Travel Deals: The best Black Friday sales for cheap flights, hotels and cruises

Travel Thursday, Black Friday, Cyber Monday: It's one of the best times to bag a bargain holiday. Photo / Emre Ergen

Forget waiting for the Boxing Day sales, because some of the biggest deals dropping for Black Friday are the best we've seen. And with prices so small — right now travellers can snap up cracking deals on flights, accommodation, cruises and tours all at a fraction of the price.

The American tradition of Black Friday sales — the day after Thanksgiving, which this year falls on November 29 — has gone global as one of the world's biggest shopping days, and in particular, it's become one of the best times of the year to book travel.

While some travel brands have already kicked off their sales, or released sneak peek details of what'll be on offer, many are keeping their Black Friday sales under wraps until later in the week. But we've found a handful of bargains that'll have you wanting to book your next holiday before the week is out.

WOTIF drops 'biggest Hotel sale of the year'

Online travel site Wotif has announced their biggest hotel sale of the year with savings of up to 60% available on a range of city accommodation across Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

Kicking off on Wednesday until Tuesday 3rd December 2019, hotel locations in Australia and New Zealand include Auckland, Christchurch, Port Douglas, Cairns, Gold Coast, Hunter Valley, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. While if you're looking for a hotel further afield like Bali, Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur will also be heavily discounted.

Wotif Travel Expert Chris Milligan said this week will prove to be one of the best times of the year to buy ahead of summer.

"Now is the perfect time to book that city staycation or quick interstate break you've been thinking about," he said.

"Bali and Tokyo remain year-round international favourites for Aussie travellers but at the end of the year, interest for these two destinations certainly spikes. No doubt savvy travellers will be looking to make the most of the excellent deals on offer, including up to 70% off select accommodation at the luxurious Prince Park Tower Tokyo and up to 40% off at the stunning Elysian Boutique Villa Hotel in Bali."

Wotif's Biggest Hotel Sale of the Year runs from Wednesday, 27 November until Tuesday, 3 December 2019.

Expedia Launches 75 per cent off Hotels

If you're quick off the mark, this deal from online travel booking site Expedia could well be the best bang for your buck. But you will need to have their app downloaded.

As part of their Black Friday frenzy, Expedia will launch 60 per cent off selected hotels and 75 per cent off hotel coupons when using their app. For those who miss out, they will also off a 10 per cent discount on selected hotels, and 25 per cent off some of their activities.

Last year Expedia's Black Friday sale showed that Australians used the sale to book a getaway as soon as possible, using the period to book an end-of-year weekend getaway in what would usually be an expensive, high-peak travel season.

$1000s off of Flight Centre bookings

Flight Centre's Red Thursday Sale promises savings of up to $7000 on premium river cruises, up to 25 per cent off selected Europe, Asia and USA tours, and up to $4300 on selected holiday packages. Sale starts November 28 and ends December 1.

30 per cent off Ovolo hotels

The hotel group is offering a 30 per cent discount on their Australian and Hong Kong properties for stays between November 29, 2019 and June 30, 2020. The offer must be booked between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

30 per cent off Contiki trips

Contiki will be offering their biggest sale ever, with shoppers able to save over $3000 on their next trip. Travellers can score mega discounts on 26 trips across five different continents including Western Canada, Greece, and Kuala Lumpur. Sale starts November 29 and ends December 2.
There are also a raft of exclusive Cyber Weekend deals that are yet to be announced, running from November 29 to December 2.

Carnival cruise sale

With summer on the horizon, Carnival Cruise Line has launched its Sun's Out, Fun's Out sale to welcome the warmer weather, offering discounted rates and up to $500 thrown in to spend on-board.

An eight night package from Sydney through to New Caledonia and return over eight nights will set you back from $996 per person including a $300 on-board voucher, while a 10-night voyage in April 2020 will set you back around $1259 per person with $500 on-board credit per cabin to spend.

But you'll need to book in quickly because these fares will end on November 30th 2019.