
For those who don’t wish to travel to gamble and may want to get away from the city, finding accommodation for last-minute trips can be difficult, especially during the festive season when many hotels are all booked. Instead of calling on the phone or just scouring online for available hotels, many travelers have opted to use hotel booking apps to find accommodation as they are reliable, cheap, and often designed to have spare hotel rooms available. Picking these apps can be difficult, so travelers need a comprehensive guide for the most reliable acts to plan the last-minute trip of their dreams.
1. Last minute.com
Specifically marketed as the website for last-minute deals and quick travel, lastminute.com has access to thousands of destinations and hotels. Travelers can filter out popular destinations like Amsterdam and Prague for short city break trips. For those who are scared of flying, there are also options to book through the train with Eurostar tickets and the option for quick car hire.
Lastminute.com can provide travelers with a stress-free experience as the range of hotels they offer and accommodation options suit different budgets and lifestyles. You can opt for a flight and hotel or just a hotel package. For flight convenience, lastminute.com is a must for money savers as you can select which airports you fly out of. On the location maps, the airports are displayed with prices above them to show the cheapest options available to customers. Most importantly, Lastminute.com purchases are protected by the Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing (ATOL) option, which protects travelers if the company they have booked through goes out of business or ceases any trading.
While it is not likely with last-minute trips, this can provide visitors with some comfort as they know if the companies they booked with during their trip go bankrupt, travelers know they will have financial compensation for their troubles.
2. Booking.com
As far as reliable hotel booking apps go, Booking.com is one of the most widely trusted hotel booking apps because it provides real-time hotel information and booking availability. Last-minute travelers will require features like this as they may have limited options for hotel bookings, or will need to make the decisions fast, given that in October 2022, Booking.com was reported to be the hotel and travel website that was visited the most overall, having over 500 million visits! Not to mention there is a huge database of hotels in over 225 countries.
The website is popular, the Booking.com’s app is crucial in securing last-minute deals for cheap. The app has options for exclusive discounts through the Genuis loyalty scheme and an option to enter a promo code at the checkout. For students, it is a lifeline as UK-based students receive a discount with UNIDAYS that can make their travel plans cheaper by 15%, perfect for a mid-term or Christmas break getaway! The company has said the key to growth in countries like the USA is through using their app. Cheap holidays are one perk of Booking.com and they also don’t usually charge last-minute annoying booking fees to customers.
3. HotelTonight
HotelTonight’s main appeal is that it offers hotel booking options until 2:00 am. If you randomly decided you wanted to get away in the middle of the night, this app is your answer! The app promises to deliver heavily discounted hotel rates, most likely because the bookings are so late. If you’re tech-savvy and have friends who love to travel, the app has an affiliate referral program called ‘Geo-Rate’.
Uniquely, Hotel Tonight has a different rating system with word descriptions for hotels and their service instead of the typical stars. Detail-orientated travelers will love this feature to visualize their dream hotel.
4. Priceline
There are a lot of apps to play with while traveling, but not all of them are cheap, although Priceline is! Express Deals through Priceline’s app offer quick deals for anxious travelers. If you are already traveling, Priceline enables a seamless hotel-booking experience in the area you’re in. Geographically, it will recommend nearby hotels and hostels depending on their GPS. Older versions of the app even offer filters for users to budget their travel costs or bid to change the prices on select options.
5. Expedia
Expedia is a multi-purpose travel company. From their app, last-minute travelers can sort out every detail: cars, hotels, flights, and even activities! Providing an efficient booking process for travelers, Expedia is the way to prepare for a last-minute trip at the click of a button. If in need of a cancellation, Expedia waivers cancellation fees so travelers aren’t paying unnecessary costs if they have unforeseen circumstances such as flight or train delays, for example.
On their app and blog, Expedia gives suggestions for top last-minute destinations which eliminates wasting time for travelers who don’t want to make decisions themselves.
