25 best Black Friday travel deals: Flights, hotels and holiday codes for 2019
Looking for the best Black Friday travel deals? We've got the top offers on flights, hotels, packages holidays and more...
The travel dream. But how to make it a reality?
An Aer Lingus aircraft with new livery photographed over Ireland's west coast. Pic: Frank Grealish
Two pilgrims look at the Miño river in Caminha, Portugal. Photo by Xurxo Lobato/Getty Images
The Bridge House Hotel, Tullamore
Black Friday is coming... though if our email inboxes are anything to go by, it arrived weeks ago and doesn't look like ending any time soon.
Amidst this deluge of 'deals', how can you find the best Black Friday offers?
Well, you can start by scrolling down. We've trawled through the waves of Cyber Week and Black Friday travel deals coming our way and pulled out a selection of the very best... mind-numbing work, but someone had to do it.
Tips? When you see a deal you like, be wary.
Approach travel bargains as you would any other purchase - buy what you really want, pay attention to applicable dates or blackout days (e.g. school or bank holidays), and check for annoying T&Cs (does the offer exclude breakfast? Is it only available on pre-paid rates? How many people 'sharing' is it based on?).
Oh, and don't forget to run the rule over claimed savings (a 25pc discount might be on a high rate that only really applies in peak months, for example). Black Friday travel deals “aren’t always what they appear to be”, as consumer group Which? put it recently, highlighting exaggerated or non-existent special offers.
You know the drill: Buyer beware.
Black Friday flight, ferry & cruise deals
An Aer Lingus aircraft with new livery photographed over Ireland's west coast. Pic: Frank Grealish
€100 off return flights to the US
Aer Lingus has €100 off return flights to North America in its Black Friday travel offer. Book at aerlingus.com by midnight, December 3 for travel from January 6 to March 22, 2020. Lead-in rates start from €149 to east coast destinations like Boston and New York, or €178 to San Francisco - though only when booked as part of a return flight.
Flights from €9.99 with Ryanair
Ryanair is running a 'Cyber Week' sale, with a different offer for each of 10 days online. Yesterday's offer saw 250,000 seats on sale from €9.99, for example - as long as they were booked by 23:59hrs. Today's sees "up to" 20pc off all flights to/from Budapest for travel in December and January. Book on ryanair.com.
25pc off with Stena Line & Irish Ferries
Stena Line is offering up to 25p off sailings with cars to Britain, France and Holland (via Harwich) in its Black Friday deal. Book by December 4 for travel up to December 15 2020, using the code SUPER25.
Irish Ferries, meanwhile, has 25pc off sailings to Britain and 10pc off France. Book by Wednesday, December 4 for sailings up to December 18, 2020.
Save £200 with Celebrity
Celebrity Cruises is offering up to £200 per stateroom off 2020 sailings from Dublin and Southampton in its Black Friday sale.
Various deals are available on add-ons like drinks packages and Wi-Fi, and all guests beyond the first two in the stateroom will receive a 50pc discount off their cruise fare. Book by December 2 (cruises from Dublin start from around €995pp next year).
Black Friday holiday deals
Two pilgrims look at the Miño river in Caminha, Portugal. Photo by Xurxo Lobato/Getty Images
Save up to €150 per booking with TUI
TUI has Black Friday deals available through to Cyber Monday, December 2. The deals are valid for travel from December 7 to October 31 of next year, it says.
To book, call 1850 45 35 45 or visit tuiholidays.ie.
10pc (and more) off your Camino
Walking holiday company Camino Ways has two offers you can combine to get a smart Camino deal. Firstly, a 2020 early-bird special has 10pc off holidays. Secondly, you can get €25 off bookings using the code BLACKFRIDAY19 up to midnight on Friday. Log onto caminoways.com to get your boots on...
Family camping in France from €899
The Irish Travel Agents' Association (ITAA) has over 100 members, and you can find all of their Black Friday travel deals in one place at itaa.ie/offers. Highlights as we publish include three nights in Lisbon this December from €220pp, and a family camping holiday in France next May from €899 in total. Both are from Navan Travel.
Up to €75 off Travel Department holidays
Travel Department has several codes offering Black Friday discounts on its 2020 holidays. They're available to book up to December 2 by calling 0-1 637-1600 or on traveldepartment.com.
