Group Buying Sites Save Travelers Money

When business travelers finally go on vacation, they can often take advantage of some of their business travel perks to save money on their leisure trips. Airline miles and special status with a rental car company come in handy, whether you’re traveling for work or not. But some elements of your vacation will likley be paid for out of your own pocket – and no matter your travel budget it’s always nice to avoid paying full price whenever possible.

Let’s say you’re planning a trip to Hawaii to lie on a beach and sip cocktails with umbrellas in them to get a break from your usual hectic business travel schedule. Hawaii is an excellent place to relax, but it’s also a notoriously expensive destination. So how do you save money on your Hawaii trip?

First off, if you’ve got any flexibility in your schedule, look into when travel to Hawaii is cheaper overall. It’s a popular destination year-round, but there are certainly times when it’s not only busier but also more expensive. By planning your trip at a time when it’s Hawaii’s sort-of-low season, you’ll have a greater likelihood of finding cheap tickets to Hawaii to begin with and more options for things like cheap Maui hotels or other accommodation options (even the high-end resorts in Hawaii go on sale).

But after you’ve booked your flight and your accommodation, you can extend your money-saving power by taking advantage of a relatively new phenomenon – group buying sites. Group buying sites like Groupon and Living Social are becoming increasingly popular around the country, but Groupon only just arrived in Hawaii in October 2010. It’s already offered some great deals, however, and has spurred the creation of a couple Hawaii-specific group buying sites like Play Hawaii and Ohana Deals.

While most of these daily-deal group buying sites are designed for locals living in the cities covered, they can be a huge benefit to travelers, as well. As soon as you know where you’ll be going, you can sign up for the daily deal email for that location and start getting deals delivered to your inbox each day for things you might want to do while you’re there. Sure, you’re probably going to skip the offers for dental care or carpet cleaning, but coupons for restaurants and activities are just the kinds of things that will save travelers money.

photo by ornellaswouldgo