Travel prices are all over the place in 2025, but honestly, there are still plenty of spots where a vacation won’t kill your bank account. You just have to know where to look and how to book smart. Forget the usual advice to ‘travel in the off-season’—sometimes, you want to go right now, not wait months for the weather to chill or heat up.

Right now, flights to places like Albania, northern Portugal, and parts of Southeast Asia are weirdly cheap. Hotels and guesthouses haven’t hiked prices back up to pre-pandemic highs in much of Eastern Europe. If you’ve always wanted a beach break that doesn’t mean ramen noodles for the rest of the year, check out the coastal cities in Turkey or head down to southern Spain. Food’s cheap, public transport works, and you can find a private room for less than what you’d spend on a night out at home.

Even big cities like Budapest and Krakow are still affordable. And if you use flight comparison sites with flexible dates, you can pounce on price drops that appear out of nowhere. Apps that send instant alerts based on your interests really help here—my phone buzzed just yesterday about a shockingly low fare to Athens. My wife Claire’s advice? Pack light so you can grab those bargain budget-airline tickets without paying for a massive suitcase.

• Where to Score Cheap Flights and Stays Right Now
• Best Value Destinations in 2025
• Smart Strategies for Snagging Last Minute Deals
• Hidden Costs and How to Avoid Them

Where to Score Cheap Flights and Stays Right Now

Getting a cheap travel deal is all about timing, tools, and just a bit of luck. Truth is, flight prices are down in certain regions, especially if you’re open to being flexible about airports and dates. Right now, routes in and out of the Balkans (think Tirana, Skopje, or Sofia) show fares as low as $60 each way from major European cities. Lisbon is still a budget hotspot, and Istanbul tends to have surprisingly affordable connections from both Europe and parts of the Middle East.

For flights, start with these tricks:

• Use Google Flights and Skyscanner for setting price alerts—these tools let you track fares and spot sudden drops.
• Check airlines’ own websites for flash sales, especially on Tuesdays and early Thursdays. Ryanair, Wizz Air, and Pegasus often post wild last-minute bargains that sell out fast.
• If weekends are expensive, try flying out on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Those mid-week days regularly undercut weekend fares by 20–40%.

Smarter stay choices matter too. Airbnb still has deals but local sites can be even cheaper in places like Vietnam or Georgia—think Booking.com and Hostelworld for $10–$20 a night beds in city centers. Hostel beds in Krakow, for example, average $13 right now, while a basic double room in Tirana costs under $30.

Here’s a snapshot of what you might pay right this week for last minute holidays:

The trick? Skip tourist-heavy hubs like Rome or Paris for now, unless you’re seeing a flat-out error fare. Small and mid-major cities often cost half as much, but offer just as much adventure. Plus, local food’s usually cheaper away from tourist zones, and public transport is less crowded.

If you need something even easier, apps like Hopper predict the best time to pull the trigger, and Kiwi can stitch together multiple budget airlines so you pay way less than taking a direct route. The last time Claire and I did this, we ended up in Istanbul with a five-hour stopover in Athens—and landed two city breaks for under $200 total.

Best Value Destinations in 2025

If you’re looking for cheap travel this year, a few places stand out by a mile—mostly because your money actually gets you something there. Let’s get into the specifics.

Albania: Honestly, Albania’s beaches rival Croatia’s but without the insane price tags. A night at a clean guesthouse is still around €25, street food like byrek costs about €1, and buses between cities rarely break €10. The coastal towns of Sarandë and Vlorë are buzzing but not overcrowded, and the average daily cost stays under €50, even if you hit up all the tourist spots.

Northern Portugal: Porto and Braga are way cheaper than Lisbon. You can grab lunch for €8, and public transport is reliable. Wine tours in the Douro Valley can be booked for €30 if you avoid the middleman sites. Most midrange hotels have rooms for under €60 a night in 2025 according to Booking.com’s current stats.

Tbilisi, Georgia: Georgia still tops the list for budget travelers. Hostels are €8-15 per night, dinner at local spots comes under €7, and there are cheap and regular intercity trains. The government’s push for tourism keeps experiences affordable, and entry to most museums and thermal baths costs less than €5.

