Frugal Bon Vivant Blog » Vacations

Groupon Getaways Joins the Travel Flash Sale Competition

Frugal Bon Vivant — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 13:00:23 +0000

Groupon has finally jumped on the travel flash sale bandwagon, joining the likes of Jetsetter Travel, Living Social Escapes and countless others. They’re calling it Groupon Getaways and it’s a partnership between Groupon and Expedia. They’ve been running getaways for less than a week now, and the destinations have included: Las Vegas, Florida, Bangkok, Vermont, Toronto, Santa Fe, Costa Rica, Cancun, Dallas, Oregon, Tahiti, British Columbia, Denver, Hawaii, and a few more. Definitely a broad selection, with some nice hotels.

So far, the biggest downside to Groupon Getaways is the fine print. While it might seem like a great idea to buy a getaway within driving distance, but with the exclusions and expiration dates, 1-3 months can slip by pretty quickly and then you’ve just wasted $100+

Still a great idea if you’re looking for a hotel within 1-2 months. I’d love to see Groupon add in the option to book the hotel right then — like how you can with Jetsetter — instead of having to call a # with your Groupon booking. Excited to see what they’ll be offering in the coming months.

Jetsetter Invite: $100 Credit When Friends Buy

Frugal Bon Vivant — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 17:00:21 +0000

Jetsetter.com, Gilt Groupe’s travel section, just raised their referral rate from $25 to $100! So after a friend you invited to Jetsetter makes their first purchase you now get $100 towards your next hotel stay or trip instead of the standard $25 like the rest of Gilt Groupe. We spotted recent rates at Ace Hotels Portland at $79/night, so $100 could get you a long way toward a weekend getaway.

Reminder, when Jetsetter Travel first launched in September of 2009, I did some comparisons and found that they were typically about 30-40% off Expedia/Travelocity prices. So if you’re in the market for a 4 star hotel or a swanky vacation it’s worth a look.

$100 Travelocity Hotel Gift Card for $25

Frugal Bon Vivant — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 14:00:16 +0000

ideeli has $100 Travelocity gift cards up for $50! The gift cards are for hotel bookings only — no flights or vacation packages — with a minimum of a two night stay and $300 minimum spend. This deal ends Sunday, November 21, 2010. This deal would be great for some of 2011′s 3 day weekends!

The gift card is redeemable between 11/19/2010 and 6/1/2011 and travel must be completed by 12/31/11. Fine print: No blackout dates, minimum two-night stay, minimum spend of $300 pre-tax, limit 1 gift card per booking. Remember, you need an invitation code to shop at Ideeli.

Jetsetter Invitation Code

Frugal Bon Vivant — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:00:11 +0000

Jetsetter Travel is an online “sample sale” site for luxury travel deals, and a division of Gilt Groupe. Here is the Jetsetter invite code.

Jetsetter

Membership: Free
Type: Invite-only (get an invitation code from Frugal Bon Vivant)
Shipping: free (online travel booking)
Referrals: $25 credit after a friend’s first purchase
Countries: US only
Returns/Cancellations: No cancellations
Time/Duration of Sale: 5-7 days starting at noon PST
Product Categories: Travel (Gilt Groupe also has: Women’s, Men’s [Gilt Man], & Children’s Apparel, Accessories & Shoes, Jewelry, Beauty Products, and Home Goods)
Previously Featured Travel Deals: Ace Hotel New York, Caesers Palace Las Vegas, Hotel Metropole Monte Carlo

When Jetsetter first launched in September of 2009, I did some comparisons and found that they were typically about 30-40% off Expedia/Travelocity prices. So if you’re in the market for a 4 star hotel or a swanky vacation definitely check it out.

Find more online sample sales

$200 Travel Coupon – Expedia Holiday Kickback

Frugal Bon Vivant — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:37:07 +0000

Expedia just launched a Holiday Kickback promo with a $200 off travel coupon. They had a similar promo in August, but this time you get $200 off a future purchase. Here’s how it works…

Book any roundtrip flight on Expedia.com by December 31, 2009 (for travel through January 3, 2010).
You’ll get a $200 off coupon to use on a flight/hotel combo of 5 nights or more. (for travel January 11 – March 30, 2010). The pre-discounted price has to be at least $1,000.

