Last-Minute Budget Travel Tips for Fourth of July Weekend

The Fourth of July weekend is here, which means your time to plan a summer getaway is starting to run out.

So, can you still find cheap travel with a tight window? CBS News Miami went hunting for some deals.

Illiett Ojeida said she travels about six times a year, often with little planning. Spontaneity is her guide, and she doesn’t always go to tourist traps. 

“Sometimes, honestly, the most spontaneous trips have been short-planned,” Ojeda said. “Very adorable, and we have the best experiences.”

She told CBS News Miami she’s learned how to navigate these trips through scouring social media, reading travel blogs from other moms, and even using AI. 

“I love just hidden gems that we have to kind of just figure out how we’re going to get there,” Ojeda said.

Her family’s most recent trip was to Arizona for Memorial Day. Ojeda found out that flying to Las Vegas and driving to their destination cost less than flying directly to Arizona. 

“Going to Vegas, making something special about that stop and then driving over part of the road trip experience — it made a huge financial difference,” Ojeda said.

Richie Massa, the managing partner of the Lorraine Travel Agency, said you likely won’t find many deals this late in the summer if you want to go to international destination spots like Greece or Italy, but added you could get more for less if you go to some place less popular, or a place in the offseason. 

“That could be the Caribbean and more specifically a lesser-known Caribbean island,” Massa said. “These places, nonstop flights from Miami. They’re gonna provide immediate value compared to more in season.” 

Massa said a place like Portugal can be 30-40% cheaper compared to Italy or France this time of year.  And he said outdoor enthusiasts can save up to 50-60% if they go to Canada compared to Aspen in the summer. 

“They’re not the place that the usual traveler thinks of. Less tourists, better value,” Massa said.

If you’re looking for deals online, Amazon has travel deals for Prime Day. You can save on gas, rental cars, cruises and select hotels. Some of those deals are available now.

Ojeda said when you’re done exploring and need a place to crash, she usually finds better prices on Airbnb compared to hotels. 

“I feel like the gem of being in an Airbnb gives that whole personal experience,” Ojeda said.

Massa says if you want to save money traveling internationally, you should go to a place that has better currency exchange rates. That means countries like Japan, Canada, Argentina and Peru, your dollar is worth more in these countries than it is in the United States.