✈️ You Paid How Much? | Dec. 17 ✈️ (Holiday Edition)
Last minute holiday deals, where to stay + why NYE might be the best day to travel 👀
Happy Saturday, kinfolk 👋🏾 let’s get right into it!
Today’s newsletter: all holiday travel deals. With the holiday season just days away, folks are looking for those last-minute cheap flights and hotels. Is it still possible to find inexpensive flights for Christmas/New Years’ Eve? Absolutely. Keep reading to learn more!
Travel News From Vikkie
Are your travel plans flexible? You might want to travel on New Year’s Eve. If you don’t mind missing out on the fireworks and festivities, flying on NYE can cut the cost of an international flight to cities like London or Rome by half!
Even during the holiday season, you can still find cheap flight deals — but they’ll often come with the most restrictions. As you’ll see below, the most affordable deals have the most restrictions; no checked bags (and, in some cases, no carry-ons), fees for picking your seats, etc.
My take? If you want more flexibility, spend a little bit more and book a regular economy ticket instead of basic economy.
Be prepared to drop some cash for hotels, even if you find a cheap flight. Most hotels are already snapped up for the holiday season, and those that are available might cost hundreds (or thousands) of dollars per night.
My take? If you have hotel points with a particular chain, now is the time to use them. As you’ll see below, you can get hotel rooms for as low as 9k points per night!
Deal of the Day: Los Angeles to Tahiti for $599 round-trip on Air France for NYE dates:
Dates: December 30-January 7
Where to stay:
Hilton Hotel Tahiti ($409 per night or 149,000 Hilton points per night)
Atlanta to Nassau for $237 round-trip on Frontier for NYE dates:
Dates: December 31-January 7
Where to stay:
Holiday Inn Express & Suites: Nassau ($222 per night)
Grand Hyatt Baha Mar ($527 per night)
Houston to Cancun for $375 round-trip on United for late-December dates:
Dates: December 21-28
This deal is in basic economy, and United is one of the most restrictive. You can only bring one personal item — no carry-on or checked bags. Regular economy is $80 more
Where to stay:
Motto Tulum ($114 per night or 33,000 Hilton Honors points per night)
Thompson Playa del Carmen Main House ($217 per night or 9,000 World of Hyatt points per night)
The Westin Cancun ($294 per night or 185,600 Marriott Bonvoy points total)
New York to Aruba for $417 round-trip on American Airlines for late-December dates:
Dates: December 20-26
This deal is in basic economy; regular economy is $80 more
Where to stay:
Holiday Inn Resort: Aruba-Beach Resort & Casino ($465 per night or 82,833 IHG points per night)
Miami to Bogota for $305 round-trip on American Airlines for Christmas dates:
Dates: December 24-December 29
This deal is in basic economy; regular economy is $100 more
Where to stay:
Radisson Bogota Metrotel ($67 per night)
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Bogotá ($92 per night or 22,000 Hilton Honors points per night)
W Bogota ($226 per night or 137,000 Marriott Bonvoy points total)
Newark to Barcelona for $545 round-trip on United for NYE dates:
Dates: December 31-January 10
This deal is in basic economy, but you can bring one personal item + one carry-on. Checked bags cost $150
Where to stay:
Renaissance Barcelona Fira Hotel ($122 per night or 31,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night)
Hotel Indigo Barcelona ($134 per night)
Le Méridien Barcelona ($228 per night or ~53,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night)
Philadelphia to St. Lucia for $556 round-trip on American Airlines for NYE dates:
Dates: December 31-January 7
This deal is in basic economy; regular economy is $80 more
Where to stay:
Harbor Club St. Lucia, Curio Collection by Hilton ($306 per night or 133,000 Hilton Honors points per night)
Washington to London for $610 round-trip on United for NYE dates:
Dates: December 31-January 9
This deal is in basic economy, but you can bring one personal item + one carry-on. Checked bags cost $150
Where to stay:
TRIBE Canopy Wharf ($117 per night)
The Gantry London ($171 per night or 47,000 Hilton Honors points per night)
Andaz Liverpool ($303 per night or 17,000 World of Hyatt points per night)
Dallas to Rio de Janeiro for $770 round-trip on Delta for NYE dates:
Dates: December 30-January 8
Book here (book with LATAM)
Where to stay:
Courtyard Rio de Janeiro Barra da Tijuca ($125 per night or 130,500 Marriott Bonvoy points total)
Grand Hyatt Rio de Janeiro ($334 per night or 12,000 World of Hyatt points per night)
Los Angeles to Auckland for $1,025 round-trip on American Airlines and Qantas for NYE dates:
Dates: December 28-January 9
This is a multi-booking itinerary; you’ll need to book the outbound and return separately to get the cheapest deal. The outbound LAX-DFW-AKL flight is on American, and the return flight is on Qantas.
Where to stay:
Holiday Inn Express Auckland City Centre ($159 per night or 26,200 IHG points per night)
Mövenpick Hotel Auckland ($181 per night)