The travel industry wants to turn the gift-giving season into a wanderlust winter with its numerous Black Friday and Travel Tuesday offers.
Although Black Friday is named after the day after Thanksgiving, sales often begin in early November and can last until mid-December.
This gives travelers time to think about their plans for 2026. In the coming weeks, shoppers will find a wide range of hotel options on offer, from big brands like Hilton to the ornate 21c Museum Hotels. Marriott Bonvoy's sale offers the highest discounts — 25 percent — for travelers who book through the app. Booking.com offers accommodations with discounts of up to 40 percent and the travel agency network Envoyage offers trips at half price.
Be sure to check the conditions carefully. Beware of prepaid offers and non-refundable offers. Expect plenty of blackout dates and be aware that starting prices are often for midweek or off-season travel.
For the frugal and flexible traveler, this year's deals are packed with benefits, from discounted luxury vacations and expedition cruises to hotels under $100 per night.
Luxury for less money
In 2025, travel was slow. Businesses are looking to kick-start 2026 with enticing Black Friday incentives, including – increasingly – top-tier ones.
This is the first year that Peninsula Hotels has conducted a global sale of its 12 luxury properties. Guests booking from November 27th to December 3rd will receive a 20 percent discount on stays from December 1st to March 31st. Pre-sale prices at Peninsula Hong Kong start at around $590.
Luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kent is putting its small-ship expedition cruises on sale for the first time through December 5, with 50 percent off entry-level cabins. Ten-day cruises around the Greek islands in June and October aboard a 148-passenger ship start at an upfront discount of $14,895 per person.
Luxury hotel offerings include the Hermitage Nevis on the Caribbean island of Nevis. The first Black Friday sale – from November 28th to December 5th – will feature vacation homes at a 30 percent discount, increasing nightly prices from $510 to $357, including breakfast and rum tasting, for travel from January 6th to April 15th.
In southern Chile, the 25-room Hotel AWA offers views of the snow-capped Osorno Volcano, bikes for exploring the lake area, and 30 percent off rates between November 28 and December 3. With the offer, nightly rates start at $560 per person, including meals and activities.
In the Peruvian beach town of Máncora, the 13-room boutique KiCHIC is offering $500 off five-night packages, including most meals, airport transfers and yoga sessions. When booked from November 28th to December 7th for travel from March 1st to the end of 2026, the package after the discount costs $1,750 for two people sharing the room.
Economical offers
Budget travelers have a lot of deals to deal with.
Sister hotel brands Freehand and Generator are hosting Black Friday sales for the first time. Both offer a third discount on stays of three nights or more. The Freehand offer, which runs from November 20 to December 1 for travel from December 1 to March 31, increases rates at Freehand Los Angeles from $99 to about $66 per night.
At five small hotels in Texas, French Cowboys Hospitality is hosting its first Black Friday sale with 20 percent off bookings from November 24th to 27th and 30% off from November 28th through December 1st. At Hacienda del Rio on the Guadalupe River in the Hill Country, near Gruene Hall, Texas' oldest dance hall, rooms start at $109 without discounts.
If you book at the Old 77 Hotel & Chandlery in New Orleans' Warehouse District by December 5, you might have money left over to treat yourself to the on-site restaurant, Compère Lapin. Then there are discounts of up to half off rooms, which usually start at $153.
The only hotel in Everglades National Park, Flamingo Lodge & Restaurant, is offering rooms at a 35 percent discount from November 27 to December 3 for stays from May to September. Advance discount, rooms start at $159 per night.
Try the van life at a 30 percent discount from Roadsurfer in the US, Canada and Europe. Book an RV by December 1 for travel through 2026. Advance discount domestic rentals currently start at $115 per night.
Incentives for new openings
The Thanksgiving sales season is the best time to score bargains at new hotels, including the Printing House Nashville in Music City, located within walking distance of the Ryman Auditorium. The sale runs from November 24th to December 31st and includes travel from January 1st to March 31st, with rooms 30 percent off at an average of $369 per night.
