Move over, sugar plums: We’ve got visions of travel deals dancing in our heads to keep you going when you’re elbow deep in gravy and houseguests. Your dream vacation can be made into an affordable reality if you take advantage of the deals discovered by the trusted industry experts at TravelMarket Report and NerdWallet.
It might be tempting to spend all of your hard-earned cash on holiday gifts for others, but don’t forget to treat yourself to a check-off on your travel bucket list. Whether you’ve always wanted to surf in Costa Rica or see Stonehenge, search for discounts and discover what might be within your reach after all.
We sifted through a list of deals as long as Santa’s “nice” list to highlight some of the best bangs for your buck, no matter the exchange rate. Discover our top picks on hotel deals, all-inclusive resort deals, cruise deals, and tour company deals. For even more holiday travel savings, Tuesday is the best day to book your flight for cheaper travel, but it isn’t the only good day for booking.
Read more: Rick Steves Says To Always Do These Things Before Traveling
A hot hotel deal
Punta Mita beach in Nayarit, Mexico – mLewlew/Shutterstock
Mammoth hotel brand Marriott is offering up to 40% off stays at numerous properties around the world, and there are a couple of standout escapes. Book the Hawaiian vacation of your dreams at Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort, where you can get up to 40% off your stay using code HL1 when you book by November 30. You don’t have to choose between mountains and beach, with the resort’s convenient location providing views of both the ocean and the Kauai Mountains. Tripadvisor reviews note the kid-friendliness and walkability to local shops and restaurants. To help plan your itinerary, check out our list of the 10 best things to do in Kauai.
Or escape to Mexico’s Pacific Coast and save up to 30% off your stay at W Hotel Punta de Mita. Located about an hour up the coast from Puerto Vallarta, W Punta de Mita is a beachfront luxury resort where the surf and ceviche are just steps from colorful rooms and suites that will delight design lovers everywhere. When you’re cleaning cranberry sauce and gravy from your dining room carpet, wouldn’t it be nice to know you’re going to be sipping on a cocktail at sunset in an infinity pool overlooking the ocean in the not-too-distant future?
An all-inclusive deal for the whole family
Beaches all-inclusive resort in Turks and Caicos – Ritu Manoj Jethani/Shutterstock
Book a trip at Beaches Turks and Caicos between now and December 2, and get up to 65% off your stay. In addition to one of the most generous discounts we’ve seen from any one brand, the deal also comes with a variety of travel credits worth up to $1,000. You have between now and December 20, 2027, to take the trip, giving you ample time to plan the perfect family getaway. Pay once and forget it, featuring premium liquors for the parents, Sesame Street characters and activities for the littles, and even a dance club for those hard-to-please teens.
One Tripadvisor reviewer notes the spectacular beach and pools, but also warns of crowds, “So the earlier you can get out there to get chairs and shade the better.” The property sits on Grace Bay Beach, which is known as one of the the best beaches in Turks and Caicos and consistently tops the list of the 25 best Caribbean beaches.
A cruise deal for smooth sailing
Uniworld River Cruises hotel-like cruise ship docked in Italy – MariaMaslova/Shutterstock
If a river cruise is on your bucket list but you’ve been balking at the prices, tune in to the 12 days of deals from Uniworld Boutique River Cruises. Starting November 28, the company will share a new savings surprise every day for 12 days, from trip extensions to a whopping 50% off cruises. Cruise deal caveat: You must set sail in 2026. If this is your virgin voyage, here are some unspoken cruise ship rules first-timers may not know.
Uniworld offers trips in Europe, Egypt, South America, and Asia with its fleet of 19 ships that are like floating design-forward boutique hotels. Travel + Leisure calls Uniworld “one of the best river cruise lines,” showing a lot of love for the 12-day Egypt adventure, noting the excellent food and exceptional excursions led by an expert Egyptologist. Uniworld recommends the Danube for first-time river cruisers.
A great deal on a group tour
Group of tourists posing in Lisbon – Gaps/Getty Images
Find your favorite travel partner to take advantage of the BOGO deals from titan tour company Trafalgar (say that three times fast). Every week between now and December 4, they are offering buy-one-get-one-half-off deals, with new ones each week, saving you up to $3,000. If that’s not enough, they are also offering 15% off their new river cruise itineraries and last-minute winter trips. Been there, done that? Repeat Trafalgar guests get an extra 5% off.
Trafalgar’s Black Friday deals include some of the most highly rated trips to places like Italy and Scandinavia. The popular Highlights of Spain and Portugal trip features a robust 13-day itinerary that takes you to 13 cities, including Lisbon, the happiest holiday destination in the world, and Seville, Spain’s soulful and vibrant city. With an overall trip rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 1,200 verified site reviews, customers consistently rave about the experience, especially the tour directors and drivers, but wish there was a little more free time built into the itinerary.
Methodology
A mom, dad and young daughter standing on a tropical beach and smiling – Shutter z/Shutterstock
To identify the best Black Friday travel deals, we combed through hundreds of deals from the most updated lists of holiday travel deals at reputable sites including NerdWallet and TravelMarket Report. We chose to highlight what we consider to be outstanding deals in four major travel categories: hotels, all-inclusive resorts, cruises, and tour companies. We considered cost savings in dollars and percentages, as well as the reputation of the company offering the deal. We then confirmed deals through each travel company’s direct website.
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Read the original article on Islands.