5 Reasons You Shouldn't Wait for Black Friday to Book Your Trip

Amanvari

Travel Deals Debunked

5 Reasons You Shouldn't Wait for Black Friday to Book Your Trip

Those Black Friday travel deals aren't what they seem. A luxury travel advisor breaks down the smoke and mirrors behind inflated "discounts" — and why booking early with the right agent saves you more.

By Meg Johnson

November 6, 2026

Every Autumn, my inbox fills with the same question from clients ready to plan their next trip: Should I wait for the Black Friday travel deals before I book?

I get it. The ads are everywhere — resorts promising 30 to 50 percent off, countdown timers ticking, urgency baked into every banner. It looks like the smart move. But here's what I know after quoting hotels every single day, all day long, watching prices fluctuate in real time across dozens of properties: those deals are smoke and mirrors.

I spent twenty years behind a salon chair building trust with clients before I pivoted to luxury travel. Honesty was everything in that career, and it's everything in this one too. So let me be straight with you.

That Black Friday travel deal you're holding out for? It's probably going to cost you more — not less. Here are five reasons why.

1. The Prices Aren't Really Discounted

This is the part that frustrates me most, because I watch it happen in real time. Hotels and all-inclusive resorts raise their rates in the weeks leading up to Black Friday. Then they slap a "30 to 50 percent off" label on the inflated number and call it a sale.

I see it over and over again. I once booked clients a room at a popular all-inclusive resort over the summer. Great room, great rate. But when November rolled around, the same resort launched its annual Black Friday promotion, and the "discounted" price was nearly double what my clients had already locked in three months earlier — and my clients got a better room category to boot.

A domed spa pavilion with an arched timber door sits framed by fan palms and built-in limestone seating at Amanvari, Los Cabos.

A curved walkway bridges a reflective pool beneath the layered cantilevers of Amanvari's open-air atrium.

Gallery images from Amanvari

At many luxury properties, it goes a step further. The Black Friday package price may look lower on the surface, but read the fine print: the spa credits, airport transfers, and room upgrades that were included in the standard rate have silently been stripped out to make the math work.

That's not a deal. That's marketing. The number looks impressive next to the crossed-out price they've invented, but if you've been watching the rates the way I do, you can see exactly what happened — and exactly which brands are not selling their guests a lie. Too many hotels just move the goalposts so the discount feels dramatic. Smoke and mirrors.

If you're wondering whether flights follow the same pattern, the answer is sometimes, but not reliably. Flight sales do surface around Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but they typically come with blackout dates, limited routes, and seat restrictions that make them far less useful than the headline suggests. For hotels and resorts, where the markup game is most aggressive, the math almost never works in your favor.

2. Inventory Disappears — Especially When You Need It Most

Here's what people don't think about when they decide to wait: while you're holding out for a deal that may not actually save you anything, the rooms you want are filling up.

This is especially true for winter travel. If you live somewhere cold — and trust me, I'm in Minnesota, so I understand the urgency of escaping to sunshine — you're competing with every other family who has the same idea. And if you want to travel during the holidays? Inventory gets tight fast.

Try booking a room for two adults and three kids during Christmas week and waiting till November to book it. Those family-sized suites and connecting rooms are the first to go. The fewer rooms available, the higher the price climbs. By the time Black Friday arrives, you're not just paying more — you might not even have the option you wanted in the first place.

AmanvariWarm-toned timber walls glow through floor-to-ceiling glass as lanterns reflect across a still pool at Amanvari, Los Cabos.

The best move? Book for the following year as early as possible. And if you want to stretch your budget even further, consider traveling in May, September, October, early November, or February. Those shoulder seasons offer incredible value without the festive-season markup that comes with Thanksgiving and Christmas travel. I know when the best deals hit because this is what I do for a living, all day, every day.

3. You Can Book Now, With Almost No Risk

When you book a hotel through me, I recommend properties where all you need is a small, refundable deposit — anywhere from $50 to $500 depending on the property — to lock in your room and your rate. That deposit is fully refundable if your plans change before final payment, which is usually due 60 to 90 days before travel.

Read that again. Refundable. Deposit.

You're not committing thousands of dollars upfront by booking a vacation. You're securing your spot with minimal risk. And here's where it gets even better — I always check the current rate before making your final payment, months later. If the price has dropped, I advocate to match it and update the booking. It's that simple.

In my experience, 99 percent of the time, prices go up the closer you get to travel, not down. But on those rare occasions when a rate does dip? I catch it. Because I'm watching.

An elegant beachfront restaurant interior with wooden tables and woven chairs, floor-to-ceiling glass walls opening onto an outdoor terrace with umbrellas overlooking the sea — Luma restaurant at Amanvari, where indoor seating opens onto a seaside terrace.

A curved open-air lounge at golden hour with woven wood armchairs, cylindrical columns, and panoramic views of palm trees and the ocean — The lounge bar wraps around a water feature with unobstructed ocean views.

Gallery images from Amanvari

So the question becomes: what exactly are you waiting for? You can book now, lock in today's price with a small refundable deposit, and know that if something better comes along, I have you covered. There's no reason to gamble your vacation on a Black Friday promotion that won't deliver what it promises.

