Travel Deal Sites You Didn't Know About
With summer vacation season around the corner, many are itching to get away to refresh and rejuvenate. Besides the usual popular travel search sites such as Kayak, Hotels.com, and TripAdvisor, below are some tools you may not have heard of or used as great resources to plan your perfect trip. So whether you're a discount seeker or a luxury jetsetter, you'll want to take a look at the following travel deal sites to satisfy your #wanderlust.
Santorini, Greece
Since its launch in 2009, Jetsetter became an instant leader in "flash sales" and can offer from 15 to 30 per week typically lasting seven to ten days or until they sell out while competitors usually offer just a handful at a time. The travel-lifestyle website boasts more than two million members offering sales at prices up to 50% off.
They categorize curated hotels and travel experiences into three unique Jetsetter collections:
- Royal: Absolute luxury with a high bar for impeccable service, fine style, and A-list amenities. Expect exceptional, one-of-a-kind experiences and be prepared to be pampered.
- Posh: Impressive properties with distinctive personality and style, attentive service, a sense of place, and a recognizable quality above standard—an experience sure to be memorable.
- Brilliant: Smart, accessible properties in desirable locations with distinctive qualities that represent great value. Don’t expect everything, but there’s enough to make your stay uniquely enjoyable.
New York City, New York
Only want the best accommodations when you travel? This luxury travel curator boasts relationships with the most elite hoteliers around the world. According to the website, they share access to over 3,000 luxury properties and travel packages from The Four Seasons in Toronto to The Ritz Carlton in Beijing. Luxury Link specializes in 5-star accommodations for couple getaways, family vacations, and off-the-grid luxurious lodgings.
However, don't expect a fancy high-tech website that you can customize your travel plans with. Luxury Link is very niche and is not intended to satisfy the needs of all travelers but rather the traveler looking for sophisticated accommodations. While you're still able to find discounted deals here, you have to be prepared to pay more per night for high-end properties. Luxury Link is not an ideal resource for budget or group travelers. Another downside is that Luxury Link is only ideal for nightly reservations, not the entire vacation package. You will not be able to book your flight accommodations through it.
Groupon isn't just good for haircuts and facials. You can find some great lodging and travel deals IF you’re willing to do your due diligence and READ the fine print. Groupon Getaways offers lodging and travel packages from Las Vegas to Paris. If you're a traveler who doesn't mind doing your homework and put your investigative skills to work, you will be able to spot great travel deals. Remember that Groupon offers deals from third-party vendors such as travel agencies.
Just a friendly reminder, if the deal seems too good to be true, that may be the case. If you’re promised luxury experiences with an immense amount of amenities in an impoverished and underdeveloped country, you should do some serious calls to make sure those amenities and experiences even exist in the first place. Call the hotels and vendors and verify all the amenities promised yourself. Do not rely on the glossy promises.
When possible, even ask the actual service providers if they will honor the deal if you purchase through them. This cuts out Groupon as the middle man, avoids unnecessary customer service issues, and minimizes reservation errors. The service providers will also appreciate you booking directly with them as it saves them the fees due to Groupon.
Ha Long Bay in Ha Noi, Vietnam
Google Flights is a fast search engine that combs the web for you to find the best flight deals. It lists all the offers by airlines and even provide cheaper alternatives. If you have a hard time with commitment and choose not to book right away, Google Flights can remember your trip preference and alert you if they notice better rates and offers. It even tells you when is a good time to book based on historical data with predictions whether prices will go up or down within days. You can also discover fun and affordable destinations and even perform regional searches if you’re flexible with the actual location and dates. Additionally, it can predict potential flight delays!
However, Google Flights isn't without flaws. You may not find the absolute cheapest fare because it doesn’t list budget carriers. There's also no hotel and flight bundle deals here.
Momondo has received many accolades from leading publications such as The Daily Telegraph, Forbes, and Time for their intuitive and easy to use website. You're able to filter your search by cheapest, quickest, and best deals. To help with your decision-making, Momondo has a unique 10-point ranking system that grades based on the flight time and price to determine a happiness score for that particular flight itinerary. Besides flight deals, it also offers hotel, holiday travel, and car rental deals.
I hope at least a couple of the above resources will come in handy for your next adventure. If you find this list helpful, please love and share! Don't forget to follow our channel for more fun tips just in time for the summer.
@YvonLux is a serial entrepreneur and a published lifestyle and beauty blogger who owns and designs for her custom-clothing line, Yvon Lux. She also manages, writes, and acts as editor for her empowering Apple News channel with the same name. Connect with her on Instagram!