Black Friday and Cyber Monday Travel Tips and Tricks

Everyone knows the Black Friday and Cyber Monday lore: giant retail stores offer outrageous deals and doorbusters on their top-of-the-line, expensive products. On Thanksgiving evening and into Friday, shoppers line up for hours and claw their way through the masses in the hopes of scoring a discounted flat-screen TV or new Nikon camera. Cyber Monday offers a more laid-back—though equally manic—approach with a slew of competitive flash sales and online auctions. For hours, people fight over electronics, furniture, and fashion products, but very few people actually take advantage of some of the biggest savings Black Friday has to offer through travel discounts. From airfare to hotels, Black Friday weekend offers all sorts of ridiculous discounts perfect to scratch that travel itch for a low cost. Below, we have detailed some of the discounts available for Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year.

Travel Well with Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday is the day to stalk your favorite airline’s website for some crazy flash sales. In the past, airlines such as British Airways, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Virgin America, and JetBlue have all participated in the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales events. Airlines offer hundreds of dollars off of a selection of their weekday flights—generally one-way—so this is a great way to travel on a budget. For airfare, remember that seats are limited, so hurry to find the best deal!

Interested in doing a European tour? Rail Europe will offer 30% off of their train tickets, and they will also offer $100 off of their Eurail passes. Eurail passes are essentially gold for long-term travelers; they provide an entire month’s worth of train tickets throughout most major European cities for one flat rate. The Black Friday Rail Europe offers will save any traveler a bundle. This Black Friday sale will last from November 27th until December 4th.

Black Friday Hotel

Hotels all over the country are offering massive Black Friday sales, as long as you know where to look. Many hotel chains are offering between 20%-40% off of certain nights throughout 2016. Some of the major participants in Black Friday include Hilton Worldwide, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Best Western, Destination Hotels, AirBnB, and the Hyatt Regency. Some of these hotel companies offer discounted rooms all over the country. 

Many of these hotels do have blackout dates when there are no available rooms, so be sure to pay attention to these dates while booking. Most Black Friday hotel sales run over the weekend, from November 27th to November 30th. Remember that supplies are often limited for these kinds of incredible deals, so book as early as you can!

Expedia.com

Expedia has become the king of Black Friday travel sales; for convenience's sake, the number one place to shop for affordable travel deals is Expedia. This website will offer 75% off of hotels on Black Friday, and 90% off hourly flash sales on Cyber Monday. These deals are only valid through the Expedia app and website. Through Expedia, travelers can book both their hotel and their flights at the same time, making it a fabulous and convenient way to take advantage of the Black Friday travel sales.