Travel deals go beyond Black Friday

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With Ottawa lifting its ban on non-essential travel, rising vaccination rates and more destinations re-opening, an increasing number of Canadians are optimistic about travelling this winter which is why many travel operators are still dangling tempting Black Friday offers.

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While most hotel, airline, cruise and tour operators wait for Cyber Monday or Travel Deal Tuesday to reveal their offers, plenty of companies are trying to get ahead of their competitors. Here are some Black Friday travel deals you can book right now.

Sunwing wants you to fall in love with Pacific Mexico

Canadian tour operator Sunwing is kicked off its Black Friday sale ahead of schedule with deals on vacation packages for Pacific Mexico and Cuba. Whether you’re planning a family vacation in Mazatlán or a couples-only getaway to Varadero, Sunwing warns that the best dates and resorts sell out quickly. Example deals on their website at the time of writing were a seven-day stay at Grand Memories Varadero for $1155 per adult (a 36 per cent savings) and a weeklong stay at Riu Jaliso in Riviera Nayarit for $1195 (a savings of 38 per cent). sunwing.ca/en/promotion/packages/black-friday

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Club Med offers 60 per cent savings for Black Friday

The company that invented the all-inclusive resort, Club Med, is offering a Black Friday sale with savings of up to 60 per cent for select vacation packages for trips until July 1, 2022. The deal applies to many of their most popular sun destination resorts in places like Cancun, Mexico and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, but also their latest ski resort in Quebec’s Charlevoix region. You have to book by Nov. 29 to take advantage of these savings. Get the details at clubmed.ca/o/flash-sale .

G Adventures offers its biggest savings of the year 

With the launch of its Cyber Sale, Canadian small group adventure operator and community tourism pioneer G Adventures is offering up to 30 per cent off more than 400 tours departing before Oct. 31, 2022. The sale runs to Dec. 3 and applies across the company’s selection of 18-to-Thirtysomethings, Active, Classic, Family, Local Living and Marine tours. Among the discounted itineraries are favourites like Best of Turkey, Absolute Peru, Cuba Explorer and Highlights of Morocco. Find out more at gadventures.com/travel-deals/cyber-sale/ .

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Book a discounted tour with Trafalgar

Leading tour operator Trafalgar is offering savings of up to 20 per cent on select 2022 departures booked online as part of its Black Friday Travel Sale. Some of the discounted tours include their ‘Imperial Europe’ tour which visits nine cities in five countries over 10 days for just $2,525 per person, a savings of $747. Another example is their ‘America’s Great Desert National Parks’ tour which is $4,410 per person, $501 less than their regular rate. The offer is for new bookings only and customers must book and pay in full before Nov. 30. trafalgar.com/en-ca/deals/black-friday-sale

Priceline unlocks savings for Black Friday and beyond

Online travel agency Priceline’s Black Friday sales event promises a week’s worth of savings on hotels, rental cars, flights, cruises and more. The sale kicked off on Nov. 22 during their Early Access Sale with a site-wide promotion on Express Deals that promised additional hotel discounts of 30 per cent for select properties and flights savings of 15 per cent on certain routes. Members of Priceline VIP, the company’s rewards program, will also unlock access to even better discounts. Once Cyber Monday passes, Priceline will kick off their Seasons of Savings event where 30 new travel deals will roll out each week through Jan 3, 2022. Visit priceline.com for details.

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Atlas Ocean Voyages offers free business-class air

Travellers booking suites on certain cruises with luxury expedition cruise operator Atlas Ocean Voyages will receive complimentary round-trip, intercontinental business-class air travel if they book from Nov. 26 – 30. They can choose from 29 voyages departing from March 1 through Sept. 30, 2022 in Antarctica and the Arctic, South America, the Mediterranean, the British Isles and Northern Europe, and Iceland and Greenland aboard the company’s newly launched World Navigator and soon-to-be-launched World Traveller. For those booking staterooms on these cruises, Atlas Ocean Voyages is offering savings of 20 per cent. Travellers must mention code BLKFRI21 at time of booking and can get more information by calling 1-844-44-ATLAS (28527).

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Is it really better in the Bahamas?

With tropical temperatures, exciting new hotel and resort openings and 100,000 square miles of inviting water to play in, it’s easy to believe the Caribbean island’s slogan “It’s Better in The Bahamas.” For Black Friday and Cyber Monday, travellers can receive a $500 air credit when booking an air-inclusive seven-night package offered by one of the participating Bahama Out Islands Promotion Board member hotels for trips between Nov. 28 and Jan. 31, 2022. Blackout dates apply. Get all the details at bahamas.com/deals-packages

The Venetian in Vegas dangles its holiday offers

Las Vegas’ spectacular Venetian Resort is gearing up for the holidays with a long list of seasonal events and attractions and is getting a jump on Cyber Monday by offering some of its best deals of the year from now until the end of November. Book a two-night stay with their exclusive Cyber Month offer and receive up to 25 per cent off suite rates, plus a $75 food and beverage credit for use at several of the resort’s signature restaurants and bars. The deals are for bookings from now through May 31, 2022 at VenetianLasVegas.com/offers. More details about their holiday offerings can be found at venetianlasvegas.com/holidays/christmas.html .

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Dreaming of California luxury

Located on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in California, the luxurious oceanside Terranea Resort is inviting guests to experience a wealth of seasonal experiences and activities with them. As an incentive, the Terranea is offering its lowest rates of the year online between Black Friday and Cyber Monday including their Buy One, Get One Night offer. Guests need to use the promo code CYBERMONDAY when booking to get the special rate for their stay. terranea.com/holidaydeals

Florida’s Shores Resort & Spa offers discounted rooms

Located on a quiet stretch of Atlantic shoreline near Daytona Beach, The Shores Resort & Spa is the sort of beachfront retreat that winter-weary Canadians dream about. As part of its Cyber Celebration, the resort will offer its best deals of the year with 40 per cent off room rates that can be booked until December 4. Reservations can be booked for travel anytime until May 31, 2022 and are subject to availability and black-out dates. Book your stay at shoresresort.com .

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Give the gift of travel

Instead of giving stuff for the holidays, Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo want you to give the gift of travel instead. To that end, they teamed together to scour their many listings to curate a holiday gift guide filled with international travel experiences. So instead of giving someone a smartwatch, spend the same amount to give them a two-night stay in a Puerto Vallarta boutique hotel instead.

They’re also giving discounts of up to 30 per cent off thousands of select hotels and cruises on Expedia and Hotels.com during their own Black Friday sale which ends November 29, 2021. During the last week of the promotion, Expedia Rewards and Hotels.com Rewards members get 4X rewards points in the Expedia mobile app and Double Rewards Stamps on Hotels.com .