Travel

At the last minute you can grab a flight, jump into the car, and spend an unforgettable weekend.

Suddenly, next weekend looms before you -- and there are no plans yet on the calendar. Great! It could be the perfect time to get away for a last minute trip to a place you ve always wanted to travel to -- or visit a destination you know and love.

Go to Last-Minute Deals Directory

According to a travel poll by the Travel Industry Association of America, half of all U.S. adults take at least one weekend trip per year, and almost 30 percent have taken five or more weekend trips in the past year. Traveling by car (74%) is the most popular mode of transportation for weekend trips, followed by air (16%).

For couples on a budget, the proliferation of last minute travel sites and discount hotel deals has been a boon. There s even a name for quickie, last-minute weekend getaways for lovers: mini-moons. And they can be fabulous: A whirlwind romantic weekend in a new city, sleeping in a top-rated hotel, savoring delicious meals at just-discovered restaurants or from room service, seeing the sights.

Yet taking advantage of a last minute deal on the Web could disappoint an unwary couple. In many cases, last minute travel sites sell what is known in the industry as distressed inventory -- aka center seats on airplanes and left-over rooms no one else has booked. And

since, as a couple, the point is to be together -- and you are likely to spend more time in a room than a single or business traveler -- your satisfaction with both air and hotel arrangements is important.

Also, there can be hidden costs. While the first price you see on a last-minute deals site is usually quite affordable, that generally reflects a stay in the least expensive hotel available in the destination you choose. Want something more romantic? If you selected a weekend in Washington, DC, for example, it could cost you an hundreds of dollars extra per room per night to upgrade to a superior hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Finally, keep in mind that most last minute weekend travel deals are non-refundable. So don t buy that mini-moon trip until you re positive you can make it -- and then go and have a terrific time.

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