Mike in Maryland emailed: I’m a retired New York City firefighter living in Maryland. I’ve heard there are great deals if one can travel at the last minute. Are there sources that list unsold spaces on tourist cruises, etc. that may go unfilled if not sold?

Peter responded: There are lots of them, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re all going to be good.

First, sign up for all the airline alerts which usually come out on a Tuesday. I like the email alerts on the airlines because if you just have a sense of adventure and you’re not setting your heart on any one particular destination, you’re going to see things like $79 flights to Des Moines and $59 flights to Topeka, Kansas. And you know what? If you’re bored that day and you’ve never been, for $59, go to Topeka. You might be pleasantly surprised.

If you have a destination in mind, then you go to a website like LastMinuteTravel.com and every once in a while you’ll actually get a deal. But watch out for the asterisk, because if you’re traveling overseas that asterisk means that the overseas taxes. For example, the actual travel taxes imposed by the British government can be more than the actual ticket cost.

For cruise lines, there are “cruise ship consolidators” that specialize in last minute cruises. A few companies are Worldwide Cruises, CruiseOne.com, CruiseBrothers.com and CruCon.com. There’s one these companies are not going to sell you the airfare at the last minute. They’re only going to sell you the space on the ship.

For more last minute travel ideas check out, check out our weekly travel deals column.

Brenda emailed:What is the least expensive way of change dollars to euros when you arrive in Ireland?

Peter responded: Use an ATM card from a bank that doesn’t charge you to use ATMs. And there are a number of banks that will do that. Also only taking out the money you need for the time that you need it. So many people want to change their money before they leave the United States and they pay such a hefty premium.

Do not change money in the United States before you go. You’ll be paying an expensive premium. Don’t change money with money changers or at banks because you’re not getting a very good exchange rate and you’re also paying, in many cases, commissions both when you change it first and when you re-change it back.

For more information on currency exchanges, check out the Money & Currency archives.