How is this a good deal? It almost isn’t. ;) But if you’re flying somewhere for the holidays and then plan on escaping the winter weather early next year, then it could be a deal!

$199 – 7-Night Mexican Riveria Cruise on NCL

Frugal Bon Vivant — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:30:36 +0000

Travelocity has a 7-night Mexican Riviera cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line for $199 via LA for October & November departures. A pretty sick deal, plus you can get a $250 onboard credit! Of course there are always fees/taxes at checkout… which adds about $60/pp so $526 for two people for a 7-night cruise is a mighty fine deal indeed. Mind you they’ll gouge you on drinks and tipping, so your $250 on-board credit will go quick! ;)

Here’s how to find the deal:

Click on “Cruises” on the top banner
Click on “Search by Destination” and then “Mexican Riveria” on the map
In the table, there should be “from $199″ listed under the Los Angeles Departure Port row

(photo: corsinet)

Jetsetter: Travel Sample Sale Site from Gilt Groupe

Frugal Bon Vivant — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 04:16:45 +0000

Gilt Groupe is finally launching Jetsetter — a new sample sale site for luxury travel.

The official launch date is Wednesday, September 30 with a sale for travel to a South American ranch in Uruguay. In the meantime, if you’re a Gilt Groupe member, check to see if you have access to the test-user beta.

Currently on sale:

New York Hotel on Rivington – from $249/night
Encentado Resort, New Mexico – from $185/night
Paws Up Ranch, Montana – from $189/night

Coming Soon:

Ranch in Uruguay
The Bauer in Venice, Italy
The Cotton House on the Isle of Mustique
The Peninsula in New York City
Seabourn Yacht

I did a few comparisons and it looks like some of these resorts are about 30-40% off typical Expedia prices. If you’re in the market for a 4 star hotel or a swanky vacation definitely check it out. Not really my typical vacation budget or style, but I’ll still keep my eye on it for special occasions. Reminder: Your Gilt Groupe account will automatically give you access to the site on the launch day. If you don’t have a Gilt Groupe account, get one here.

15% Off Coupon Code: GAP Adventures

Frugal Bon Vivant — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:00:08 +0000

GAP Adventures is doing a 15% off promo on most of their Mexico trips in celebration of Mexico Independence Day. Use coupon code: Mexico15 at checkout. For travel by December 31, 2009, but must be booked by September 25, 2009.

The cheapest trip is a 15 day Mexico City to Cancun (overland) trip visiting: Cancún, Playa del Carmen, snorkeling in cenotes, Chichén Itzá, Palenque, climbing Mayan temples, San Cristóbal, Mérida, Oaxaca, Puebla, and Mexico City. It’s $699 – 15% = $594 (+ a $250 local payment on arrival) = $56/day. Remember, GAP & Intrepid trips only cover transportation, lodging, and an occasional activity. Perfect for an adventure tour 1-2 week vacation — when you don’t want to mess with planning, but don’t want to go to an all-inclusive etc. Reminder: You can usually get 15-25% off last minute late departure trips too. (photo: mindaugasdanys)

20% Off Coupon Code for Intrepid Travel

Frugal Bon Vivant — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:51:58 +0000

Intrepid Travel is giving away 20 trips this month, but you get a 20% off coupon code: 3215, just for entering! This a great deal, because it pretty much just prices all of their trips at the sale “late departure” pricing. For travel before June 30, 2010, but you need to book it by October 15, 2009. If you’re looking for a short trip to get you through winter, now is the time to book!

Excludes: discounted trips (late departures that are already 20% off) and trips that are less than $500.

10% Off Coupon Code: World Nomads Travel Insurance

Frugal Bon Vivant — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:47:51 +0000

World Nomads has a new coupon code for 10% off travel insurance! Use promo code: WNXMAS at checkout. As usual, North Americans are out of luck on this one (financial service laws exclude USA & Canada), but you can still use coupon code WNFP09 to donate your 10% off to Footprints development projects. Expires August 31, 2009.

I bought World Nomads travel insurance for my round the world trip and while thankfully I didn’t have to use it, it was nice knowing that I was covered if I got sick, hurt, stolen from etc. So even if you’re only going on a 1-2 week vacation, it’s still a good idea to research your current health insurance to see if/how it covers out of country use. Plus, it covers extra things like trip cancellation and theft.

Safe travels!