ArcaMax

Are you ready? Not for the holiday hoopla, but for something that in these troubled times can give everyone something to look forward to — and make your gift- giving easier.

Black Friday-Cyber Monday is nearly upon us complete with many great travel deals whether you want to take the kids to an all-inclusive resort, gather your siblings for a river cruise, the entire family for a bucket list trip to Alaska or Africa or share a white-water experience with your teens.

If you have a favorite travel brand, follow them on social media for the inside track.

Be ready to book (and make sure everyone in your group is ready) as soon as the deal goes live. Read the fine print so you know your options if you should need to cancel or change the dates. Protect your investment with travel insurance.

If Alaska is on your mind: Holland America Line is offering up to 30 percent off all sailings booked between Nov. 17 and Dec. 1. Select cruises also include prepaid stateroom crew appreciation, resulting in an added value of up to nearly $700 per person depending on the length of sailing. Guests can save on iconic cruise itineraries such as the 7-Day Alaska Inside Passage.

Salmon Falls Resort in Ketchikan is famous for world-class salmon fishing and adventure excursions and is offering 30 percent off rates starting at $945 per person, per night for their all-inclusive adventure packages, which includes lodging, meals and activities, including fully guided fishing, bear viewing via float plane, eco-kayaking, ziplining and much more. The deal must be booked between Nov. 16 and Dec. 4, 2023 and is valid for stays between May 1 to Sept. 30, 2024. Click here (Black Friday) and here (Cyber Monday link).

How about Hawaii?'Alohilani Resort in the heart of Waikiki is offering 30 percent off (rates starting from $225 per night). Deal must be booked between Nov. 16 and Dec. 2, 2023 and is valid for stays between Nov. 16, 2023 and Dec. 23, 2024. How to book: click here (Black Friday) and here (Cyber Monday) .

The Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club also in Waikiki where we stayed last year is offering a 21 percent savings off one-room bungalow, one-room bedroom, and two-room bedroom. Book Nov. 17 to Nov. 30 for stays until Dec. 31, 2024.

You can give back with a booking. If you are traveling without kids (or grown kids), Sandals Resorts and the family-oriented Beaches Resorts are giving guests up to a $750 air credit and up to a $250 resort credit on vacations of seven nights or more at select properties, including the new Sandals Dunn’s Rive r in Jamaica; Sandals Royal Curacao; and Sandals Saint Vincent debuting in 2024. Bookings can be made with the promo code GOB2023 between Nov. 13, 2023 and Dec. 21, 2023 for travel through Nov. 3, 2024. For every booking made between Thanksgiving and Giving Tuesday (Nov. 23 to Nov. 28), $50 will be donated to the Sandals Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Sandals Resorts International, to support its ocean conservation efforts, specifically the expansion of coral nurseries throughout the Caribbean, which hosts 10 percent of the world's coral reefs.

I love river cruises because the boats are small, there are no long bus rides to sightsee, and they are all-inclusive. Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, with sailings in Europe, Egypt, South America and Asia, is bringing back its 12 Days of Christmas Event this year. A new offer will be unveiled each business day for 12 days, with the first deal unveiled on Black Friday. The offers will include 50 percent off popular cruises. Guests can also expect new Cruise & Air combo savings of up to $3, 000 USD on select journeys, including in Italy, Portugal and the Peruvian Amazon and Machu Picchu.

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