If you’re searching for the perfect holiday experience without any sticker shock, you might be surprised to learn that renting a holiday villa in the resort destination of your choice is not as expensive as you might think.  Many travelers miss out on this exceptionally affordable segment of the market simply because they don’t include holiday villas in their vacation search, thinking that anything with the word “villa” involved must be too expensive.  You might not be able to afford many Tuscan holiday villas, but you’ll probably be able to find one or two that suits your budget.

There are several ways to take advantage of this relatively small segment of the travel market, and it helps to understand where and when to look.

First, the timing.  In the travel industry, it helps to either make your reservations very early or very late.  Most people firm up their plans in the couple of months prior to departure.  This is precisely when prices are at their maximum.  This is no surprise, as higher demand means higher prices.  For this reason, many vendors don’t offer early bookings, knowing that they can sell the same accommodations at significantly higher prices if they open reservations later.  However, some vendors do allow you to book well in advance, and they’re the first source of savings.

The second time you can save quite a bit of money on your holiday villa booking is at the last minute.  Global late deals are a little-known secret, but can save you thousands on your holiday plans.  Travel vendors and resorts often have excess capacity that they try to sell at the last minute.  Knowing that few travelers can travel on short notice, they have to price their accommodations very attractively.  If you holiday schedule is flexible and you’re not terribly particular about which amazing destination you see, booking late can be a source of tremendous savings.

The final source of cheap holiday villas is through the timeshare industry.  The timeshare business model is much maligned, and for good reason.  Customers pay large sums of money for partial deeds to properties in desirable locations, and pay equally unsavory monthly maintenance fees on top of that.  The fact is that most people don’t use their timeshare weeks, and a very large number of timeshare properties sit vacant.  There are travel agencies specializing in booking unused timeshares at tremendous discounts, and you can find holiday villas for a couple hundred per week.  That’s a favorable price by any measure!

Planning just a little bit ahead can help you find the right holiday villa at an affordable price.