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The best pre-Black Friday holiday deals to book now
Who says bucket list adventures and great deals can't go hand in hand?
While it's a great time to find offers, Black Friday isn't the only time to find great holiday deals. Good Housekeeping has some brilliant limited-time offers on once-in-a-lifetime holidays in 2025, from a trip to Norway's Arctic Circle to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights to river cruises along Venice's timeless lagoon and a journey to India's Golden Triangle with the chance to see Ranthambore's tigers.
PRE-BLACK FRIDAY HOLIDAY DEALS
Our handpicked selection includes holidays with hundreds of pounds off (over £1,000 off if you scroll to number 4), and our other picks have fabulous bonuses like onboard credit to help add some bells and whistles to an already exceptional cruise holiday.
If you're marking a big birthday or anniversary in 2025, our selection is the perfect starting point, as many are holidays with celebrity guest appearances - bound to make a milestone trip even more memorable.
And those umming and aahing about whether now is the time to splash out on a big adventure or save for the future, know this: there's never been a better time to plan the trip of a lifetime, according to Booking.com 2025 travel report. It reveals that the next big travel trend is 'multigenerational mega trips', which will see parents taking their grown-up children (and perhaps even grandchildren) on big holidays instead of leaving an inheritance. This came as 42 per cent of mature British travellers said they would rather spend their money this way.
So, what are you waiting for? Scroll on to get your 2025 holiday plans kick-started for less...
Save £650 on a exclusive Italian cruise with Monica Galetti
For travel lovers like us, BBC's Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby is a must-watch, and now you have the chance to meet the programme's host (and MasterChef judge) Monica Galetti when she joins an exceptional cruise around the islands of Venice in April 2025.
It's not only spending time with Monica in a local market that sets this trip apart — you also get exclusive access to the Doge's Palace before it opens to the public, and enter St Mark's Basilica after dark to see a peaceful lighting ceremony.
You'll save £650 per person by booking soon, and the holiday includes almost everything — your food and drink onboard the ship, flights, and premium excursions. But you'll also get the rare opportunity to sail directly through Venice on a boutique five-star liner — the S.S. La Venezia is the only luxury cruise ship small enough to sail in Venice's waters under the new rules.
Save £1,300 on a five-star trip to India
If you’re going to do India, do it properly. Good Housekeeping Holidays' two-week trip to the cities of the Golden Triangle not only ticks off some of the must-see locations and the most beautiful places in India (yes, including the Taj Mahal) but does it in unparalleled style, staying at some of the best five-star hotels in the country. You’ll also venture into Ranthambore National Park to scan the terrain for tigers under the safe supervision of an expert tour guide.
If you book soon, you can save £1,300 per couple. There’s so much included, from most of your food, flights and transfers, guided tours, jungle safaris, and cooking demos.
Get £250 onboard credit on a stargazing cruise in Norway
Set sail from Bergen in February 2025 to pursue the fabulous Aurora Borealis, cruising north to Tromsø and The North Cape (the most northern part of mainland Europe) on a Hurtigruten expedition ship. You’ll be joined by expert astronomer Tom Kerss, who will host fascinating onboard sessions about stars, planets, and meteors. This exciting trip chimes nicely with Skyscanner’s travel trends for 2025: the travel powerhouse has reported that Astro Adventures is a big theme for next year.
Good Housekeeping Holidays guests exclusively receive a £250 per person onboard credit to use against drinks and extra treats – all your meals are already included in the price of your holiday. Be quick — February will be here before we know it!
Meet Angela Harnett on a luxury Venetian springtime cruise and save up to £1,100
See Venice at its most resplendent and travel there in May 2025, voyaging from one Venetian island to the next on the exquisitely beautiful ship, the S.S. La Venezia (a jewel in the fleet of GH's travel editor's favourite river cruise line).
Michelin-starred chef Angela Harnett boards the cruise for three days, joining guests to visit an Italian food market and hosting a cooking demonstration onboard the luxurious liner. With large ships now banned in Veneto, the S.S. La Venezia's boutique proportions give you an added level of exclusivity as it's the only luxury cruise line to enter and sail through the heart of Venice.
Right now you can save up to £1,100 per person on this holiday — an incredible saving on such a special cruise.
Join Tom Kerridge in France and save £750 by booking early
Step aboard the plush S.S. Bon Voyage on an unforgettable river cruise in southwest France. Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge will join you for part of the trip, hosting a cooking demonstration onboard (beats sampling Tom’s excellent new M&S range at home!) and taking questions from guests. It’s the perfect scene-setter for the excursions that await on land, including biking through the Médoc vineyards and taking a walking tour of Bourg sur Gironde.
At the moment, there’s only one departure of this exclusive sailing departing in April 2025, and there's a limited-time saving of £750 per person, so book your trip sharpish so you don’t miss out.
Save 20% on a once-in-a-lifetime Antarctica cruise
The opportunity to see the sensational wildlife and scenery of Antarctica s more accessible than ever before thanks to an increasing number of expedition cruises heading to the region, including true expedition experts, Hurtigruten. It might be one of the most expensive holidays you ever take, but ask anyone who's been, and they're likely to tell you it was money well spent.
If you're tempted, you might be interested to know that in a recent survey, Booking.com found that nearly half of British travellers (42%) would rather spend money on a trip of a lifetime in 2025 than leave an inheritance to their children, so you can safely assume you’re not the only one considering putting your wanderlust first.
With a limited-time offer of 20% off (which represents a considerable saving on a holiday like this), what's the harm in finding out a little more about it?
Book a celebratory Venetian cruise with James Martin and save over £660
If 2025 marks a special anniversary year and you're looking for a way to celebrate in style (but get that fabulous feeling that you've got a fantastic deal), look no further than this Venetian cruise. It’s a lovely option for a romantic break – it’s Venice, after all – and this holiday is made extra special thanks to a guest appearance by TV favourite James Martin. He'll cook a fabulous gala dinner for all the guests, but as it's just a boutique ship, only 126 of you are onboard, so it'll feel wonderfully exclusive.
The trip departs in April 2025, and if you book quickly, you'll save over £660 per person.
Save £417 on a delightful Portuguese wine cruise
They say the early bird catches the worm, and that’s certainly true of our gorgeous eight-day cruise along the Douro River, a heavenly wine region in Portugal. Book now for 2025, and your cruise holiday will cost less than £2,000 per person – including your flights and all your food and drink onboard (and some delectable wines to boot).
You’ll set sail on the swish and contemporary A-ROSA ALVA on a wine-themed adventure that takes you from Porto through the Alto Douro, stopping at little wine towns to see the vineyards and quintas. If you love food and drink holidays, this is a great cruise for couples who love to try new wines.
Save up to £1,000 on a VIP boutique cruise
Exploring Venice around its lagoons is one of the best ways to get to know the city, showing you the region far beyond the tourist hub of St Mark's Square.
But now that the rules have changed, only a particular type of ship is allowed to access Venice by water. Book a cabin on the gloriously luxurious S.S. La Venezia — it departs on week-long cruises every Sunday. You'll visit the islands of Burano, Mazzorbo and Torcello and get VIP access to some of Venice's top attractions, including St Mark's Basilica after nightfall, and inside the church on Torcello before it opens to the public. Also included in the itinerary is exclusive access to the Doge's Palace.
Book now and save up to £1,000 on certain dates. Plus, exclusively for Good Housekeeping readers, you'll get an extra £150 onboard credit.
Browse more extraordinary journeys from Good Housekeeping Holidays by downloading our latest brochure.
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