What would you do with SWA credit?
September 3, 2010 8:33 AM Subscribe
What would you do with some SWA credit? Help me brainstorm about planning an affordable and fun/relaxing vacation in December/January. We need to go somewhere Southwest flies.
My husband and I have about $625 in SWA credit to use before March. We are both students, but we have a long winter break (December 11 - January 10). We'd like to use the credit to take a little vacation so we can do something fun between semesters. Obviously, we need to go somewhere serviced by SWA (here's their route map -- we are going from Jackson, MS). We'd like to use as much of the credit as possible while minimizing whatever we pay.
We would probably like to go somewhere warm, so I was thinking maybe Arizona or San Diego? (We are coming from the Jackson, Mississippi, airport.)
Our timeframe is pretty flexible within 12/11-1/10. It looks like going sometime after 1/1 is cheaper, so that's probably what we'll do. We could maybe afford to spend up to $1000 (not including the flight credit) on the trip, so that would need to cover hotel, car if needed, etc., but spending less would be better!
We could totally be down with something luxurious and resorty (such as a spa), or we can roll with Super 8s (however we don't like camping). We love kitschy Americana and national parks. We aren't much for drinking or bars or clubbing; we love food, but we don't have to have constant fancy gourmet. We could go for 3 days or a week or whatever.
What do you guys think?? Thanks for your forthcoming ideas!
My husband and I have about $625 in SWA credit to use before March. We are both students, but we have a long winter break (December 11 - January 10). We'd like to use the credit to take a little vacation so we can do something fun between semesters. Obviously, we need to go somewhere serviced by SWA (here's their route map -- we are going from Jackson, MS). We'd like to use as much of the credit as possible while minimizing whatever we pay.
We would probably like to go somewhere warm, so I was thinking maybe Arizona or San Diego? (We are coming from the Jackson, Mississippi, airport.)
Our timeframe is pretty flexible within 12/11-1/10. It looks like going sometime after 1/1 is cheaper, so that's probably what we'll do. We could maybe afford to spend up to $1000 (not including the flight credit) on the trip, so that would need to cover hotel, car if needed, etc., but spending less would be better!
We could totally be down with something luxurious and resorty (such as a spa), or we can roll with Super 8s (however we don't like camping). We love kitschy Americana and national parks. We aren't much for drinking or bars or clubbing; we love food, but we don't have to have constant fancy gourmet. We could go for 3 days or a week or whatever.
What do you guys think?? Thanks for your forthcoming ideas!
San Francisco is awesome, but I had to go to Tucson on business recently, and it surprised me how cool it was. Biosphere 2 is there (and the tour is great fun), the only ICBM silo in the world that you can visit also stared in "Star Trek: First Contact," there are lots of national parks with great hiking as well as the Desert Museum to teach you about it all, and you can head out to the Tohono O'odham Reservation to visit one of the more interesting restaurants I've been to and all the lovely telescopes at Kitt Peak.
There are, of course, tons of other things to do and to see, plus In N Out Burgers. I found Tucson to be a friendly, inexpensive place with a ton more interesting things to do than I'd ever imagined.
posted by QIbHom at 12:13 PM on September 3, 2010
There are, of course, tons of other things to do and to see, plus In N Out Burgers. I found Tucson to be a friendly, inexpensive place with a ton more interesting things to do than I'd ever imagined.
posted by QIbHom at 12:13 PM on September 3, 2010
Fly into Las Vegas and then get out of there. Any direction you go from there you will hit a National Park, and the winter is one of my favorite times to see the desert. Death Valley, Zion, Arches, Glen Canyon, Grand Canyon, etc.
posted by Big_B at 12:38 PM on September 3, 2010
posted by Big_B at 12:38 PM on September 3, 2010
Can't resist a question like this! Let's see. Some ideas on the National Parks side, places I've been:
Fly to LAX (or better, LV), drive to Death Valley. Dec/Jan is the best time of year to be there. Most afforadable lodging (besides camping) is at the Stovepipe Wells resort. You'd have to rent a car though, which could add up. Should be nice temps, around 70s.
