To Deal-Travel or Not? That is the Question
As the popularity of group buying grows, so do the number of industries participating.
A significant player in the industry is travel. Following in the footsteps of sites like Expedia, Travelocity, major daily deals players have teamed up with such sites, or stated travel deals of their own.
A few that come to mind: LivingSocial Escapes, Group Getaways (Groupon + Expedia = love), Travelzoo, TripAlertz, the list goes on.
Some of these sites put their own little spin on travel deals.
TripAlertz sets its prices to the number of bookings, and SniqueAway caters to those who are looking for luxury travel, and is available by invitation only.
Most deals are available for the same time as other daily deals, but you can book up to a year.
Aggregators are getting in on the deals too. Travel packages can be found on Yipi
t and Dealery (who consolidate them from other sites), but I personally, am a little wary.
Now, this is what puzzles me. In order to purchase a travel daily deal, would one already have to be looking for a trip? Or is it one of those spontaneous things? How many details are included in the deal description? Is there are a specific hotel that you have to stay in? Are there restrictions on airlines and flight times? As a travel snob (and crazy-planner-girl), I need to know these things!
I’m the kind of person who researches hotels, looks at reviews, location, whether I’ll need a rental car; there are so many things that go into travelling. Would daily travel deals work for me? Maybe?
Another factor that goes into the travel deals, is the essences of the group buy in general. There’s always a “tipping” point. A required number of people must buy the deal. So, if you decide you want this deal, you get all hyped up for it, make sure you have enough money on the credit card, and no one else buys your deal, you’re stuck at home, potentially never going on a discounted vacation.
Travel deals seem to work best for people who are spur of the moment and on a budget, but not stuck on a specific location. Before you buy a travel deal, check the hotel’s prices to make sure you’re really getting a deal. When it comes to travel, I find planning works best, but even I would be tempted by a trip to the Big Easy in the cold bitter days of February.
