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Book the Trip of Your Dreams This Travel Tuesday in 4 Simple Steps

Sophia Dalton
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter.

Everybody loves a good Black Friday deal. I mean, who doesn’t want to buy their favorite products at a dirt cheap price? The holiday season wouldn’t be complete without the annual scouring of the internet in the wake of Thanksgiving, especially if you’re on a budget crunch. 

Like most college students, while my bank account might not be fit to purchase all of my wants, I just can’t resist online window shopping. What day is the worst of all (or best of all) for my wallet? Travel Tuesday: the Black Friday of travel. 

If you haven’t heard of Travel Tuesday, that’s probably because it’s a fairly new addition to the post-Thanksgiving sales. People’s interest in “Travel Tuesday” went up over 500% from 2021 to 2023. This means that 2024 will be one of the first big years of travel deals, with more companies than ever before joining the buzz. 

Still in doubt? According to Hopper data, Travel Tuesday saw the offer of 83% more travel-related deals versus Cyber Monday and 92% more than Black Friday.

So, if you’re anything like me and would give anything to see a new part of the world — but don’t necessarily have the finances to do so — Travel Tuesday is for you. Here’s everything you need to know for the long-awaited Dec. 3!

Know What You Want

Before Dec, 3. hits, I want to make sure I have a plan of where to go, and what I’m looking for. While online window shopping is fun, planning a trip is no joke, and booking a trip abroad or even to another state can be hard to do on a whim. I tend to get really anxious when booking trips because once I book a flight, I have to turn around and get a hotel. Once I get a hotel I have to worry about finding excursions, and so on. It can be exhausting, to say the least.

To conquer my fear of actually pressing the button to reserve my trip, I made a list of the top five places I wanted to go. So, with those in mind, I’m going into Travel Tuesday with the goal of finding flights and accommodation for one of those specific places. 

By limiting my options, I’ll feel less overwhelmed and be ready to make a decision the day of. One of the reasons that Travel Tuesday deals tend to be so cheap, is that companies want you to buy trips that day, which requires some spontaneity. Since these deals won’t last more than probably 24 hours, I have to be ready to jump on a good price. 

Make that Iterinrary 

Not only will I be searching for flights and hotels, but I’ll also be scouring for activities. Although it’s less common, sometimes companies will put up deals on adventures and excursions. For example, the European ski website Heidi will offer discount packages, and the American ski website EpicPass will offer pass deals.

Since I like to plan my travels way in advance, an itinerary is vital to my process. I plan out each day, including travel times, train rides to and from cities, nature excursions, museum visits, and shows. Basically, every detail I can have set in advance.

So, if you’re going to Switzerland next winter, why not go ahead and book that ski pass in the Alps? Or, if you have your sights set on Yellowstone for spring break, maybe search for a snowmobiling trek. Thinking about Mexico? Swimming with dolphins has always been on my bucket list

Prepare for Package Deals

Be ready for package offers! One of the most common deals for Travel Tuesday is for websites to offer package savings, which pushes you to buy more from them at a better rate. 

The most common companies to offer package deals are resorts and cruises. This is where the big names of the industries get involved, with Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Kayak, and Priceline already starting some grouped deals early.

I used to be very anti-package deals because who wants to spend their whole trip stuck in one place? Yet, I learned that I don’t need to be tied down to a single hotel…I can always bounce around! While package deals aren’t exactly what I’ll be looking for, I plan to keep an eye out for deluxe resorts. Who doesn’t want to spend a few days in a Ritz-Carlton? 

Sign Up for Email Alerts

If you don’t want to cyberstalk travel companies all day, email alerts are the way to go. Moreover, companies will often offer the best deals to their email subscribers straight to your inbox. 

However, nobody wants over 100 emails an hour from multiple companies blowing up your email. So, only sign up for websites you actually like the deals of. There’s no point in making your phone blow up 24/7, but catching a flash deal might just make your day.

If there’s one thing that becomes more clear with age, it’s that I have the travel bug, and I have it bad. My Pinterest obsession has only grown as I constantly see the beautiful natural views of Iceland, the delicious street food of Japan, and amazing photography from safaris in Botswana. 

If you’re feeling this same feeling, I hope that reading this got you one step closer to booking that dream trip. If you’re wondering what deals I’ll be looking out for, a few are listed here. Safe travels, everyone!

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Sophia Dalton is a junior editor for the Her Campus Florida State University chapter. She enjoyed her time as a writer for HCFSU but is excited to be a part of the editing process. Sophia is studying English Editing, Writing, and Media as well as Psychology with plans to go to law school. Outside of Her Campus, Sophia is involved in many pre-law societies, plays the piano for National Guild competitions, and even coaches a high school volleyball team. In her free time, Sophia likes to play sports, especially beach volleyball, read fiction novels, and hang out with friends.