If you’ve been at all keeping on top of recent travel trends or looking for the best deals out there, you are probably aware that there are a few destinations that have been especially hard hit by the shaky economy—and Hawaii, Mexico and Las Vegas are among them. Despite Hawaii’s spectacular scenery, beautiful beaches, warm weather year-round and plenty of aloha spirit, Hawaii has been badly hurt in the recession. With hotel occupancy number down all around the islands, many resorts and hotels are offering up some pretty rad deals in hopes of attracting more travelers to the isles this year (and maybe stop some of the hemorrhaging happening in the travel industry there). Relax in the Sun and Save: Hotel Deals in Hawaii
Low Airfares
Hawaii travel deals: Hotels under $100/night, giveaways and cheap flights
Oktoberfest travel deals
While I have never personally made it to Munich for Oktoberfest, I have long heard stories from my dad recounting drinking beers from huge heavy mugs and literally swinging from the rafters on giant rope swings attached to the roof of beer tents. While my father also has informed me that all the fun he had those few days made him pay the price (a few days spent hugging the toilet afterwards), that still hasn’t deterred me from wanting to head over to Germany to enjoy Oktoberfest myself (even if it does mean I’ll suffer for it later). Any place you combine great beer with stunning scenery and a big party, you are sure to get my interest piqued and send me on the hunt for the best travel deals to get there.
Fall fare sales and travel deals
Fall is in the air, and with the crisper air and changing leaves also comes some absolutely fabulous deals on travel. With kids back in school and the holiday travel season still months away, autumn is actually the ideal time to save big bucks on travel o just about anywhere. Low airfares, cheap hotel rooms and a lack of crowds in tourist-filled towns make the fall months the perfect time to pack your suitcase and head out on a vacation. With plenty of cheap hotels and fare sales, there is no reason even the cash strapped in the recession can’t afford a little getaway this fall.
In fact, with a little savvy and know how, there is no reason you can’t save a ton of money on airfares both domestically and internationally. This morning, I peaked at Travelocity’s web site and noticed round-trip airfares to Mexico for as little as $149 and flights to Ireland for as little as $278 round-trip on Aer Lingus. Travelocity SAVES You 20% or MORE on Air Fares
Cheap Mexico vacations this fall
A friend of mine got married last week, and while I enjoyed the ceremony and reception and thought she looked beautiful in her dress, the thing that really piqued my interest was how little the married couple spent on a 2 week honeymoon in Mexico.
As it turns out, fall is a great time to get some pretty outrageous deals on vacations in Mexico. With fall marking the shoulder season in Mexico, there are plenty of amazing autumn deals on all-inclusive vacations and more south of the border.
Fall Florida travel deals
Labor Day has come and gone and there seems to be autumn crispness to the air now that summer has officially ended. But, while the weather still may be nice and warm for another few weeks, the changing leaves mean it’s time to start thinking about planning your winter vacation and your escape from winter weather to sunnier and warmer locales. Since I spent every winter visiting my grandparents and enjoying a Florida vacation, I jumped when I saw that Jet Blue was offering some pretty fantastic deals on flights to the Sunshine state. Best Flight Deals to Florida
All-inclusive vacations for under $500
Since tracking all of the latest and best travel deals out there is part of my job, the fact that you can get some really amazing deals at all-inclusive resorts right now certainly has not escaped my notice. Pair a rough economic climate with fewer people traveling with hurricane season and you have the makings for some too-good-to-be-true sounding deals on all-inclusive vacations in Mexico and the Caribbean. In fact, Cheap Caribbean is offering up deals on some all-inclusive vacations starting at just $49 per person/night—and that includes not only lodging, but meals, beverages and activities too. “All-Inclusive Resorts for $99 or Less”
Cheap Las Vegas vacation packages
Unless you’ve been living under some really big rock for the past 10 months, you’ve probably noticed that travel to just about everywhere has been pretty cheap. Airfares are way down, and with 17% fewer traveler expected to take to the air this Labor Day Weekend, you’d imagine that the airlines have been offering up some pretty sweet fare sales and package deals to encourage travelers to hit the road. There are a few destinations that are offering up some especially good deals this fall—and Vegas is certainly one of them. Southwest Airlines is offering up some Vegas vacation deals that include midweek credits at some hotels and other special offerings.
Last-minute Labor Day travel deals
Labor Day is just around the corner, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to score some great last-minute travel deals for the upcoming holiday weekend. In fact, waiting until the last minute to name your own price on sites like Priceline often offers up the best opportunity to score the best price on cheap flights and hotels at the last minute—making it possible for you to still getaway for the long weekend without doing too much damage to your back account. Up to 50% off Labor Day travel (ends 9/7)
Avoiding Checked Bag Fees
In the era of super cheap airfares, airlines have been looking for other ways to squeeze more dollars out of their customers. Last week Continental and US Airways both upped the already much hated checked bag fees, making the fees as much as $50 for a second checked bag on some trans-Atlantic flights.
The rising fees angered many fliers and some analysts are now saying that the checked bag fees are becoming unfair and the government may just be asked to step in and regulate the airlines. However, not all airlines are charging customers to check bags—and JetBlue is still offering the first checked bag for free on all of their flights (including some really great fare sale prices too).