4. You're Already Paying for a Travel Agent — So Why Not Use One?

This is the part most travelers don't realize, and it changes the entire equation: my commission is already built into the price of the hotel. Whether you book through me or you book directly through the resort's website, you're paying the same rate.

Let that sink in. If you don't use a travel agent, you're not saving money. You're just giving that built-in commission back to the hotel. You get nothing extra in return — no advocate, no expertise, no one watching your rates, no one coordinating your trip details behind the scenes.

When you book with me, you're supporting a small business and getting a dedicated advocate who genuinely cares about your budget. Traveling is expensive. Everyone works so hard for that one special vacation. I take my job seriously because I truly want to save my clients the most money possible. That's not a sales pitch — it's twenty years of building relationships and bringing that same honesty and care into everything I do.

The question should never be whether you can afford a travel agent. It's why you'd choose not to use one when it costs you nothing extra.

A smiling man in a navy rash guard, sunglasses, and straw hat stands in a turquoise pool behind a white crescent-shaped floating tray holding a bottle of champagne, multiple glasses of sparkling wine, and small gourmet appetizers on clear stands. — AmanvariCoconut palms rise through the colonnaded terraces of Amanvari's beachfront pavilion beneath an open sky.

5. A Booking Portal Won't Have Your Back Mid-Trip

Let me paint you a picture of what happens after you book with me — because the work doesn't stop when the reservation is confirmed.

I recently had a family traveling with young kids. From my phone, I tracked their flights in real time through the LuxRally Travel app. Before they even landed, I had already contacted the resort to pass along their arrival details and request an early check-in. I kept my phone close the entire time in case they needed help finding their private transfer or getting settled.

That's the part of this job people don't always see. The trip is booked, but the coordination continues: communicating with properties, anticipating what a family might need, being available the moment something comes up.

And when things really go sideways — like another time when a client was stranded on a street corner in Europe at two in the morning needing a transfer — that's when having a real person on the other end of the phone isn't just nice-to-have, it's everything.

So ask yourself this: does Costco Travel track your flights and make sure everything is running smoothly on your trip? Does an online booking portal answer the phone, regardless of time zone, when you're searching for your transfer?

You already know the answer.

A lush green golf course with undulating fairways, palm trees, and the ocean visible on the horizon at golden hour — AmanvariManicured fairways at Costa Palmas Golf Club stretch toward the Sea of Cortés.

Book Smart, Not Late: Black Friday Deals on Travel Rarely Pay Off

Black Friday works for flat-screen TVs and kitchen appliances. It doesn't work the same way for travel. The deals aren't what they seem, the inventory shrinks while you wait, and you're leaving real support and advocacy on the table for no reason at all.

Book early. Lock in your rate with a small refundable deposit. Let someone who watches prices every single day make sure you're getting the best possible value. And when you're on that trip — sipping something cold by the pool while your kids splash around — know that someone has your back if anything goes sideways.

That's not a Black Friday deal. That's a travel agent who actually cares.

If you're ready to stop waiting and start planning, connect with me below. We'll start with a quick consultation — no pressure, no fees — to find the right trip for your budget, your timeline, and the experience you actually want, before the room you have in mind is gone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Black Friday travel deals actually save you money?

In most cases, no. Hotels and all-inclusive resorts typically inflate their rates in the weeks before Black Friday, then apply a 'discount' to the higher number. If you'd booked the same room two or three months earlier, you likely would have paid less — and may have had access to a better room category.

Is it cheaper to book travel on Black Friday or Cyber Monday?

For hotels and resorts, the math rarely works in your favor — the 'sale' price is usually measured against an inflated rack rate, not the rate you could have locked in earlier. Flight sales do occasionally appear around Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but they typically come with blackout dates, limited routes, and seat restrictions that make them less useful than the headline suggests.

What happens to resort availability if I wait until Black Friday to book?

Inventory shrinks considerably, especially for winter and holiday travel. Family-sized suites and connecting rooms are the first to go — by November, the room you actually wanted may already be gone, and what's left will cost you more because supply is tight.

What is a refundable deposit, and how does it work when booking a hotel?

When you book a hotel through me, most properties require only a small refundable deposit — typically anywhere from $50 to $500 — to secure your room and rate. That deposit is fully refundable if your plans change before final payment, which is usually due 60 to 90 days before your travel date.

What does a travel agent's price match mean?

Before your final payment is due, I check the current rate on your property. If the price has dropped since you booked, I match the lower rate and update your reservation. In my experience, prices rise the closer you get to travel — but on those rare occasions when they dip, I catch it because I'm watching rates every day.

Does using a travel agent cost extra?

No. My commission is already built into the hotel's price, whether you book through me or directly through the resort. If you skip the agent, you're not saving money — you're just returning that commission to the hotel with nothing to show for it.

When is the best time to travel to avoid peak pricing?

If your budget is a priority, avoid holiday weeks around Thanksgiving and Christmas — those festive periods command a significant premium. May, September, October, early November, and February tend to offer the best value at the same properties, often for 30 percent or more below the holiday-week rate.

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