Spotlight on savings

Lets face it, we all like to get the most out of our money. If traveling the world is a something you enjoy, you’re probably on the lookout for great deals – either on a regular basis for that spontanious too good to be true deal, or only when you have a date and location in mind.  Either way, there are many ways you can maximize your travel budget and enjoy a luxury vacation without breaking the bank.

If you’re reading this blog, you’re well on your way to finding lots of great deals that are available online. We subscribe to dozens of newsletters and check out dozens of sites each day to get you some of the best hand picked travel deals and sales that are going on.  Some deals are very limited in time and availability, like 24 hour only sales or limited rooms/flight seats available, but these are often excellent deals on travel.

 

Here are some additional tips you can use to save even more money:

Shop the sites and do it often! Deals change monthly, weekly daily and even hourly.  Be prepared to search and comparison shop on several different sites to get an idea of where you can get the most value.  Some sites may offer a better per night rate while another may have a higher price listed but has some added extras or available coupon/promotion codes that make their deal more attractive.

Be on the lookout for 24 hour deals – many providers announce these special limited time sale events either on a regular/weekly basis or from time to time. These sales may not always be listed on the respective sites, so you might want to consider signing up for newsletters or keep up to date on our site or our  Facebook page as we try to catch these as soon as they are announced and post them.

BE FLEXIBLE

Whether you have set travel dates in mind or a preferred location to jet off to, if you want to get the best hotel, flight or cruise deals – you might need to be flexible with some of your criteria. Many travel packages go on sale for specific time periods, so try flexible search when looking for that perfect getaway. If you can’t change your travel dates because of work or other obligations, broaden your location search.  Whether you have your heart set on a lazy beach vacation or trotting through Europe or Asia, be flexible with your country or city locals.  If one location is on sale for the dates you have available – see if you might want to grab that deal instead.  For example, we recently featured some great deals to Ireland, including a most unique experience – staying in an Irish Castle!  If you had your heart set on traveling to a European setting this could have been the deal for you!

 

VACATION RENTALS

Many top resorts around the world offer time share weeks for sale for thousands of dollars. How can you take advantage of these offerings? Often times these weeks stay unclaimed when banked by their owners and the resorts and timeshare companies offer last minute stays at studio and 1-2 BR suites for rock bottom prices.  We recently featured a week’s stay in a top resort in Cancun Mexico for $149 for a week – double occupancy! Now that’s how you save money and still enjoy luxury hotel accomodations!

HOW ABOUT A CRUISE!

Here’s a vacation option that’s both all inclusive, fun and allows you to travel to more than one destination all in a few days’ time!  Cruise companies often annouce short term sales to fill up their cabins – even giving you extras such as free excursions and even on board cash just to get you to book! We recently featured cruises as low as $169 p/p for a 3 night getaway to the caribbean!  Even Europe can be done on the cheap with this 12 night cruise for $599 p/p! 

Don’t worry about booking ahead, most cruise companies have policies in place that guarantee your price will drop even after booking if the price of your cabin category goes on sale!  Please check  with your travel booking site or directly with the cruise line for their complete policy terms. 

 

BOOK HOTEL AND AIRFARE SEPARATELY OR NOT

You might see vacation deals advertized for booking your flight and hotel together at the same time, but does that get you the best value for your money? Maybe and maybe not!  If you see a vacation deal you fancy, try to price out the components separately (maybe even utalize a coupon or two) and see where you can get the best deal.

VISIT Our Site

Well this one goes without saying Visit us often, LIKE US on Facebook and subscribe to our Atom Feed to stay on top of all the great deals and promotions we post on the blog and Facebook every day!

Happy Vacations

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Happy New Year 2013

We wish you all a very happy and healthy New Year!

 

As 2012 comes to a close, we would like to wish you all a very happy new year filled with fantastic new adventures and travels.

May we leave all the bad behind and welcome the new year 2013 for all the wonderful new opportunities it will bring!!

 

From all of us here at openskydeals.com

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How to find the best hotel deals - Advice & Tips

So you've accumulated your vacation days, saved up your pennies and are all ready to book your next vacation. But wait, how do you get the best value for your hard earned dollars? If you're reading this article, you're probably already familiar with most of the travel sites available online. All of which offer enticing slogans and offers that seem like a good value - or not. How do you sift through all the avialable vacation options and spend the least amount on the best available option?

 

Booking directly with a hotel or through a service?

This question can be answered either way. Sometimes eventhough hotels claim to offer the best price per night or per package booking, online travel services might be offering added value that could ultimately save you hundreds off your total vacation price. For example, sites may offer additional savings off hotel/airfare packages when booked together, or offer other incentives such as free excursions, dinners and hotel transfers. Moreover, travel booking sites may have negotiated special deals at popular destinations based on their purchasing power.

What to do?
If you have a specific destination or hotel in mind, price it with several travel booking engines and note your final price. Next price out your airfare if need be. The final step is to go directly to the hotel's website and price out the stay for the same dates together with the booking direct airfare you've found and see which option gives you the most savings. Don't forget to check current coupon and promotions codes on offer - which can add up to additional savings, usually as little as $5 off your booking or as much as hundreds off the total price of the trip. Don't be lazy! There are plenty of deals to be had - you just have to find them

 

Booking ahead vs. last minute deals?

