Santa Fe New Mexican

Hotels, tours, travel agencies promising Cyber Monday deals

- By Beth J. Harpaz

NEW YORK — Hoping for some Cyber Monday deals in the travel world?

Hotels, tour companies, travel booking agencies and even destinatio­ns are promising bargains for Cyber Monday, “Travel Deal Tuesday” and other online shopping dates before and after Thanksgivi­ng.

Timing and restrictio­ns

Some deals are running only on Cyber Monday, Nov. 27, or on the Tuesday after Thanksgivi­ng, Nov. 28, which is sometimes called “Travel Deal Tuesday.” According to Hopper.com, “fare sale activity significan­tly spikes on the Tuesday after Thanksgivi­ng,” with airlines offering discounts as a way to stimulate demand as bookings dip.

Other deals are being offered for the week leading up to Cyber Monday. And some sales are on from Thanksgivi­ng through Cyber Monday or Travel Deal Tuesday.

But as you browse for bargains, beware of blackout dates and other restrictio­ns. Sale prices often mean purchases are nonrefunda­ble, and they’re often for last-minute travel, so make sure your schedule can accommodat­e the dates before you click. And beware of added fees.

Do your homework, too. If there’s a place you’d like to visit, get a sense beforehand of how much it ordinarily costs so you can decide whether that tempting deal you see on Cyber Monday is really worth it. Many Cyber Monday packages are for offseason stays or offer very limited dates. Airline deals may be a rock-bottom price but read the fine print: Are there add-on charges for everything from luggage to meals to picking your seat?

According to DealNews.com, you may find roundtrip domestic flights for $100 or less, roundtrip flights to Europe starting at $200 and roundtrip to Asia starting at $500, plus impressive discounts on four- and five-star hotels offered through the hotels’ websites.

Hotels, tour companies, destinatio­ns

From Gurney’s in Montauk, N.Y., to ski lodges in Colorado to the Half Moon in Jamaica and Atlantis on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, many hotels and resorts are offering deals. In some cases, you’ll need a promo code. For example, to unlock the Half Moon’s 50 percent off room rates with a three-night minimum, the code is PROC17 (with the booking window for that particular deal beginning at midnight on Cyber Monday and running through 11:59 p.m. for stays between Jan. 3 and Dec. 20, 2018, and rates starting at $244).

Friendly Planet Travel, Contiki, Gate 1 Travel and Abercrombi­e & Kent are among a number of companies promising substantia­l discounts on guided tour packages.

Visit Orlando will offer an extra 10 percent off already discounted attraction tickets to customers who use the promo code GIFT on Visit Orlando. com purchases made Nov. 22-28.

Booking sites and travel agencies

American Express Travel plans a 72-hour flash sale before Thanksgivi­ng, Nov. 20-22, with savings on hotels around the world.

Hotels.com is promising up to 50 percent in savings on bookings made Nov. 21-29, with other promotions like a “mystery coupon.”

Liberty Travel is running a sale Nov. 24-27 promising more than 500 deals with savings of up to 66 percent off on tours, cruises and various destinatio­ns, plus deals on packages and airfare credit for select destinatio­ns and resorts.

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