Fly away with Emirates
Emirates Holidays is the airline's package-holiday wing; it combines high-end stays with flights on the Emirates network (bookable with a €150pp deposit).
Black Friday travel deals include five nights at the 5-star Gabtoor Grand Beach Resort in Dubai, with a free one-day pass to Dubai Parks & Resorts, from €785pp (book by December 1 for travel between June 1 and July 7 next year).
Another offer includes seven nights for the price of four at the 4-star La Flora Resort & Spa in Khao lak, Thailand. It bundles flights, accommodation from €939pp (book by December 1 for travel between June 1 and July 7).
Call 1800 800 740 or visit emiratesholidays.com to book.
€100 off ski holidays
Directski.com has discounts of €100 or £100 (from Belfast) on all holidays, subject to availability, booked through Black Friday. Offers include 3-star France from €399pp departing February 8. Prices include return flights, accommodation for seven nights, transfers, rep service and luggage (but not ski hire, lift passes or lessons).
Up to 30pc off with Sunway
Sunway has several Black Friday deals, including a three-night February break in New York reduced from €599pp to €499pp, and 30pc off a 5-star package to Fuerteventura next summer. Flights plus five nights at the Gran Atlantis Bahia Real Hotel B&B next August are discounted from €985 to €709pp at sunway.ie.
15pc off with Insight Vacations
Thinking of a premium escorted journey? Insight Vacations has up to 15pc off trips to France, Scandinavia and Russia in summer 2020 with its Black Friday offer. Deals include an eight-day trip to Russia reduced from €2,325pp to €1,979pp, and an eight-day holiday to Normandy, Brittany and the Loire Valley down from €2,425pp to €2,069pp. Book between November 25 and December 2 using the code IVBlackFriday19 to claim the savings.
Black Friday hotel deals
The Bridge House Hotel, Tullamore
25pc off Radisson Hotels in Ireland
Radisson Blu hotels in Athlone, Cork, Limerick and Sligo are all offering 25pc off best-available rates with Black Friday sales running from 00:01 on Friday, November 29 through to 23:59 on Monday, December 2. The offers are valid for both midweek and weekend stays in 2020, subject to availability, it says.
Rooms from €50 at the Bridge House
The Bridge House Hotel in Tullamore is celebrating 50 years in business, and a Black Friday offer has room-only rates from just €50 available midweek (Sun-Thurs) on select dates to March 2020. You can add dinner and B&B for two for a further €50. Call 057 932-5600 or book online at bridgehousehoteltullamore.ie.
Kick up to 25pc off in Killarney
The five star Muckross Park Hotel & Spa has 25pc off its best available B&B rates for hotel rooms and apartments up to April 30, in an offer open from 5pm on Thursday, November 28 to 11.59pm on Friday, November 29 (book at muckrosspark.com).
Meanwhile, nearby Cahernane House Hotel has 20pc off selected, pre-paid packages for stays on December 13 and 14, and selected dates in March (cahernane.com).
Up to £100 off cottage stays
Under The Thatch is a small company focusing on authentic self-catering homes in Ireland, the UK and Europe. It has several deals, including £50 off bookings worth £350-£699 (code FRIDAY50) and £100 off holidays worth £1,000 or more (code FRIDAY100). See its Irish homes here. The offers expire at midnight on Friday.
10pc off at CLIFF hotels
The Cliff House hotel in Co Waterford, Cliff Townhouse in Dublin and Cliff at Lyons in Co Kildare are all offering a 10pc discount on Cliff package vouchers and experiences with a minimum value of €100. The deal is available from midnight on November 27 until midnight on December 2. Call directly or book vouchers on cliff.ie.
30pc off at Castleknock & Carton House
Dublin's Castleknock Hotel has 30pc off its Advance Purchase B&B rates for January, February and March available to book this Black Friday until Monday, December 2. Book at castleknockhotel.com.
Co Kildare's Carton House, meanwhile, has "up to" 30pc off selected golf, spa and leisure packages for stays from Black Friday until April 30, 2020. There is also up to 30pc off selected gift cards. See cartonhouse.com.
30pc off Generator Hostels
Generator Hostels has funky and affordable properties all over Europe (including Dublin). Its Black Friday travel deals see 30pc off bookings made between November 29 and December 2 (for travel between December 2 and March 28). It offers private rooms as well as dorm stays. The offer will be live on staygenerator.com.
NB: All deals subject to availability and change.
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