7 expert tips for getting the best Travel Tuesday deals

If you’ve already cleared your calendar for Travel Tuesdaywhich falls on Dec. 1 this year, you’re in good company. Since Hopper coined the term almost a decade ago, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving has become one of the top days to score discounted flights, hotels, vacation packages, cruises and more.

Whether you’re just a curious bystander willing to hop on an interesting deal or you’ve been making your list of 2027 trips and plan to check it against every sale you see, experts say there are specific strategies you can deploy to make sure you get the best price and avoid a bad bargain.

1. Don’t wait if you see a good deal

Just because it isn’t Travel Tuesday yet doesn’t mean you should wait to book travel if you find a great price. After all, waiting on “a sale that hasn’t happened yet” isn’t always a reliable strategy, says flight expert Derek Cann at flight deal app Going.

“Travelers don’t need to stay up until midnight on Tuesday to book a flight,” Cann adds, noting that the industry shift to dynamic flight pricing means “there’s no guaranteed magic hour to secure the lowest fare.”

Plus, many Travel Tuesday deals (and those pegged to Black Friday and Cyber Monday) will roll out long before Dec. 1. Want to know about deals as soon as they drop? We’ll share them here as soon as we get word (and sign up for our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss the list).

2. Start tracking prices early

Know exactly where you want your travels to take you? Before Travel Tuesday kicks off, set airfare alerts and start monitoring the prices of flights and hotels.

“Set a flight ‘price watch’ in the Hopper app for the trips you’re eyeing,” Hayley Berg, lead economist at travel booking site Hoppertells Yahoo Travel. “Hopper will notify you the second the price drops and a good deal is detected so you don’t miss out on a low price.”

Cann also suggests “setting a price alert and comparing different travel dates” in order to “identify savings.”

3. Be as flexible as possible

“For travelers who want to save, flexibility matters more than the calendar,” says HotelTonight’s business lead, Aleem Ahmed. Even if you’re using Travel Tuesday to book an end-of-year getaway, be open-minded about destinations and dates to unlock the biggest savings. “My tip is to stay flexible on dates … then book once you’re sure of your plans, since last-minute prices often drop closer to check-in.”

Cann adds that “travelers with flexibility in their budget may choose to wait.” But “doing so could result in higher fares or require changes to … travel dates.”

Berg says to “follow the deal, not the destination.”

“Be flexible on where you look for deals so you can score the biggest savings,” she tells Yahoo Travel. “For example, if you are flexible, look at all beach destinations in a warm weather area vs. just one to find the best price on your trip.”

4. Learn how to recognize a good (or bad) deal

Just because a flight or hotel is marked as “on sale” doesn’t actually mean you’re getting a good price.

“If a sale appears, travelers should compare the final price with fares they’ve already researched, as an advertised percentage-off promotion doesn’t necessarily mean the flight is cheaper,” Cann tells Yahoo Travel.

You can kickstart that research now for trips you already have in mind. “Travelers can start by using Google Flights’ price insights, when available, to determine whether a fare is lower than usual based on similar past trips,” Cann explains. “From there, compare nearby travel dates and airports while keeping the number of stops and baggage needs consistent.”

Don’t forget to compare additional fees and expenses (think: airport transportation) to make sure the price tag really represents the full cost of the trip.

5. Know where to look

You know how, on Christmas morning, people tend to look under the tree or peek inside a stocking to find their gifts? Knowing where to look is one of the first steps you can take toward getting deals that matter to you.

Berg says that on Travel Tuesday, you can open the Hopper app, or head to Hopper.com, to see all available deals. “You’ll find thousands of hotel properties on sale and exclusive discounts to apply to future trips,” she adds. Hopper has already shared a handful of destinations that will drop discounts that day, including San Luis Obispo County, Calif., and Denver, Colo., both offering up to 45% off.

You can also go straight to the source. “If you have a specific airline, hotel brand or car rental company you’re loyal to,” Berg says, “you can also visit their website to see if they’re offering special promotions.”

6. Don’t get stuck with a bad bargain

Even if it looks like a great deal on the surface, always read the fine print. “Promotional sales may have blackout dates that exclude popular holiday travel periods,” Cann says.

Travelers should also be mindful of cancellation and rebooking policies. Make sure you understand the restrictions around the sale and what will happen to the value of your trip if you need to make a change.

7. Make your own deals

If you have specific (and inflexible) travel plans in mind, NerdWallet travel expert and Smart Travel podcast host Sally French tells Yahoo Travel that waiting for Travel Tuesday might mean you lose a seat on the specific flight you want.

And if you look around, there are already plenty of ways to save.

“There are a bunch of new transfer bonus offers,” French explains. But just as it’s important to track flight prices to know when a deal is actually a good value, French says, “it helps to know what points are actually worth so you can parse which details are worth your time.”

An 80% transfer bonus from Chase Ultimate Rewards to IHG One Rewards “sounds unbelievable,” she says, but you might be better off with a 30% transfer bonus to British Airways Avios, since NerdWallet values Avios as a higher value currency.

French also suggests looking at targeted credit card offers. “Card issuers often run offers like, ‘Get $20 back when you spend $100’ at specific retailers, airlines, hotels and travel booking sites, and these are customized, so you and a friend with the same card might see completely different deals.”

She says to log in to your individual credit card accounts and check the offers section, since they can be easy to miss. “Around the holidays,” French adds, “many of them are tied to the kinds of places you’re likely to shop or book travel anyway.”