Many people ask me about finding travel deals. I am updated my list of fave travel tips and websites for you to use when planning summer travel and beyond.
Tip #1: Start with Kayak, Trivago and/or HotelsCombined to compare airline, hotel and rental car prices and get a baseline price range of what the trip could cost.
Tip#2: Check your credit card companies and airlines for opportunities to use points for some or all of your trip or stay. Don’t book with points until you see the costs at the best price site/company. This takes a bit of extra time but it can be worth it! Do some cost/benefit analysis.
Tip #3: Be open minded when planning your destination/accommodations. We have gotten great deals on new properties or by swapping cities (or even countries) after we started our research. The Husband is a good travel deal finder, too!
Tip #4: Consider distance from the airport and time to get to locations in your planning, too. A great deal could go sour if it costs a ton of extra money to get there or if you waste an extra day in transit.
Tip #5: When possible, book refundable options for hotels and tickets in case you see deals later on. Check local deal sites – like Groupon, Gilt City or Travelzoo for extra savings on local eats, treats and sites. And before you book ANY travel online, don’t forget to check ebates! You can get cash back on whatever you book – even 1% cash back on a big trip can really add up!
Links I Love for Travel Deals and Information:
- Jetsetter – offers great hotel deals from the folks behind Gilt City. They offer “access to the world’s greatest travel experiences at members-only prices.” They have curated sales that last from 5 – 7 days and also a great magazine and editors tips for planning trips to the cities they highlight. This is a great way to get access to hotels that seem out of reach! It is “invite only” but this link is your invite! It is free to join.
- Travelzoo – an aggregator of great deals for travel and local things to do wherever you go – in the US and abroad. They also have comparison search and great “last minute” trips for the last minute traveler.
- Quikbook -offers great hotel deals – especially in NYC and Miami! I used them for deals at the Standard in Miami and several times in NYC including the Ace Hotel and Wall Street hotels for the NY marathon. They have “secret sales” where you can book before the hotel is revealed (but enough info to figure it out and know it will be OK for you!) and great rates at hotels that are revealed to you. I also like that many do not require prepayment and there are no hidden fees. I recommend this site often.
- American Excursionist – is a site that offers deals on unique trips worldwide – they have special offers and you have the ability to get quotes for custom itineraries, as well. The cool thing is that you can book a whole trip with them or one day. They offer cool ideas, expert resources and good prices. I have not booked with them yet, but I would love to!
- Independent Traveler – this site looks very 1999, but they offer tons of great deals and information on trips all over the world. This site started in 1990 on AOL! It is “an interactive traveler’s exchange and comprehensive online travel guide for a community of travelers who enjoy the fun of planning their own trips and the adventure of independent travel.” You can access a wealth of travel resources and great bargains here.
- Stayful is a new site and app are like a Priceline bidding service for boutique hotels. Stayful is the first hotel service focused on independent, boutique hotels with a unique bidding system. Their system gathers pricing data when you search and assists you in bidding. You can make reservations up to 30 days in advance. If you tweet them at via @stayful #tweetstay, they will help you get the best deal. How cool is that? Sign up for Stayful (free), you get $25 credit to use just for signing up. You can then refer friends and earn $100 for 10 friends signing up. The site is free. If you want to check it out, please use this link so I can get some credit, too. Another win-win!
- Travel Pony is a hotel booking website with everyday prices that are often 10-70% below the big travel sites. To use Travel Pony, you need to login via Facebook (no data/auto posting required), that “unlocks” preferred pricing and some of the best deals around on hotels. Want to try it? You get $35 credit on your first booking if you sign up with this link.
- Hotel Tonight is an app that offers last-minute deals on unsold hotel rooms in many cities. Discounts can be up to 70%. You can book the deals easily and securely on your smartphone. Rooms open up at noon on the first day of the reservation and can be booked for 1 – 5 days. Now you can look for rooms for tomorrow night and even pick dates for the next 10 days.
- Traveldudes – is a great a website “by travelers for travelers.” It offers great inside intel for places near and far!
I am sure there are many more that I am forgetting. I will keep updating and adding to these links and keep them current on my Found Links page.
What are your go-to travel sites for deals? What am I missing? What is the best deal that you have gotten? Please tell me in the comments. All of this writing about traveling has me dreaming of more fun trips ahead! Where are you planning to go next year? Need any help planning so I can live vicariously through you?
Please note: This post contains affiliate links. For some sites, I will get referral credit if you use these link, but I was not compensated for this post.