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I didn't see a thread here on travel deals, so thought i would post one here. Maybe people can update this thread with deals from time to time. There is a deal going on with Lufthansa right now. Must book between Mar 13th-15th.
How about we post places we regularly find travel deals?
1) Travelzoo.com: has new deals all the time. Some not really wonderful, some great.
2) Priceline (name your own price)/Hotwire.com: For some reason, people are still afraid to use this service. For large cities (where you can browse by specific neighborhood), you can beat the prices. They're usually at LEAST 50% less than what you see advertised on any other site. The catch? you don't see the name of the hotel until AFTER you buy (because the hotel is being sold for lower than their advertised priced, thus they don'y show the name). What they do is show a neighborhood (i.e. Midtown West in Manhattan) and a star rating (i.e. 3.5 stars) and a price. That means if you buy, you're getting a 3.5 star hotel in Midtown West and you'll only find out the name after you pay. Perfect since the neighborhood itself is fairly safe and no matter what the brand name, you're going to be somewhere comfortable.
What my process is... I usually go to a site like Kayak.com and search for my city and dates. I get a general idea of what the lowest advertised price is that way and also which hotels are where. Then, I go to Hotwire.com. Hotwire will have the "hidden" names and low prices by neighborhood. What this does is give me an idea of the steeply discounted price will be. My last step is to go to Priceline.com and do "Name your own price." I click the neighborhoods and star ratings I want, and using the hotwire price as a baseline, I bid about 10-15 percent LESS than that. 9/10 times it's successful. If not, you can bid again in 72 hours (or instantly with different criteria... or you can just use a different account and try again). This is how I stay at 4 and 5 star hotels for dirt cheap (well under $100 for cities like Boston, NYC, SF, Chicago, etc).
It's worth noting that best prices are within about 2-3 days of the desired stay. This method works best for spontaneous trips. Also, if you want a better idea of which hotel you're getting, there are DOZENS of sites that have communities that list recent Priceline biddding results so you can get a feel (for example, in Providence RI, if you bid on a 4-star hotel, you'll either get the Westin or the Renaissance).
3) Being crafty. This works with flights. Popular knowledge says that round trips are ALWAYS the best deals. Not always true, particularly from the US to Asia, Europe, etc. Check one way flights as well as round trips (especially international flights). You may be surprised. Also, use a site like Kayak which compares the airline's site as well as sites like Orbitz, Expedia, etc. for you.
Book through the country of origin as MUCH as possible. The U.S. charges astronomical taxes both on travelers and airlines. They're inevitable when traveling to/from the US, but not internationally. However, if you're spending, say, 3 weeks in China and traveling domestically by air while you're there, you can save a LOT of money by booking through their websites. So check the prices of (for example) a Beijing-Shanghai flight on an engine like Kayak to get an idea of what the cost will be. Then, go to the airlines domestic site (make sure you don't click "N. America/USA"... click "China") and run the search again. Services like Kayak only check US versions. You'll then be subject to hundreds of dollars of US taxes (same with Air China's US site). The Chinese site (or Indian, Japanese, British, etc) is exempt from those taxes and will almost always be cheaper than if you booked that flight through a U.S. based website.
4) In expensive cities, rent an apartment. This applies for cities like Paris, New York, San Francisco, London, etc. Websites like VRBO (http://www.vrbo.com/ - broken link), Homeaway, and many more locally specific ones (seach: "[city] vacation rental") rent out nightly and weekly apartments for the same price and sometimes even less than a hotel room. The difference? 1, you can fit more people in the apartment. Great for small families and groups of friends. They also have full kitchens and refrigerators which allow you to store food you picked up at a local grocery or market. You can also cook breakfast, lunch and dinner if you want so you aren't forced to eat out ALL the time which is an extraordinarily expensive part of traveling. I'm not a breakfast person. So having cereal or pancake mix and cooking my own breakfast is no problem. Sandwiches and snacks for lunch are good too. Finally, most apartments are in residential neighborhoods which means two things: A) Prices at shops and restaurants nearby are more reasonable since they're geared towards residents and not towards tourists. B) You get a more authentic experience of what life in [insert city here] is like. It's something I constantly do and will continue to do. I've always enjoyed renting an apartment more than a hotel. It's saved me some money too.
For those who have emails with Southwest(i actually don't have one myself, but thought some of you might):
Southwest Airlines - 25% off Roundtrip Fare For Click 'n Save Subscribers (check emails)
There from southwest that said: 25% discount valid for one-time use at southwest.com or SWABIZ.com off the total amount of a roundtrip Wanna Get Away Fare purchase before taxes and fees.
There is a code in the email.
Fine print:
Purchase must be made between 3/17/12 and 3/18/12 for travel between 4/10/12 and 5/16/12.
Blackout dates apply system wide 4/15/12. If any portion of travel falls on a blackout date, the discount will not apply.
Blackout dates apply for travel to/from Florida 4/10-4/16/12 and 5/6/12. If any portion of travel falls on a blackout date, the discount will not apply.
Discount is valid to/from all Southwest Airlines markets.
The discount is only valid with the provided Promotion Code and is not combinable with other Promotion Codes or fares available exclusively through the web tool DING!.
This promotion includes only Wanna Get Away Fares.
7-day or more advance purchase may be required.
Discount is not valid on reservations made using Rapid Rewards points.
Changes made to the itinerary after purchase may eliminate qualifications for this promotion.
$39 per person per night at Cofrese Palm Beach and Spa -all inclusive- in Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic. Book by March 22. Good for travel from April 9, 2012- December 23, 2012. Here's where to book.
I just checked a few dates to make sure it's not one of those that they advertise and you can never actually get the rate. This one's legit.
5 nights in an overwater bungalow in at the Huahine Te Tiarre Beach Resort in Huahine, French Polynesia. Includes breakfasts, activities, private balcony, whirlpool... just $1,600 @ Luxurylink.com
Note: Must book by April 30 for travel between April 4 and June 15. Blackout dates are May 25, 2012 and May 28, 2012. See terms & conditions for more information
Promotional code will be sent to the email provided
For American Express cardholders, you may receive 10% of your first purchase of Main Cabin Tickets at Virgin America online back as a statement credit when you sync your card to your Twitter account and tweet #AmexVirginAmer. If you want to know how, just search for "Amex Sync with Twitter: How To" on youtube and watch the video
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Two deals in Europe:
