Being willing to switch when, where and how you travel can still land you affordable trips on a week's notice.

It's happened to us all. You go in to work on a Monday morning to find your colleagues gleefully discussing their plans for the upcoming long weekend – the long weekend you completely forgot was coming up. You're desperately in need of a break, but it seems too late to make plans now…. or is it?

No need to settle for another weekend in your pyjamas watching The White Lotus for the seventh time. While planning ahead – ideally two weeks or more – is best in terms of both cost and availability, it's still possible to organise a reasonably priced holiday with less than a week's notice. Here are some expert tips on how to do it.

Flights are usually the hardest (and priciest) aspect of a super last-minute trip. "Airlines tend to increase fares as the flight approaches," said Rachel Mumford, UK travel expert at KAYAK. "So, while booking flights as early as possible is typically the best way to secure deals, that's not always possible."

Mumford and other experts stressed that flexibility is the key to overcoming this hurdle. "For travellers booking within the week, flexibility is your superpower," Jesse Neugarten, founder and CEO of Dollar Flight Club, told the BBC. "When you're planning a trip just days in advance, the more flexible you are on dates, times and even destinations, the more likely you are to score a great deal."

You can also look for a package: "Pick a destination that is easy to get to and offers plenty of experiences that can be arranged on short notice," suggested Tania Humana, director of sales at Banyan Tree Mayakob in the Riviera Maya. "Looking for packages that combine accommodation and activities will help you get the most out of your trip."

If you're just happy to get out of town, search engines like Google Travel and KAYAK let you search for flights to "anywhere", a bonus when looking for cheap last-minute........

© BBC