MW When Travel Tuesday deals start - and 5 tips for booking the best ones
By Zoe Han
What to know about Cyber Week's latest sales event, which is supposed to be the Black Friday or Cyber Monday of travel deals
The holiday-shopping gauntlet of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday has another sales event that's trying to tap people's wallets: Travel Tuesday.
The first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, which lands on Dec. 3 this year, has become a day for discounts on airline flights, hotels, cruises and other travel deals over the past few years. Search volume for "Travel Tuesday" grew more than fivefold between 2021 and 2023, according to a recent McKinsey report. Google Trends data show "Travel Tuesday" searches reaching an all-time high in November 2024.
Travel companies are seeing interest in the trend take flight. "We're a bit shocked at how the search volume has started much earlier this year for Travel Tuesday," said Rosemarie Reed, senior vice president of marketing at Cruises.com. The search interest in "Travel Tuesday" on the Cruises.com website has been soaring since Nov. 18, and was about 30% higher than in the same period in 2023, Reed told MarketWatch.
Travel Tuesday has become an opportunity for travel companies to reach new clients as an extension of Cyber Monday - as well as a way for the tourism industry to get some extra buzz (and business) as traveling heads into its winter slow season, experts said. It's "tapping into the heightened post-Thanksgiving shopping energy," said Veronica Diquattro, president of trip comparison and booking platform Omio.
Many travel brands are jumping on the Travel Tuesday train. Booking site Hopper has launched a separate Travel Tuesday site for bargains this year, including hotel deals for up to 50% off. American Airlines( AAL) has said it has new routes available for shoppers on Travel Tuesday, including from Philadelphia to Copenhagen, Denmark, and Miami to La Romana, Dominican Republic.
The rise of Travel Tuesday has led to plenty of fodder for social-media influencers, as well. Madison Rolley, a Nashville, Tenn.-based travel-content creator, was able to book three nights at a four-star hotel in New York City in April for $250 a night on last year's Travel Tuesday - easily $100 below the standard rate. This year, she started posting Travel Tuesday videos in October, and has seen her audience engagement take off.
"I got over 600 emails asking for specific help," Rolley told MarketWatch. She's now put out nearly two dozen videos to help viewers strategize finding deals or to answer her followers' travel questions, with more content on deck to feed the demand.
But buyers should beware - Travel Tuesday is not the be-all and end-all of travel savings, and consumers should check the fine print on the deals they see. Some have caveats such as limited trip-date availability, noted Katy Nastro, travel expert at Going.com, a flight-deal-comparison company.
"I think people should get it out of their heads that they're going to find a supercheap flight for holiday travel on Travel Tuesday - that is highly unlikely," Nastro said. And although more airlines have joined the Travel Tuesday sale event, the deals they're offering are comparable to ones that are available at other times of the year, Nastro added.
So how do you find - and book - the best Travel Tuesday deals? Below are five tips that travel experts shared with MarketWatch to get the most out of Travel Tuesday.
1. Be flexible and realistic
Most Travel Tuesday deals will probably be for trips during winter months, aka the slow season, industry experts said. This means that if you have your heart set on finding a cheap ticket to Italy in August - which is a peak time to travel to the country - you might be out of luck finding a huge discount during this particular sale period.
But that doesn't mean that you should curb your Neapolitan dream entirely. Instead, try looking for trips to Italy during a different time of the year. Or, consider alternative destinations during peak travel periods that could still be new and exciting, but also affordable to boot. "The more flexible you are, the better the deals are," said TikTok creator Rolley.
2. Do your homework - these tools can help
So how do you know that the Travel Tuesday offer you're seeing is actually a deal? Similar to how seasoned bargain hunters know to put in some research before shopping for a new TV on Black Friday, travel experts say you should do your homework ahead of time to study the general price range for your itinerary.
This is where price-comparison sites and tools come in handy. Select the routes and dates for your desired trip, and then use the Google Flights tracker to see how a particular Travel Tuesday deal compares to historical trends for that route and on that date. Trivago (TRVG) works similarly for hotels, and booking platform Omio tracks prices across different modes of transportation - including buses, ferries and trains, as well as flights - so you can compare deals on itineraries during different periods.
You can also set alerts on many of these trackers to see when trips change in price. For Travel Tuesday specifically, Hopper allows shoppers to sign up to get alerts when Travel Tuesday deals are released.
Rolley instructed her followers to jot down a list with different columns, breaking down what they are looking for and what they are open to. Include dates, destinations, preferred brands, and types of vacations such as cruises or resort stays. With a list in hand, shoppers can go to each of the websites and check back often. It is a guide to help bargain hunters act quickly and limit hesitations, she added.
3. Pay attention to the perks
When shopping around reputable travel-booking platforms for the best deals, pay attention not only to the prices but also to additional perks that you can use, Reed from Cruises.com said.
Trips that are booked on Costco Travel $(COST)$ usually come with a Digital Costco Shop Card, for example. Booking a car rental for a minimum of two days gets the user a $30 Digital Costco Shop Card that can be used both online or at Costco stores.
Cruises.com offers to pay all gratuities, as well as onboard credits that can be used toward an excursion or drinks. And for a limited time from Nov. 27 to Dec. 4, on top of the aforementioned perks, it is also doubling a cash bonus for shoppers of $50 to $3,000, which they can choose to receive either through cash back or a prepaid Visa card.
4. Don't sleep on a good deal - they'll go fast
Once you see a good deal that's on your wish list, go for it, travel experts said. That's because most Travel Tuesday deals are limited and could sell out soon.
Take cruises, for example. Reed from Cruises.com noted that many 2025 cruises have already sold 65% to 70% of their trips. The limited availability could impact travelers' experiences during their voyages. "This is about making sure you can get the right room you want," she said.
Cruises have many types of rooms and, depending on the type, cruise experiences can differ a lot. Some cabins come without a window or have an obstructed view; some are at the front of the ship, which can sometimes make for a choppy ride.
5. Actually pick up the phone and talk to someone
Even when booking through a platform, give the platform a call. Travel agents and specialists affiliated with the website sometimes know other hidden discounts that are not shown online, so experts suggest calling the platform's provided number after spotting a deal you are interested in. Those calls are usually free.
This is a great way to get additional discounts, Reed said. A travel agent can see if you qualify for even more deals, such as discounts from loyalty points if you've booked with a company before, for example, or residency discounts if you live in a port city.
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-Zoe Han
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 02, 2024 17:50 ET (22:50 GMT)
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