Craigslist offers last-minute Labor Day travel deals

It’s OK if you haven’t even started thinking about Labor Day until now. There are still plenty of getaways to book, especially if you’re thinking of vacation rentals. Craigslist is a great resource for last-minute travel options. I took a look at the “vacation rentals” section of Craigslist Los Angeles and found options in Palm Springs, Mammoth, Big Bear and San Diego’s Gaslamp district. Grabbing the deal requires a bit of trust and a little bit of phone calling or e-mailing to see if the accommodations are still available.

Deal: When I looked this morning, there were:

> a little apartment in Santa Monica near the “Montana Avenue shops, cafes, restaurants” going for $100 a night. It wasn’t four-star, but if you’re just looking for location, the price is right.

> a Newport Beach house that was appealing to the Disneyland-family-beach vacation crowd. It included tons of pics of the property and rates ran $350 per night over the holidays. Weekly rates were in the $2,250 ballpark but were negotiable.

> Want a week at the track? There was a vacation condo available Labor Day week right across from the Del Mar Race Track for $1,600.

> A Palm Springs movie colony estate had been on offer for $895/night since Aug. 15 for Labor Day weekend.

Tips: If you’re just looking to book for the Labor Day holiday, use the search tool and weed through the mass of posts by hunting for “Labor Day.” Last-minute options will often have targeted text to let you know they’re available specifically around holiday time. I also tick the “has image” box so that I then get only results from listings that contain both “Labor Day” and a photo in the posting. That keeps some of the guesswork down and helps you know just what you’re getting despite creative language.

Note: Sometimes cleaning fees are not included in the price. Ask about that before you finalize the booking.

Caveat: Be warned that scammers lurk on Craigslist, pulling the wool in areas that include real estate fraud and fake sports tickets. Craigslist has a page offering tips on avoiding scams, but here are two other resources that you can read if you’ve never shopped in an online community format. Read: Scammers exploit online trust factor [Los Angeles Times], and Should Craiglist Do More to Protect Its Users? [Smart Money]

Have you had any luck with vacation rentals on Craigslist? Tell us your best and worst experiences.

– Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger

[Image: losangeles.craigslist.org]

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2008 at 1:29 pm by Jen Leo and is filed under California, Deals, Last Minute, Los Angeles, News, Tips & Advice, Palm Springs, San Diego, Summer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.