We are talking here about the daily deals websites like Groupon and LivingSocial, which sprinkle hotel, spa and tour discounts in their daily e-mails to subscribers. Then there are the new travel-specific daily-deals sites, including SniqueAway and TripAlertz thanks to which you may never have to pay full price if you can plan things.
Those social media sites are changing the travel-bargain landscape, and giants such as Expedia and Travelzoo have to be part of the game. Hotels, flights, restaurants, tourist attractions and packages are available at a discount.
This seems to be the beginning with more personalized deals based on a traveler's itinerary likely coming soon.
Unfortunately this new kind of travel-bargain hunting is not for everyone. The deals have to be bought on the spot or within several days and are usually non-refundable, a tough sell for all but last-minute travelers and those who already have a vacation in mind.
The deals are not tailored enough to broadly change the way travel is booked. But one day people will receive personalized offers from online travel agencies, local-deals providers, social-media sites and others that team up to send deals to travelers based on their booked itineraries.
People who check in at an airport on Facebook or FourSquare, for example, coule receive an offer for the airport bar if they are headed for a vacation or a Starbucks special if they have an early flight home. That's the type of thing I get really excited about.
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