Skip Black Friday And Cyber Monday And Book Your Vacation On Travel Tuesday

Although the year starts coming to an end around the holiday season, it's not too soon to start thinking about and booking next year's travel plans. If you're looking for some of the best deals, skip Black Friday and Cyber Monday and mark your calendar for the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, aka Travel Tuesday. In general, Tuesdays are the best day to book your flight for cheaper travel, but now, this day is specifically dedicated to getting good travel deals — the same way that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are some of the best days to get in-store and online discounts for merchandise. The concept of Travel Tuesday has been trending more over the past few years, and various airlines, hotels, and booking sites have taken notice and started dropping prices or offering upgrades and free advantages on that day.

Utilizing Travel Tuesday deals should be considered one of the most effective ways to save money while booking flights. You may need to make the purchase that day, so have some ideas in mind of where you want to go and when. That way, you can snap up the deals before they're gone. Do a Google search of your destination and the phrase "Travel Tuesday" or "Cyber Week" (which broadly refers to deals from Black Friday through the next week) to see what travel companies might be offering deals. If you want to streamline your budget flight search, Skyscanner.com has a price alert function, so you can find out if the price of a certain route has gone down, including on Travel Tuesday. This also helps to avoid looking at different airline websites.

Hopper is the travel app credited with starting the Travel Tuesday trend, and they'll be continuing the tradition. For 2024, their website confirms that you can expect to find "discounts 15-50% off and deals on over 10,000 hotel properties in destinations around the world." Hilton is offering special deals in select locations starting on Black Friday that go through Travel Tuesday, and Hyatt has up to 45% off at some of their properties.

To really help maximize your chances of getting the best discounts for a hotel stay on Travel Tuesday, you should look into being a member of a rewards program. If you're a member of Marriott Bonvoy, you can get up to 25% off at some of their hotels around the world if you book during Cyber Week. They have hotels in 10,000 destinations, like Koloa Landing Resort on Kauai, with world-class amenities and one of America's best pools. The One Key loyalty program for Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo is offering 15% off car rentals and 30% off hotels for their members.

With all the good deals out there, you'll have plenty of options to put together your dream vacation. However, don't get carried away, as the seeming urgency of a one-day-only deal might lead you to book something that you can't really afford. It would be smart to start looking into the trips you'd like to take now so you'll be able to differentiate between a good deal and something that just seems like a bargain but actually isn't. Of course, always be sure to read the fine print for any blackout dates or hidden charges before you check out.