Memorial Day sales include travel deals

Forbes Vetted and Today published Memorial Day shopping guides on May 15 that said holiday promotions were already live more than a week before the federal holiday. Their roundups pointed readers to discounts across luggage, travel accessories, outdoor gear, beauty products, home goods and electronics. Forbes Vetted’s list included travel-focused brands such as Ekster and Lo & Sons, while Today said retailers including Amazon and Target had already started early offers. Memorial Day falls on Monday, May 25, this year, according to Today. ### Which travel deals stood out in the early Memorial Day coverage? Forbes Vetted said on May 15 that shoppers could find discounts of up to 35% at Ekster and up to 40% at Lo & Sons in its Memorial Day roundup. The Forbes list described the holiday as a broad sales event spanning multiple categories, with travel accessories included alongside mattresses, furniture and tech. (forbes.com) Ekster’s own website showed a sale offering up to 35% off and highlighted products including wallets, travel bags and tracking accessories. The company’s homepage also promoted travel items such as a vacuum packing kit, luggage tracker and backpack. USA Today separately published a Memorial Day travel-deals guide on May 9 covering flights, hotels, cruises, tours and vacation packages. That article indicated the holiday shopping cycle was not limited to physical goods and included bookable travel offers. (forbes.com) ### How early are retailers starting Memorial Day promotions? Today reported on May 15 that Memorial Day sales typically begin one to two weeks before the holiday. (ekster.com) The outlet said many of the best deals usually become available on the Friday or Saturday of the holiday weekend, but added that shoppers could already buy early offers from retailers such as Amazon and Target. A separate Today shopping article published later on May 15 said Amazon had early Memorial Day deals of up to 56% off. (usatoday.com) Another Today piece said Target was running summer savings ahead of Memorial Day with discounts of up to 70% off on selected items. ### Are these sales limited to travel gear? Today’s May 15 guide said early promotions were already appearing in categories including outdoor furniture, summer beauty and general merchandise. (today.com) Its examples included beauty products, small appliances and backpacks, showing that the early sale wave stretched well beyond luggage. Forbes Vetted’s roundup also framed Memorial Day as a cross-category event. (today.com) The publication linked travel brands with broader deal coverage that included TVs and other household purchases, and Forbes published a separate May 15 story focused on Memorial Day TV deals with discounts of up to 55% from brands including Samsung, Hisense, LG and Sony. USA Today’s broader Memorial Day shopping guide, published on April 30, said its list covered retailers and brands across the holiday sale period. (today.com) That guide sat alongside the paper’s travel-specific roundup published on May 9. ### What should shoppers watch as the holiday gets closer? Memorial Day is on May 25, and Today said the biggest promotions often land on the Friday or Saturday of the holiday weekend. (forbes.com) That timing leaves room for retailers and publishers to update their deal lists over the coming week. REI’s Anniversary Sale, highlighted by Today on May 15, runs through May 25 and includes discounts on summer and outdoor brands. (usatoday.com) Shop TODAY’s travel coverage has also continued to expand this month, with new luggage and travel-awards lists published in mid-May. (today.com 1) (today.com 2)