A travel guru has revealed a crucial money-saving strategy ahead of Black Friday.

Oliver Brendon, travel specialist and chief executive of AttractionTickets.com, explains that understanding how and where to search could mean the difference between securing a decent bargain and landing an exceptional one when the major shopping event kicks off on November 28.

Brendon cautions that “logging on early is no longer enough to get a great travel deal. To make the most of the biggest sale of the year you’ll want to navigate price algorithms, leverage loyalty perks, and utilise more clever hacks that many buyers overlook.”

For those genuinely seeking substantial savings, investing time now to register for premium loyalty programmes proves essential.

“Brands are almost always going to reward their loyal customers first and, because of this, the very best deals often never reach the main sale. By signing up for loyalty programmes and email marketing opt-ins ahead of Black Friday, you may get early access to pre-sale discounts, exclusive codes, or even bonus rewards. If the particular booking you’re after is likely to sell out, signing up to these is the best way to know you’re one of the first customers to access the sale,” Oliver said.

Below are his other expert recommendations:

1. Outsmart Price Algorithms

“Before you start comparing prices, you need to clear your cookies or switch to an incognito browser window. Some airlines and booking platforms can adjust fares based on your browsing behaviour, so if you’ve been researching Disney tickets for months hoping for a great deal, you might not be shown the best price.”

2. Flex Your Dates and Group Size to Unlock Hidden Deals

“Flexibility is your best friend when it comes to travel savings. Flying midweek, especially Tuesday to Thursday, or opting for early-morning departures can cut costs dramatically, but you won’t get shown these deals if you have specific date and time filters in use. Ensure when browsing that you have the most flexible option selected, and that includes your group size too. Don’t assume group bookings are always cheaper as sometimes two single tickets cost less than one multi-traveller fare.”

3. Use Filters and Comparison Tools Smartly

“When comparing travel options, choosing a ‘low to high’ filter may not actually be showing you the lowest prices first. Some travel websites order their low-to-high offerings by the price of the just accommodation. Instead, where possible, use filters for ‘lowest total price’ to make sure you’re seeing the full cost including travel, taxes, luggage, and other hidden fees.”

4. Turn Cashback Into Holiday Spending Money

“Cashback rewards is another easy win that many people overlook. Banks, credit cards, and even cashback-specific companies often offer cashback on travel bookings as well as retail purchases. Those savings can quickly add up, and if you activate these schemes before Black Friday, you’ll have extra spending money for your holiday or even a discount on your next trip.”

A budget airline has launched five new flights to a popular European country. EasyJet is offering new services to certain destinations in France this winter, alongside other European flights.

They include flights between Paris and Aberdeen, Grenoble and London-Southend, Grenoble and Birmingham, and Strasbourg and Manchester. The Aberdeen-Paris flight is the first to operate between the two cities since Air France discontinued the route in 2020, when the company cancelled half of its flights due to Covid travel restrictions. It has also brought back the old route between Toulouse and London Gatwick, despite easyJet closing its base in the French city earlier this year. This route will have six flights a week between December 8 and January 4, with two services on Mondays and Fridays. Tickets will start at £35 for a one-way journey. Alongside this, the airline is launching eight flights not offered by any other airline, including routes between Nantes and Budapest in Hungary and Lyon and Pristina in Kosovo. In many cases, these routes are designed for Britons travelling on holiday, to explore Christmas markets or the Alpine slopes.

This comes after the airline launched two new destinations from Bristol Airport. EasyJet began its flights to Munich in Germany and Zurich in Switzerland on October 26 and 29, respectively.

These new flights from the airport start at £23.99 one-way, with the Munich route operating three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday) and the Zurich route operating twice a week (Wednesday and Sunday) over winter.

EasyJet is also introducing a direct route from Manchester to Ljubljana in Slovenia twice a week (Tuesday and Saturday). Another route to the Slovenian city will launch in Edinburgh next year.

New easyJet flights between the UK and France

• Paris Charles de Gaulle – Aberdeen

• Grenoble – London-Southend

• Grenoble – Birmingham

• Strasbourg – Manchester

• Toulouse – London-Gatwick

Ryanair has launched £14.99 flights to a sunny European island that reaches 21C in November. The bargain carrier will operate twice-weekly flights to the sunny island from Norwich on Mondays and Thursdays, and Ryanair announced its first flight of the Winter 2025 route took off on October 27.

Sitting between Sicily and the north coast of Africa, Malta boasts some of the warmest weather in Europe during winter, thanks to its Mediterranean climate. However, a flight takes little more than three hours. Temperatures can reach highs of 21C during the day and drop to a balmy 14C at night, plus, holidaymakers can get around ten hours of daylight with six hours of sunshine in November.

While November is one of the wettest months of the year, with an average of 109mm rainfall, it usually comes in short showers.

Ryanair decided to extend its summer route from Norwich to Malta, which marked the “start of another year-round destination for our passengers,” according to managing director of Norwich Airport, Richard Pace.

He added: “It’s great to see this route getting under way so soon after the exciting announcement it was being extended into this winter, further enhancing choice and convenience from the airport.”

Ryanair communications director, Jade Kirwan, said the route added to Ryanair’s “robust UK Winter 2025 schedule“, offering “even more choice at the lowest fares”.

The capital city, Valletta, was described by UNESCO as “one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world,” where visitors can wander through winding streets to discover 320 monuments within the tiny, walkable area of 0.21 square miles.

Thanks to its proximity to Algeria and Tunisia, its cuisine has a blend of Italian, Mediterranean and Arabic influences, making it ideal for foodies.  Local delicacies include deep-fried date-filled pastries, called imqaret, or Brungiel Mimli, roasted aubergine stuffed with mince, garlic and mint.

After indulging in the local cuisine, holidaymakers can choose from around 30 beaches across Malta and Gozo, an island in the Maltese archipelago.

Ryanair is currently advertising one-way flights for £14.99 on November 24.