Next Vacay - My New "Go-To" Flight Booking Site?

,By Jen Lucas
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Next Vacay is a site I stumbled across through one of the many travel related newsletters I receive daily. There are so many booking sites out there that I’ve tried and new ones that continue to be developed, which can prove to be overwhelming, BUT, Next Vacay caught my attention.  

Seoul, by Greg Samborski

First of all I’m a true supporter of the entrepreneur, and a husband and wife team, Naveen and Shaylee Dittakavi, developed this site. Naveen, a software developer and travel junkie, found it tiresome (as we all do) and almost impossible to hunt through the many travel sites out there to find the best deals, at the exact moment they are released, as they often disappear in an instant. Last year Next Vacay was developed, which automatically searches countless airfare sites, finding the best deals from your home airport (and those surrounding) which are delivered right to your inbox. ​

How it works – when you navigate to their website you’re prompted to enter your home airport and sign up for a free one-month trial period (which does require inputting your credit card information). After the one-month trial, the charge is $25 per year (unless you cancel) which to me is worth it providing the service turns up some killer fares. The membership includes unlimited deals and a six-month money back guarantee if you are not happy with the product. 

Once you are registered, their system searches multiple databases, sending emails alerting you when deals, both international and throughout the US, are found from your home airport. If a flight looks interesting, instructions to book directly with the airline are provided; which is a bonus as it’s easier to work with the airline directly in the case of cancellations or rescheduling. 

​Using their system, Naveen and his wife claim they were able to fly from Georgia to India for $300 each round-trip and Barcelona for $600 round-trip.

“Every single deal is reviewed and assembled by hand by us. We know you have bosses and family to talk to before booking. This is why we do not send last-minute deals. We put ourselves in the shoes of someone who has to request paid time off and coordinate with a partner, who also likely has to do the same. The deals we send include links to real ticket itineraries for desirable weekends like Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.” -Naveen

Seoul, by Greg Samborski

Since joining 2 weeks ago, I received a total of 5 emails most notably a flight deal from Cleveland to London for travel between early February and late March ($575 round-trip) as well as a deal from Philadelphia to Venice, Italy for travel in late March to early May ($450 round-trip). Both airports are several hours away but again, if the deal were one I couldn’t pass up, I would consider it; and these are both really low fares. The email, although automated, had that personal feel which is lacking in so many other services and they encourage users to notify them when booking a trip as they appreciate the feedback.

At first glance my personal concern is that I have specific trips planned throughout the year and this service sends deals for any destination. The good news is most of my trips are to popular destinations where there are several airport options and my dates are somewhat flexible. ​

On the other hand if a “hard to pass up” deal were to land in my inbox there is a good chance that I would book a spontaneous weekend trip which would justify the membership fee. Also, I’ve read they plan to release more personalized options in a future version of the site, possibly allowing users to choose specific destinations. So it seems there is a lot of potential for Next Vacay as they refine their system. Being a small operation allows them the flexibility, as well as the personal connection with users, to understand their needs and to update the site accordingly.   

Next Vacay is obviously not for every traveler however if you have flexibility in your destinations, travel dates, are able to travel with only a couple months notice, I’d say this site is for you!

Check out "Next Vacay" here... NextVacay.com

​Jen Lucas, a freelance travel writer, works as a Project Manager in the tech industry by day, but is a travel junkie at heart. Having worked in the publishing industry throughout her career, Jen has always been passionate about writing and is currently branching out into the travel writing scene.

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