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Every year, we send out thousands of deals to our members-and now, with the Going app, they've never been more accessible. We have rigorous standards for which deals we send out, but that's only half the story.
As a traveler, you also have your own standards. And often, it comes down to the price tag. Budgets vary from year to year, even trip to trip. If you have $450 burning a hole in your pocket right now, we've got good news: There are tons of stellar deals if you're looking to travel soon.
We're passing the mic over to our Travel Expert JoyAngelica Chan, who found four excellent deals for travel between November 2024 and January 2025. The lesson here is that you can travel far and wide on a budget, especially if you're willing to employ a few savvy travel hacks along the way.
Note: These deals (or similar deals) were sent to our members over the past several weeks. The exact deal may no longer be active on our site, but you may be able to find something similar by downloading our app or searching on Google Flights. Rather than taking this newsletter as gospel, think of it as a guide for how you should approach your flight search.
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The perfect price point
Traveling anywhere for $450 takes planning, patience, and some thriftiness. Luckily, you've got Going to help you for that. Keeping yourself hydrated while you travel can be hard too, but that's why you've got LMNT!
LMNT is an electrolyte drink mix that gives you everything your body needs and nothing it doesn't! Their perfect science-backed ratio of 1000mg sodium, 200mg potassium, and 60mg magnesium mixes in with any drink to give you the electrolytes you need to get properly hydrated and saves you money on buying overpriced drinks while you are on the move. Plus, it comes in individual packs so you can mix them in with any drinks you have, or water refills at the airports you go through.
Learn how Going readers can get a special offer of a Free Sample Pack with any purchase!
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Dutch Caribbean
Depart from: LA
When: November
Going price: $394 roundtrip
Travel hack used: Greek Islands Trick
Out of the three ABC Dutch Caribbean islands-Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao-I really can't pick a favorite. However, it can be relatively cheap to get to at least one of them from most major airports, so I recommend flying into whichever island is cheapest from your home airport.
Once you're there, it's pretty cost effective to take quick day trips to each island by water taxi or a short commuter flight on airlines such as Z Air or Divi Divi Air. Transit between the ABC islands is frequent and easy to navigate.
Getting there: For Aruba, fly into Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA); for Bonaire, fly into Bonaire International Airport (BON); for Curaçao, fly into Curaçao International Airport (CUR).
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Machu Picchu
Depart from: Washington, DC (BWI) via Lima
When: November
Going price: $370 roundtrip + around $80 from Lima to Cusco
Travel hack used: Greek Islands Trick and self-made stopover
You can book a ticket that flies from the US to Cusco (the nearest major airport to Machu Picchu) and then connects through Lima, usually on a budget carrier, but the routing times and carriers are limited.
Instead, a better alternative would be to fly on a more comfortable legacy carrier, like Delta, from the US to Lima for about $370 roundtrip. Then, you could book the middle leg separately on a local carrier-LATAM, JetSMART, and Sky Airline are popular ones-for about $80 roundtrip when you're ready to head for Cusco. There are daily flights that depart hourly from Lima to Cusco.
The cost to piece your own itinerary together this way will often be the same as if you bought a ticket from the US to Cusco. But this way, you have more control over your schedule and level of comfort on the way to your destination, which is great if you need a break from back-to-back flights.
Just remember that it's best to give yourself a day or more buffer between flights. If the first leg of your flight gets delayed or canceled, neither airline is responsible for getting you on another flight. That's where the buffer can come in handy.
Bonus: Some of South America's best and most affordable fine dining can be found in Lima, so this is a great opportunity to enhance your Peruvian itinerary.
Getting there: The nearest major airport to Machu Picchu is Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ), but if you're heading to Lima first, you'll connect through Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM).
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Hawai'i
Depart from: Chicago
When: January
Going price: $370 roundtrip
Travel hack used: Fly during the cheapest days of the week and year
I understand that weekends are usually when the fun begins, but for those who can afford to shift some work deadlines around, departing for a trip and returning midweek can be your key to saving a couple hundred dollars roundtrip per ticket.
Flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays tend to be cheaper, whereas flights on Fridays and Sundays-when business travelers fly-are typically more expensive. Plus, your actual flying experience can often be better, as you won't need to fight with weekend crowds in the airport or onboard your flight.
Coming out of one of the peak travel seasons during the holidays, January can be one of the cheapest and least busy times of the year to travel. And the good news about Hawai'i is that it doesn't really have a low season weatherwise. While January can be the "coldest" month of the year, daytime temperatures still hover around upper-70sºF to 80ºF, perfect for a mid-winter beach break with a fraction of the crowds.
Getting there: This deal was to Kauai's Lihue Airport (LIH). Other major Hawaiian airports with frequent deals include Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport (KOA) and Hilo International Airport (ITO) on the Big Island, Kahului Airport (OGG) on Maui, and Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) on Oahu.
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Amalfi Coast
Depart from: NYC via Madrid
When: January
Going price: $379 roundtrip + around $50 from Madrid to the Amalfi Coast
Travel hack used: Greek Islands Trick and Goldilocks Window
When it comes to getting to the Amalfi Coast, it's not as easy to snag a deal as it is to, say, Rome or even Madrid for that matter. TAP Air Portugal offers a convenient Newark-Madrid route in the upper $300s. From there, it's quick and cheap to hop around with budget airlines once you're on the European continent-including to the Amalfi Coast. Think sub-$100 fares in under two hours.
Plus, with the benefit of using the Goldilocks Window-booking an international fare 2-8 months in advance when a cheap flight is most likely to pop up-you can guarantee you have something on the books.
Remember when you're packing that you'll have to account for different airlines' baggage allowances. European budget airlines are notoriously restrictive with the weight, dimensions, and amount of baggage that you can bring on board, so make a plan ahead of time.
Getting there: To visit the Amalfi Coast, you'll likely fly into Naples-Capodichino International Airport (NAP), but to take advantage of this deal, you'll connect through Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD).
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With expert:
JoyAngelica Chan
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As a Travel Operations and Insights Specialist, JoyAngelica brings members Going's best deals across the globe. With a background in history, dance, and education, she has visited 6 out of 7 of the world's ancient wonders and says she's been to 6.25 out of the 7 continents-waddling with Magellanic penguins counts for something, right? If you've received deals to far-flung destinations and spots off the beaten trail, you can bet JoyAngelica played a role in sending it.
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