If you really don't mind where you go and are prepared to treat the whole thing as an experience, pack your bags, go to the nearest big airport and walk into one of the agencies based in the terminals that specialise in truly last minute bargains and ask them what they've got departing that day!

My work and the fact that I have to negotiate cover with colleagues etc makes it difficult for me to take this route now but friends who live near Gatwick have had some amazing holidays at bargain prices over the years doing this. It's only fair to say that they've also had some they wouldn't choose to repeat but have always felt that they've had little cause for complaint because they've paid so little in the first place.

To get the best out of it you need to do your homework first and a good starting point would be to trawl the destination forums on here to decide what would be your real non-no destinations. For example, Tunisia will be really hot at this time of year, offers good value all year round and can be the source of tremendously cheap late bookings but it wouldn't be a good destination for someone looking for a thriving club and bar scene or who feels they couldn't cope with the hassle in the souks and the bartering system in the markets. They'd probably end up spending their holiday feeling trapped and miserable in their hotel.

I suggest that you do your homework before you go, decide on where you definitely don't want to go regardless of how cheap it is - and that includes clocking the notorious hotels that consistently get bad reviews on sites like this - and then just go for it.

SM

Hi, how long do you plan on going for, 7 nights or 14? With £250 each you should be able to pick up a 14 night self catering deal to one of the greek islands on a late deal. Also depends on where you are flying from--cheap deals seem to centre around Gatwick/Manchester.
One tip, don't do what we done on our first trip abraod. Like you we were looking for a late deal and made the mistake of telling the travel agent how much we had to spend. Got ripped off for 7 nights s/c.
Try and find out what they have on offer before talking money, and as SM says, find out where you do not want to go.
Have a good one.

Andy

I agree tell the TA the 'ideal' amount you'd like to spend for a 'bargain' holiday. They're not ripping people off but the search is similar to when you do an internet search yourself, if you say you've got £250 each and that's what they enter then it will bring up holidays in that range.
Better to give them a lower amount and if nothing comes up (or nothing that appeals) then up your spend to the £250.

Sorry Marcuschap, my post was not meant to infer that TA's are ripping people off.
What I was trying to say was that we made the mistake of saying a figure because we didn't know any better.
Your right of course, if you give figure as a search start then that is what will come up.
Sorry for any misunderstanding.

Andy.

Don't forget you have to eat and drink in that £250 as well and some places are more expensive than others. You will have to do your own research re what suits you as I have seen some people asking for cheap places to eat and then quoting a price available for a meal for two that I would baulk at for feeding my family of 7.

Does the £250 each include spending money?

No, luckily we've got a fair bit on top of that (... student loans... overdrafts... love it!) to spend... We aim for seven nights though, because the money wont stretch that far.

We're berkshire based, so ideally flying from Gatwick would be cool. I don't suppose you know any of the companies that are based in the terminal do you, SM? Any more information would be fantastic.

As far as destination goes, we're very easily satisfied. As long as we have a bed, a pool, a beach and a bar we're perfectly satisfied. I intend on sitting on the beach, drawing and writing, and my partner intends on catching up on sleep... But we'd like SOME nightlife. We're hoping for Argassi in Zakynthos, or Cala *Somewhere* in Mallorca. Who knows?! It's an adventure!

I've been looking at a site that offers really cheap holidays, about £110/week, but I'm really scared of getting ripped off. Has anyone heard of/used the cancellations hotline? I always work on "if it seems too good to be true then it probably is" ethos, so I'm naturally slightly dubious.

Thanks for all the replies everyone, and the advice!
Love
Maz and Tim

Have you tried teletext? the prices for local departures are cheaper then on the link you posted.
You also sometimes get the names of the hotel/apartments so you can research them before you book.
Dont forget though, there will be a ticket on departure charge of around £10 each to pay so make sure you include that and anything else.

Loulou

Have a look here:

auctions.latedeals.com

Thankyou!!

It's sooo exciting! I haven't had a holiday for 4 years (other than the oblig. camping trip with the parents for a rainy week)

Definitely checking out the auctions and teletext sites.