Travel Deal of the Day (May 12, 2010)

If you have not yet booked a Memorial Day weekend vacation, time may be on your side, especially if you are considering a vacation in Florida. With the current economic conditions and the threat of an oil spill affecting the beautiful Florida beaches, you may find more vacancies along Florida's beaches over the holiday weekend than in past years. You may find the best deals within seven days of the holiday weekend. Be on the lookout for last minute air and hotel specials, especially in larger, business-oriented hotels that have many rooms to fill and might be more affected by the economic conditions. Also, hotels might be more willing to unload unsold rooms via Priceline and Hotwire if they see decreased demand, but especially for the most in-demand days over the holiday weekend, you may have to wait until just before the holiday weekend to find such deals. You may also have success negotiating with owners of rental properties on vrbo.com (Vacation Rentals by Owner) than in prior years.