Travel Tip: Daily Deals for Cities You Travel To

Group buying sites such as Groupon and LivingSocial are sweeping through the web offering steep discounts to consumers, while driving in heavy traffic to local businesses. These sites work by offering 1-day only deals - such as 50% off a rafting trip in the Sierra, or highly discounted restaurant and entertainment deals. The high response to these discounts allows businesses to offer such deals. In addition to activity deals, recent hotel and airline deals have been offered. For example, on the Atlanta Groupon page, Delta Airlines was offering a One-Visit Pass to Delta SkyClub Lounge (a $50 value) for just $22. On the Las Vegas Groupon page, the Clarion was selling for just $21 a night for a King-bed Junior Suite - valid any day of the week.

So, if you are planning a trip outside the Bay Area, it's probably worth signing up (free) for the daily emails offered by these sites, which can be customized to the cities you are traveling to.

Groupon sign-up

LivingSocial sign-up (earn $5 toward first purchase)

10% Off JetBlue Flights Through the Winter

From the JetBlue website comes another 10% off promotion. Simply book a ticket at jetblue.com before November 14th for travel between now and February 10, 2009. Several blackout dates around the holidays apply - be sure to read the t&c's. Promotion code: 10offnov

Book AirTran and Get $25 Cash Back

AirTran and Paypal have teamed up to offer flyers $25 cash back when booking their next ticket at AirTran.com and use Paypal as the method of payment. The offer runs between November 12 and November 30, 2008, and is limited to the first 8,000 customers. There is a minimum purchase of $100 required. The $25 rebate will be credited to your Paypal account 6-8 weeks after purchase.

Southwest Airlines: Buffalo 50% Off Sale

Southwest is running a 50% off promotion for flights to/from Buffalo, New York. Some great deals to be had from the San Francisco Bay Area:

From San Francisco: $87+ each way ($216 RT, including taxes)
HOT! From San Jose: $41+ each way ($138 RT, including taxes)
From Oakland: $70+ each way ($174 RT, including taxes)
From Sacramento $76+ each way ($196 RT, including taxes)

Book by Thursday, for travel between October 28, 2008 through February 12, 2009. Some blackout dates apply during the holidays. Use promotion code: FLYBUF if the discount is not already taken off for you.

San Francisco to Sydney $901 RT/taxes included

United Airlines is offering round trip tickets between San Francisco and Sydney for $901 round-trip, including all taxes and fees. Plenty of availability too! Valid for departures between October 20 and November 27, 2008 only. Visit www.ual.com.

10% Off Air Canada Flights When Using AMEX for Payment

Visit www.aircanada.com/seetheworld to receive 10% off your next international flight to Europe, Asia, and South America. Must take advantage of this offer before November 15th for travel between now and December 13, 2008. Valid for select city departures, including San Francisco - and you must use American Express to purchase your ticket.

$15 Off a JetBlue Ticket When Paying With AMEX

JetBlue and American Express have again partnered to offer a discount when you purchase your next round-trip ticket at www.jetblue.com/myvacation and pay with AMEX. The offer is valid for travel through December 17, 2008. You must be a a TrueBlue member (free to sign up) to receive the discount. A few blackout dates apply.

San Francisco to San Juan $258RT/ Tax included

Nice weekend getaway here: Fly Continental Airlines from San Francisco to San Juan, PR., for $258 round-trip, including taxes and fees. The fare is valid through September for Monday-Thursday travel, with a 3-night minimum stay requirement. Click here to search availability.

JetBlue 'Travel Together' 3-day Promotion

Save up to 20% when you travel with others.
Book between August 12 and August 15 for travel September 3 through October 31.

Save 10% when traveling with 1 other person. Promo code: JETTWO10
Save 15% when traveling with 2 other people Promo code: JET15THREE
Save 20% when traveling with 3 other people Promo code: JET20FOUR

Using the 10% code above, I was able to book a ticket for (2) from San Jose to Long Beach for $91.20 per person, tax inclusive.

Click here to read full terms and conditions and book your flight.

Super Shuttle $3 Discount Code

Here's a $3 off coupon code valid for Super Shuttle. The code works at several airports throughout the country, including all the major airports in the Bay Area. Super Shuttle also awards a minimum 50 frequent flyer miles on U.S Airways, Northwest and Frontier Airlines with each reservation.

