Impromptu Adventures – Quick Tips for a Last-Minute Trip

Ever decided to simply pack the car and head to your favourite holiday cabin in Brisbane for a quick time-out? Or maybe a a desire to head out to some faraway place, find a caravan park or campground and relax for the weekend? Studies show that at nearly 15% of Aussies have planned a last-minute trip just one week prior to their departure. Stress at work, the need for a break, and wanting to spend time with family often drives our decisions to get away from it all – and FAST!

Look for Deals and Best Rates

Before you pack your bags and fly out the door, jump online and check for last-minute deals. Quite often caravan parks and holiday villages will have discounts available – which you can take advantage of and save some money to spend on your quick getaway. If you prefer to book online, always compare rates quoted on 3rd party sites and booking apps to those on the hotel’s own site. There are some amazing deals out there, but by checking a hotel’s website it’s often cheeper to simply book direct! For example: Brisbane Holiday Village offers the best rates of all 3rd party bookings sites that list our accommodation – with 10% off daily rates for booking direct!

Bang for your Buck

While you’re checking out the best rates, high and low seasons, and generally stalking the internet for the best deal, make sure you don’t forget about what it is you’re actually getting. You may secure a room for a week at a cool hotel for $450.. But, your room may also be right above the restaurant that hosts open-mic karaoke from 6 – 10 every night, charges $25 for 5 minutes of dial-up internet and requires a VIP swipe card in order to use any of the facilities – which conveniently (or inconveniently), wasn’t part of your package. The point is: Check the facilities on offer! At Brisbane Holiday Village, we have a huge range of facilities and nearly all of them are FREE!

• 18-hole Mini Golf (small fee to hire putter)
• BBQ Area
• Tennis Court (small fee to hire tennis racket and balls, but you can use your own for free if you have them)
• On-Site Restaurant – Lagoona Resort Restaurant
• Resort-style Pool
• Kid’s Splash Pool
• Multi-purpose Sports Field
• Playgrounds
• Instant PhotoBooth
• Table Tennis (small fee to hire paddles and balls, but you can use your own for free if you have them)
• Bike Track
• Bird Feeding
• Amenity Blocks
• Laundries (coin operated machines)
• Welcome Lounge

 

Check Social Media and Sign-up for Newsletters

Social Media has everything these days. It can often be a bit of a hassle for a hotel or resort to update their whole website for just a few spare rooms – So check the Socials! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc, can be a haven of last-minute trip deals. You don’t have to see their posts all the time – but they’ll be there when you need them! Another good idea is to sign up to a few online newsletters (like ours)– there may be a last-minute trip with your name on it! Most holiday parks aren’t spammy with their emails (we’re not) – once a month you’ll receive deals, specials, prizes, tips and tricks for all your holiday needs!

Check the Bank Balance

This one seems fairly obvious.. but you don’t want to plan a last-minute trip without ensuring that you do, in fact, have enough money to get you there and back! Make sure that your everyday transaction account has enough money in it to get you to through your trip.

• Remember that not everywhere accepts cards (and some places even levy a surcharge).
• Have a back-up plan: it might be worth transferring some money across from your savings just to make sure that you’re covered.

The best way to ensure that your last-minute trip is budget friendly, is to ensure that it does fit in your budget!  

Don’t Forget the Essentials

Again with the obviousness.. but once you’ve booked your trip – don’t run out the door just yet! While it can be tempting to rush and pack quickly, this can lead to inconvenience when you arrive and find that all your underwear (or that very important medication) was left back at home, sitting on the kitchen bench. Save yourself the hassle of being without your essentials, and the spending needless money to replace them, and double check to make sure that you’ve packed your toiletries, medications and other things that you just can’t live without. If you do happen to forget things (because you’ll, of course, be staying with us #shameless), Brisbane Holiday Village has its very own convenience store that’s chock full of essential toiletries and food!

Fuel in the Tank?

There’s nothing worse than a getaway car that breaks down before your house leaves your review mirror.. That’s not to say ‘get a full service done’ before you leave. Simply stop at a servo on the way, fill the tank, check your oil, water and coolant levels and make sure that your ride has the best chance of leaving your worries in the dust! Think of the money you’ll save if you take 3 minutes to fill the coolant up or top up the water. Better spending 3 minutes and $6 on coolant, than a 4 hour walk, a new radiator hose and getting heatstroke whilst waiting for a truck to tow your car!  

Get travelling!

Go forth and book your last-minute trip!

– The BHV Team

Follow us on our socials: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram for great discounts, competitions and prizes! Review us: We LOVE to hear your feedback!