Contrary to popular belief, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday (and every day in between) deals are not good for electronics, appliances and clothing only. Over the last few days  I’ve done a lot of research and compiled a list of apps, websites, and services that you should use to catch the best travel deals in the coming weeks. According to DealNews, hotel sales start on Thanksgiving but the best travel deals will happen on or around Cyber Monday. Increase your chances of getting a better deal by booking through an app – that’s the new big thing. 

Please help my readers and me by commenting some of your tips, too!

  1. Skyscanner – I rave about this one in every article. Download it and check out their deals and weekend getaway section for deals. 
  2. Jetradar – Like Skyscanner, Jetradar is fabulous for finding cheap flights 
  3. Cheapflights.com – These guys have new deals every week so definitley be on the lookout via their website during the next couple of weeks especially. 
  4. Hotel Look – Great app for hotel deals because it searches hundreds of websites to find you the best deal 
  5. Hotel Tonight– I caught literally the greatest last minute hotel deals through this app … this is a classic. If you are a first timer, use the code EKARAFIN for $25 off (thank you !!) They’ve had some incredible Black Friday deals in the past so I am expecting more this time around. 
  6. Flight Center – I’ve booked flights with these guys multiple times and haven’t had a bad experience yet ! They typically have prices a few dollars less than the apps I use so I always come back to do business with them. TIP: Call in to get even better deals and experience the best customer service you have probably ever had 518-320-8680. These guys are very helpful and informative and have some of the best deals on the market.
  7. Ebates – This is a no brainer – you should start using ebates now ! For every purchase you make on partnering sites (including dozens of travel sites), you get a ton of money back in a check form. Ebates will be running a ton of deals during the next few weeks so expect to have a really high % back from partnering travel sites.
  8. Google Flights -I like that it gives you tips on traveling cheaper by giving you other example dates
    • Enter more than one departure airport if you have multiple options you can fly from, this tool will find the flights from all of them (up to 5) and list them in order of price so you can see the least expensive option
  9. Travel Pirates – Follow these guys on Facebook and stay on the lookout – I am expecting a lot of deals from thm in the coming weeks.
  10. Travelzoo – I highly recommend signing up for their newsletter because they send FABULOUS deals straight to your inbox.
  11. Scott’s Cheap Flights– Great for error fares, you can get a free account, set up your departure location and get free deals sent to your inbox. He only sends the BEST deals that are available so you won’t get any spam in your inbox (and anyways, is cheap travel ever spam?) 
  12. Groupon Getaways – Expecting some great deals during the holidays !
  13. Expedia – Expedia always has some great deals around this time of the year. Make sure to keep an eye out on them.
  14. Here are some great deals from The Points Guy: 
    • For Hyatt’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale, the chain is discounting hotels throughout the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Latin America by up to 25%. Reservations must be booked by November 29, 2016 for stays through November 29, 2017. Request the “Hyatt Holiday Rate” if you’re booking over the phone.
    • When you book eligible stays between November 25 and November 28 directly through Marriott using the promo code 444, you can score up to 25% off. Nightly rates are available for as little as $80 in New York City and $94 in Paris.
    • Starwood’s deals were set to launch on November 21, ahead of Thanksgiving, but they appear to be live as of November 19. You can book all the way through December 4 for stays through September 4, 2017. You’ll find rates of up to 30% off at select hotels, and SPG members will get an extra 5% off, so it’s definitely worth signing up if you aren’t already a member.
  15. All The Flight Deals – Great for error fares !
  16. The Flight Deal and Fare Deal Alert are sister websites (www.theflightdeal.com and www.faredealalert.com) with the best daily flight deals. Follow their Twitter and Facebook pages for the most up to date deals. They post roughly 6-10 deals a day and never link you to shady Online Travel Agency websites.
  17. Airfare Watchdog – Expecting these guys to email out some great holiday deals in the comming weeks
  18. Hopper – Great app that predicts whether a flight will increase or decrease in price in the future based on historical trends. This is great to decide whether you should book now or wait. 
  19. Momondo – Another app that has some great deals 
  20. Frontier Airlines – I flew to Miami roundtrip from NYC for $56. Yes, this is real and they regularly have incredible deals on flights. Worth looking into as there will be many sales coming up!
  21. Fareness – Look out for deals on their front page
  22. Student Universe – Use their promo code website while booking !
  23. Skypicker – Very sweet deals that you can see right on their front page.
  24. For international flights try first any metasearch like Kayak/Google flights/Skyscanner then submit result as BeatMyPrice at https://Flystein.com/ – usually they are able to save quite a lot! Also you could just specify some realistic max budget and they will find best options for you. 

Tips for booking:

  • If you are using a computer, always search for travel in incognito mode. More often than not, travel websites use your search trends to show you different prices. How to get to incognito mode.
  • Buy your ticket using a different currency. Believe it or not, sometimes this actually makes a noticeable difference in the price!
  • Use a VPN (virtual private network) like CyberGhost. Try searching flights from different locations.
Sources: The Points Guy, DealNews, GirlsLoveTravel.