| Introduction | | | | source the best holiday at the best price. However |
| We all know someone like my friend Carol. She has | | | | there was more to it that this - to Carol what had |
| done fairly well for herself and holds down a | | | | started as a bit of fun had now become a regular |
| reasonable job. She works as a primary school | | | | pastime. Carol admitted that she spent a lot of her |
| teacher here in the U.K. but quite frankly her salary is | | | | free time searching out the best deals. |
| nothing to write home about. Yet, (and this is the | | | | Part of the reason for me asking the question of |
| amazing thing), Carol always seems to be able to | | | | Carol was that I had a holiday planned and needed to |
| take the most remarkable holidays outside of term | | | | find a cheap vacation myself. When I asked for her |
| time. Amongst our group of friends she is known as | | | | best tips she really surprised me. From what little she |
| the "supremo of cheap last minute foreign holidays" | | | | had told me so far that her methods I assumed |
| as she always seems to be away on some Caribbean | | | | Carol found all of her low cost holidays by searching |
| cruise or safari in Africa. One of her cheap vacations | | | | the Internet. But this was not the case. It transpired |
| last year wasn't quite so glamorous - she visited | | | | that Carol had many contacts in the travel industry |
| Argentina and stayed in some metal shack type | | | | itself, and could receive a call from personal call from |
| accommodation, but when you are literally booking | | | | any one of them at any time with an offer of |
| holidays at the last second you have to be prepared | | | | holiday a discounted price. Because they had known |
| to take the rough with the smooth sometimes. | | | | Carol for a long time, they were familiar with her |
| All in all, I know that Carol has had some great | | | | requirements exactly, they were well aware of her |
| experiences and doesn't regret any of the holidays | | | | personal situation in terms of here availability i.e. when |
| she has taken. She is the most travelled person I | | | | she did not work and the fact that she would be |
| know, which can only enrich the lives of the children | | | | willing to travel at a moments notice Because of |
| she teaches. A couple of months I invited Carol over | | | | Carol's availability and willingness to travel, this made |
| to my house for dinner with an ulterior motive in | | | | her a very good contact to have for the travel |
| mind. I had been curious about her ability to find the | | | | agents and this was reciprocated by the agents in |
| low-cost holidays for some time and finally my | | | | that Carol's was able to get some of the very best |
| inquisitiveness had got the better of me. The | | | | deals available. |
| moment I had served dinner I decided to ask her | | | | Conclusion |
| outright how she managed to afford so many | | | | If you are looking for cheap last minute foreign |
| wonderful exotic holidays each year. She stared back | | | | holidays and cheap vacations, keep a close eye on |
| at me for a moment, with a somewhat perplexed | | | | site like last That said, it is equally important to |
| look on her faced as if I was trying to pry into her | | | | develop a close relationship with you local travel |
| soul for some dark secret she was keeping, then she | | | | agent, making then aware of you exact requirements |
| merely gave the answer that I had been expecting | | | | in terms of location and price and contact them |
| all along. She told me she used websites like to | | | | often. |