The new, eco-focused Populus Seattle is on sale through December 7, offering rooms that normally start at $359 at up to 40 percent off. Tess, which opened in Atlanta in October, will sell rooms at up to 50 percent off through December 2nd. Prices typically start at $209.
Hotel Glorieta in Santa Fe, NM, is offering 30 percent off and a $25 food and beverage credit through December 3 for stays through 2026. Located on six acres overlooking the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the hotel has 128 rooms that typically start at $165.
Miiro Hotels will include its new Vienna property, Palais Rudolf, in its seasonal 30 percent off sale, running until December 4 for stays through April. Prices start at 287 euros, or about $333 before the discount.
Among the new resorts entering the Black Friday space is Ocama on the Samaná Peninsula in the Dominican Republic. The eight villas on 35 acres range from one to three bedrooms and feature kitchens and private pools. Rates start at $700 per night. From November 22nd to December 2nd, prices for stays from April 15th to June 30th and from September 1st to November 15th decrease by 30 percent.
Flight offers are taking off
Online travel agency Hopper has found that Travel Tuesday consistently offers the most deals during the holiday sales week, almost three times more than Black Friday. This is a particularly good time to look for flight deals.
The special offers for the first quarter of this year can be found at Scandinavian Airlines, which is reducing its fares from November 25th to December 2nd. The special offers include a round-trip flight from New York to Copenhagen in February for $429; A similar itinerary in June recently cost about $735.
American Airlines' Travel Tuesday website recently listed a February deal for a round-trip flight from Miami to Edinburgh for $599. A search for a similar route in June found tickets starting at $1,400.
Find out how to best use your frequent flyer miles with Point.me. On Travel Tuesday, the service is selling annual premium memberships for $156 (down from $260), including search access and a points strategy consultation.
recovery assistance
In the wake of Hurricane Melissa, resorts in Jamaica are hoping deals will lure travelers back. Officials have announced that tourism will be restored by December 15.
In Ocho Rios, the 52-suite Jamaica Inn, which weathered the storm relatively unscathed, is offering 30 percent off rooms that normally start at $499 when booked from Nov. 28 to Dec. 2.
In Montego Bay, Round Hill is offering 35 percent off bookings from November 28th to December 1st. Prices typically start at $420 before discount. Five percent of sales proceeds go to the resort's employee charity fund. Offer includes a $100 resort credit and 20 percent off spa services.
Adults-only all-inclusive Sandals Resorts and its family-friendly counterpart Beaches Resorts will reopen five hotels in Jamaica on December 6, with the remaining three to follow in May. Sandals' holiday sale runs through December 2 and promises up to 65 percent off at 17 resorts in the Caribbean – retail prices start at $199 per person per night – plus perks like spa and flight credits for stays of five nights or longer through December 25, 2027.
Cruise discounts and perks
When it comes to cruise deals, there are often perks rather than discounts. Luxury company Crystal Cruises is offering $250 in credits per person, which can be used toward extras like spa services and excursions for bookings from Nov. 20 to Dec. 5. The 12-day trip from the Philippines to South Korea in March starts at $6,800 per person.
Through December 4, Virgin Voyages is offering 80 percent off the second passenger sharing a cabin and up to $400 in cash credit. Through December 5, Atlas Ocean Voyages is offering up to 40 percent off cruises and a complimentary amenity such as a $2,000 flight credit per cabin or one night in a hotel before departure.
Travel slowly to Europe on a seven-day transatlantic voyage with Cunard. During the sale, which runs through Dec. 8, cruise prices will be discounted by up to 40 percent, starting at $899 for a late May trip from New York to Southampton, England.
Last year, AdventureSmith Explorations, which specializes in small-ship adventure cruises, had no discounts in Alaska, but this year it is offering more than 30 sailings Dec. 1-6 with a $500 discount and a $250 flight credit per person for eight-day cruises that start at $4,400.
Adventure for less money
Nature lovers have plenty to choose from, starting with 10 to 20 percent discounts on trips offered by small-group specialist Intrepid Travel. Tours offered through December 4 include a 19-day Mayan cultural tour in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala (normally from $2,980) and a 15-day trek in Nepal to the base of Mount Everest (normally around $1,700 to $2,000).