Fly to Tahiti and Back for $998

For a limited time, Air Tahiti Nui offers fares for up to 40 percent off 

When I meet someone new and they discover that I’m a travel blogger, the next question is almost always: “What’s your favorite place that you’ve ever been to?” And then they want to know how their [insert random cousin, sorority sister, slacker brother-in-law] can become a travel writer and if I can get them a job. But I digress…

My answer about favorite travel destinations is lengthy, categorized and complex (sorry!) but almost always includes the Islands of Tahiti, where I tied the knot two years ago. Most people say that they’d like to go there one day, but that it’s just too darn pricey. And they have a point—roundtrip airfares from LAX to Tahiti can cost as much as $1,600 per person. 

Tahiti’s national airline, Air Tahiti Nui, hears these concerns often, and every once in a while, a remarkable sale will come along to shut us up. This is one of those times. To encourage first-time visitors, the carrier is offering a No Excuse Fare starting at $998 per person, roundtrip, when booked by Oct. 30.

Flying to Tahiti for 40 percent off sounded a little to good to be true, so I did some playing around in the booking engine. I selected flexible dates leaving Dec. 1 and returning on Dec. 30.

Turns out that the maximum travel time for this promotion is 10 days. So, I refined my search to a full week of travel, from Dec. 3-8. My total, after taxes, came to $998.80. 

The key is to be flexible with your dates since not all days offer the promotional rates. That said, I noticed that several Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays in December offered the No Excuse Fare.

Other important considerations: Travel must be completed between Nov. 25 and Feb. 28, 2016 (and blackout dates are Jan. 1-16). 

You could think of it like this: If you gave up drinking venti lattes for the better part of a year, you’d have enough discretionary cash in the bank to fly to paradise and back (and enjoy a couple of ice-cold Hinano beers while you're chilling at the beach). Doesn’t that sound better than sipping burnt coffee from a cup with “Airinn” or “Gessika” scrawled across it? 

Caffeine is overrated. Fresh coconut water and overwater bungalows are not.