Vietnam: The price for a bowl of pho in Hanoi is still just about $2, and domestic flights between cities start as low as $20 with Vietjet Air. Private rooms at decent hotels stay below $30 even during summer, and tourist SIM cards with unlimited data are less than $10—honestly, the “expensive” stuff are the $1 draft beers.

If you’re keen to compare actual cost averages for 2025, here’s a quick look at typical daily travel budgets (local currency equivalent):

One last tip: Don’t always trust the first price you see. Use local booking sites or ask hotel staff in person for deals—sometimes you get ten bucks off just for asking. And sign up for local ride-share apps; they’re often cheaper than taxis or tourist shuttles.

Smart Strategies for Snagging Last Minute Deals

Scoring a real last minute holiday on the cheap is totally doable. You’ve just got to be quick on your feet and know when—and where—to look. Airlines dump unsold seats at the last minute, hotels cut prices when they haven’t filled their rooms, and comparison sites make it easy to pounce if you’re ready to go.

The single best trick? Stay flexible. If you aren’t fixed on exact dates or a specific city, you’ll catch the biggest drops. Tools like Google Flights and Skyscanner have “Anywhere” search options. These let you see which destinations are cheap for your dates. Set up price alerts and let them do the tracking for you—you’ll get a ping when the price tanks. Statistically, flights leaving mid-week (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) are about 15-20% cheaper on average than weekend departures.

• cheap travel apps like Hopper or Kayak let you track last minute deals and show you a calendar of the lowest fares for months ahead.
• HotelTonight is a go-to for same-day or next-day hotel rooms at discounts up to 50% off the regular price.
• Pack light and only use a carry-on. Most low-cost airlines charge extra for checked bags and that eats into your savings fast.
• Loyalty points can be clutch. Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, and airline frequent flyer programs sometimes offer last minute point discounts you can stack with cash deals.

Here’s a quick look at the best days and times for snagging those deals:

One more tip: don’t ignore small or regional airports near your city. They sometimes have bargain routes major airports don’t. And sign up for deal newsletters. Some of the cheapest flash sales are shared to email subscribers before going public. This stuff can seriously slash the price of your next trip—sometimes by more than half.

Hidden Costs and How to Avoid Them

You score a killer flight deal, book a cheap hotel, and think you’re all set—then surprise fees start creeping in. These hidden costs can turn a cheap travel win into a pricey headache fast. Knowing where your money can slip away is half the battle. Let’s break down where those extra charges usually pop up and how to dodge them.

Those baggage fees are no joke. Most budget airlines sound cheap until you add in $60 for carrying a suitcase. Try a carry-on only approach, even for a week—rolling clothes or packing cubes help. Also, book tickets directly with the airline when you can, so you’re clear about what’s included and what isn’t.

Check your bank’s policy on international ATM and card fees before you go. Only use ATMs at major branches—not airport machines—since those can have crazy charges stacked on top. If your card adds a percentage every time you swipe, look into prepaid travel cards or digital banks like Revolut or Wise, which charge way less (sometimes even zero).

A lot of countries have a tourist tax tacked onto every hotel night. It’s rarely included in the room price up front. Some Italian cities and Greek islands are notorious for this. Always ask at the desk before booking a hotel, or check for the tax in the fine print on booking sites. Those so-called “resort fees” show up even at non-resort hotels in places like Las Vegas and the Mediterranean; you can’t always avoid them, but double-check before you book so you don’t get blindsided.

• Double-check the cost of airport-to-city transport—it can eat up a chunk of your budget, especially in cities like London or Barcelona. Sometimes a city pass or booking a shuttle in advance cuts the cost in half.
• Always read the final booking page when reserving flights, hotels, or car rentals. Some sites sneak in insurance, breakfast, or upgrade charges you never selected.
• Pay in the local currency on card readers—if you pick your home currency, you pay extra in bad conversion rates.

The bottom line: Watch the sneaky fees and ask questions before confirming anything. Spending ten minutes on the details upfront can save you way more than haggling over tourist knickknacks later.