How Aussies can get a deal on last-minute holidays

Aussie travellers can still snap up affordable travel deals if they know where to look. See how you can score last-minute tickets.

Aussies chasing a last-minute summer getaway can still score some hot deals but there is a catch.

Holiday-makers will have to wait out the super busy period and choose their dates carefully, with cheaper flights and accommodation deals offered later in the season.

Flight Centre corporate affairs manager Haydn Long said it was going to be a “very busy” Christmas-New Year holiday period with demand for travel high and expected deals to be hard to find.

“You can improve your chances if you travel late in the school holiday period or in February, when demand starts to drop off,” he said.

“If you’re travelling to a holiday hotspot, you may also find cheaper fares if you fly on less popular days, Tuesday for example, given more people will try to travel on the weekends.”

Goldman Group joint managing director David Goldman agreed everything was a “premium” at the moment because people globally wanted to travel.

He said travelling outside of school holidays or to more remote, less popular destinations could help those on a budget.

Bali is a top destination for Aussies travelling abroad this summer. Picture: Getty Images

Aussies’ favourite overseas destinations this summer will be Bali in Indonesia, Auckland and Queenstown in New Zealand, Heathrow in the UK and Haneda in Tokyo, reports Flight Centre.

For domestic travellers, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Coolangatta and Perth were the top five destinations.

Sydneysiders can escape to popular destinations such as Singapore or Bali from $297 and $307 one way, respectively, if you travel on January 31.

If you can’t wait that long, you could find yourself forking out twice as much for flights, a News Corp investigation of flight prices found.

Airfares from Sydney to Bali will set you back around $630 one way if you’re wanting to travel in the first few weeks of January.

But taking off midweek could save you a few hundred dollars, with a Wednesday flight up for grabs from Sydney for $447 in mid-Jan, compared to $1400 for a weekend flight that month.

Prices dip for the weekend prior to Australia Day and in some cases are even cheaper on the actual public holiday.

There are deals for Aussies wanting a Fiji holiday.

Thirty-one per cent of Aussies think travel is too expensive at present, with five per cent cancelling holidays, research from Finder revealed.

Finder travel expert Stephanie Yip said early morning flights or late nights tended to be cheapest, with departure times between 5pm to 9pm the most expensive.

She encouraged those who wanted to travel next Christmas or summer to start looking for deals now and suggested they set up price alerts to help find bargains.

The following deals might help those wanting a getaway this summer.

SUMMER ACCOMMODATION DEALS

For those keen to head to Tokyo, Flight Centre has a package deal on a four-night, four-star hotel in Tokyo with private city tour and street food experience from $2249, which you can use this summer.

If a tropical getaway is what you’re chasing, an all-inclusive deal at the Naviti Resort on Fiji’s Coral Coast for two adults for seven nights could be yours from $4545. It boasts $1659 dollars in bonus value, with unlimited drinks and all meals included, as well as a sunset cruise for travel dates between February 1 and March 21.

Alternatively, Expedia members can get up to 40 per cent off at Fiji’s Mana Island Resort and Spa, with a four-person Island Bure deal from $251 a night.

There are deals up for grabs in Bali. Picture: Getty Images

For those jetsetting to Bali, Expedia members can get up to 55 per cent off Amadea Resort and Villas or up to 40 per cent off Iza Seminyak.

There are also are several deals for Wotif customers across Australia, with up to 35 per cent off The Point Brisbane Hotel or up to 30 per cent of Little National Sydney.

Flight Centre also has a deal for Aussies wanting to explore Cairns, with four nights accommodation at the five-star Crystalbrook Bailey and flights for two adults from $2099. The package includes the Kuranda Scenic Rail and SkyRail with hotel transfers, a bonus room update and $250 food and beverage credit.

*Sourced from Flight Centre, Expedia and Wotif.

Originally published as How Aussies can get a deal on last-minute holidays