Again, both options may be best. Depending on your flexibility and timeline, the best hotel, airfare and cruise deals may sometimes be available well in advance. The bonus in booking ahead is a greater choice of options, both in locals as well as available dates. If booking a cruise, be sure to stay on top of any price drops, as these are often honored by the cruise line even after you've booked! Be sure to read all terms and conditions with the company yhat provides you your travel service.

If you can be flexible on dates and locations, and like to be spontanious, search for last minute travel deals. As your travel dates approach, many travel providers slash their rates to ensure maximum occupancy.  Again, be sure to take advantage of any current coupon and promotions codes on offer.

 

Staying abreast of the latest promotions

If you want to find the best deals as they become available, sign up for newsletters and social pages of your favorite providers, These often include limited time member only offers that are snatched up quickly.  The downside to signing up with multiple newsletter services is a constantly full mailbox...  A better option might be to sign up for an aggregate newsletter so you get updates in one or just  a few emails.

 

Last minute vacation rentals

Sure you've heard of timeshares - but you don't have to be an owner of a red week to enjoy a rock bottom price on a week long stay at a top resort. Many of the weeks that are purchased are deposited back into the program each month, leaving a large inventory of vacant units. These units are then offered at considerably lower rates than published per night when you book through a vacation rental service. Prices per week may drop to as alow as $149 per week for a studio unit - even in the most sought after properties - so be sure to check these out.

 

 

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Happy Labor Day Weekend 2012!

Hi all, we want to wish you all a safe and fun labor day weekend!

Whether you grabbed a great deal on a labor day getaway or staying home and hitting the barbecue :)

Whatever your plans are, enjoy 2012's last summer weekend.

We would love it if you shared your labor day weekend plans with us, so please leave your comments in our comments box!

 

We would also like to share some future plans with you our fellow deal seekers. We have started out small, handpicking super cheap deals we feel are of great value to you.  However, we have big plans for our little site! We are are currently working on adding lots of great features including a user forum where you could share your deals, your favorite vacation spots, your trip reports and more!  We are also working on getting featured guest speakers in our forum, travel industry execs and insiders to answer your questions! We are very excited about the future of openskydeals and hope that you come back often and help us shape the site so that it works to serve you better.  Our vision is a user friendly community of travel lovers who enjoy traveling for less and sharing their experiences with others!

We invite you to leave us your feedback and have an active role in shaping the future of our site, our home is your home so feel free to comment and make your suggestions. We really do love to hear from you!

 

Happy End of Summer!

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Top Caribbean Beach Vacation Destinations

Sure, it's still warm (or even hot) outside, but soon enough the weather will get quite chilly and you will be fantasizing about lounging in the warm sun staring into the deep blue ocean with a nice cold beverage in your hand. Don't worry, we've got you covered!

Here are some of the best beaches you can visit for a quick refreshing getaway or a long relaxing trip.

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Coupons, Promo Codes & Labor Day

We've been busy little bees searching across the web for the best deals to deliver to you. We have updated our COUPON/PROMO CODE page  with dozens of coupon codes to help you save even more on your next vacation or quick getaway!

Labor Day is just around the corner and in the next couple of days we will be highlighting the most popular destinations for this long weekend at the best price possible.  Deals, sales and discounts are coming so stay updated on our Facebook page or by subscribing to our RSS Feed!

As always, we try our best to get you the most up to date information available at the time of publishing.

We really want to hear from you!  Where would you like to see more sales & promos? What type of vacation do you prefer?  Have something specific in mind - maybe there's a deal for you we've overlooked.

Drop us a line in the comments, we would love to hear your thoughts!

Enjoy the weekend!

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Travel Auctions - bid for a bargain

How about these bid for travel auctions?

We've gathered some truly unique destinations up for auction at the cheapest online rates we could find.

These are definitely worth checking out!  More expensive buy it now options also available still at significant savings over retail.

Familygetaway.com is also offering $50 off your first purchase if you sign up for their newsletter.

Click on the links to go directly to the auction page or visit Familygetaway.com and search their entire inventory.

 

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End of Summer is Coming Up fast

We're coming up on a brand new week as summer is slowly but surely dwindeling down.  Fortunately there's still a few weeks left for a super deal on a summer vacation before Labor Day comes around. Or, even better - extend your summer with an early fall getaway and escape some of the summer vacation crowds. Whatever you chose, there are plenty of great travel deals to be had!  Hotels, airfare, resorts, cruises and vacation rentals are always available at up to 80% off retail if you book at the right time and the right place and this blog is all about getting you the best up to the minute deals.
I hate seeing promos for "travel deals", click through and see that what is being touted as a great limited time buy is no more than 10% off the lowest advertized rates - or even worse 50% off the HIGHEST (no one ever pays that) rate.

I try to gather all the best deals as they become available

Take a look around the site for the latest deals - updates are coming on a regular basis.  I hope you enjoy the site and please leave your comments and suggestions! I love hearing from you!


Don't forget to look for us on FACEBOOK

 

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