Visit www.supershuttle.com and enter promo code: UYR59
Other Super Shuttle coupons can also be found in regional Entertainment books.

"Will Work for Travel": How To Take Free (Or Nearly Free) Vacations

With the slowing economy and increased cost of goods and services, consumers are finding monthly disposable income a bit pinched these days. Taking that family vacation to Italy for example may have to wait in response to higher airfares, pricey hotel accommodations and the devaluation of the U.S Dollar.

But, don't despair, there are some great alternatives you and your family can consider, without the need to take out a second mortgage just for a vacation.

Check out this great article from IgoUgo, where users from have composed creative ways travelers can enjoy free or inexpensive travel. My favorite is the Timeshare tour, in which you visit a particular property, participate in a 90-minute presentation about a time-share, then enjoy a complimentary, or highly discounted 2 or 3 night stay. Locally, these deals have been found around the Lake Tahoe region and around the Monterey/Carmel vicinity.

Read here for other ideas on how to take a free (or nearly free) vacation from IgoUgo.

HOT! San Francisco to Buenos Aires, Argentina $698 rt - tax included

United Airlines is offering this hot fare from San Francisco to Buenos Aires (EZE). Only $698.
Fly between 14 July and 28 August (best fares were found in July), stay a minimum of 3 nights, earn a bunch of miles, and have a great time in this beautiful European-feel city.

Visit www.united.com search within the above date parameters and/or click on the flexible dates tab. I found available flights between July 22 and July 29th for this fare. This thread on flyertalk mentions users finding the fare even a bit cheaper.
This unbelievable fare is subject to change at any time.

'Jet Out Of Town' Promo: Discount On Your Next JetBlue Flight

From an email sent by JetBlue
"Jet out of town! Choose from over 50 destinations and two great ways to save."
$10 off using promo code JET10D or 10% off using JET10.
Book by midnight July 10th, for travel between September 3rd and December 16th, with blackout dates around Columbus Day and Thanksgiving. Click here to book.

$10 Off Each Way On JetBlue - September 2008

Receive $10 off each way when you book your September travel at www.jetblue.com.
You must purchase tickets by June 5th and travel between September 3rd and 30th to qualify for the discount. On the search page, enter promo code: SEPJET. The discount will appear prior to the confirmation page.

American Airlines 10% Off Discount Code

(From FatWallet)
American Airlines has released a promotion code that nets a 10% discount for online purchases.
Valid for tickets purchased at http://www.aa.com/ by 6/6/2008 for travel through 6/20/2008 - one way or roundtrip, in the continental U.S only. Enter promo code: AAMOBI10

Successfully tested this promo code for a flight SFO-LAX - works like a charm! Your savings are noted in the green text.

$25 Off Your Next Midwest Airlines Flight

Midwest Airlines is offering a discount of $25 on your next flight, when you purchase it with a Mastercard. The discount offer is valid on flights to/from Kansas City, and between Milwaukee and Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York (LaGuardia), Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

Use promo code MC25 at www.midwestairlines.com. The discount is valid on flights through September 2008, and must be booked online by April 30 at midnight CT.

Southwest Airlines 15% Off Discount Code

Coupon came through this morning with the airlines' Ding! fares. 15% off a round-trip Southwest flight, systemwide. Book your trip no later than April 21st, for travel dates between August 23-October 30th. Labor Day weekend is not eligible for the discount.

Visit http://www.southwest.com/ enter promotion code: DING15

American's short-hop for short-hauls still available

American Airlines continues to offer its short-hop frequent flier award. With short-hop, you can fly short distances for fewer miles; specifically, destinations 750 miles or less require 15,000 miles instead of the normal 25,000 miles. Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego* are qualifying cities from San Francisco and San Jose Airports. Short-hop is valid for departures thru February 08. More details can be found here.

*San Diego service is from San Jose Airport only.

San Francisco - Boston, MA $180/Roundtrip including taxes. Continental Airlines.
Available certain dates during January and February. www.farecompare.com

HOT deal! 25% off your next Virgin America flight.
Book book before December 7, 2007 for travel through March 19, 2008. Click on the Redeem button or enter this promo code when you book your travel online at http://www.virginamerica.com/: ELEVATE25