Fly to Salt Lake City, take a grand circle tour of Utah. Rental cars are pretty cheap in SLC, even in ski season. You could drive over to Arches NP, Canyonlands NP (cheap motels around Moab) down to 4 corners/Mexican Hat area (all the motels are cheap), see Monument Valley (no cheap hotels), head West to Page (Motel 6 is quite nice, relatively speaking, and Best Western has in the past had amazingly cheap internet winter rates), see Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell, Coyote Buttes (get a permit NOW online), take a half day rafting trip on the Colorado River at the head of the Grand Canyon, head North back to Utah (unfortunately North Rim Grand Canyon is closed in winter) stopping at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, stop in at Zion for the day or multiple days (Del Rio lodge is the most affordable in Springdale), quick detour to St. George to see the Dinosaur Tracks (many reasonable hotels), then back north to SLC. Maybe chilly, 50's to 60s' max, maybe chillier. Get a permit for Coyote Buttes while you're in Page (most underrated town on the planet, IMHO, but I'm a photographer). You have to get the permit for Coyote Buttes IN SEPTEMBER for a December trip, however. Permits are cheap but hard to get. It's on the BLM website. You could do a shorter loop too, or a longer one, depending. As Big_B says, you could also do a similar loop out of Las Vegas. Northern Utah is going to be more wintery, southern, less so. Budget might be an issue if you make the trip longer than 5 days or so; 5 days would be a "blink and you missed it" tour, the distances are quite great. The 'Las Vagas-Zion-Bryce-Las Vegas" tour might be better, let you enjoy it more, within budget, on a 5-6 day trip.
Fly to LAX, take the train to Santa Barbara, stay at the Santa Barbara Motel 6 (best Motel 6 anywhere, I'm told, it's on the beach front street), enjoy State Street. You can probably get away with no car, but if you want to go visit the Santa Barbara wine regions, you might want one, or have to pay for a wine country tour. Might be chillyish, but last New Years, I rented a bicycle and rode around in jeans and a turtleneck in the sun. You never know.
There are lots of package trips to Hawaii leaving out of LAX (guess where I live). You could use your credits to get to LA or SFO on SWA, then do the HI package thing. It would be warmer there. I'm not current on prices, but some of them are REALLY amazingly inexpensive. You wouldn't have a room with waves lapping under your window, but . . . Caveat: I've never done a Hawaii package, so what do I know, just an idea.
Good luck, and enjoy your long break!
posted by bluesky78987 at 9:02 PM on September 3, 2010
Fly to LAX (or better, LV), drive to Death Valley. Dec/Jan is the best time of year to be there. Most afforadable lodging (besides camping) is at the Stovepipe Wells resort. You'd have to rent a car though, which could add up. Should be nice temps, around 70s.
Fly to Salt Lake City, take a grand circle tour of Utah. Rental cars are pretty cheap in SLC, even in ski season. You could drive over to Arches NP, Canyonlands NP (cheap motels around Moab) down to 4 corners/Mexican Hat area (all the motels are cheap), see Monument Valley (no cheap hotels), head West to Page (Motel 6 is quite nice, relatively speaking, and Best Western has in the past had amazingly cheap internet winter rates), see Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell, Coyote Buttes (get a permit NOW online), take a half day rafting trip on the Colorado River at the head of the Grand Canyon, head North back to Utah (unfortunately North Rim Grand Canyon is closed in winter) stopping at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, stop in at Zion for the day or multiple days (Del Rio lodge is the most affordable in Springdale), quick detour to St. George to see the Dinosaur Tracks (many reasonable hotels), then back north to SLC. Maybe chilly, 50's to 60s' max, maybe chillier. Get a permit for Coyote Buttes while you're in Page (most underrated town on the planet, IMHO, but I'm a photographer). You have to get the permit for Coyote Buttes IN SEPTEMBER for a December trip, however. Permits are cheap but hard to get. It's on the BLM website. You could do a shorter loop too, or a longer one, depending. As Big_B says, you could also do a similar loop out of Las Vegas. Northern Utah is going to be more wintery, southern, less so. Budget might be an issue if you make the trip longer than 5 days or so; 5 days would be a "blink and you missed it" tour, the distances are quite great. The 'Las Vagas-Zion-Bryce-Las Vegas" tour might be better, let you enjoy it more, within budget, on a 5-6 day trip.
Fly to LAX, take the train to Santa Barbara, stay at the Santa Barbara Motel 6 (best Motel 6 anywhere, I'm told, it's on the beach front street), enjoy State Street. You can probably get away with no car, but if you want to go visit the Santa Barbara wine regions, you might want one, or have to pay for a wine country tour. Might be chillyish, but last New Years, I rented a bicycle and rode around in jeans and a turtleneck in the sun. You never know.
There are lots of package trips to Hawaii leaving out of LAX (guess where I live). You could use your credits to get to LA or SFO on SWA, then do the HI package thing. It would be warmer there. I'm not current on prices, but some of them are REALLY amazingly inexpensive. You wouldn't have a room with waves lapping under your window, but . . . Caveat: I've never done a Hawaii package, so what do I know, just an idea.
Good luck, and enjoy your long break!
posted by bluesky78987 at 9:02 PM on September 3, 2010
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Nothing against San Diego, but the best part of the natural life there, the Anzo-Borrega Desert doesn't bloom until after your time frame. Other than that, the city of San Diego has some nice features, but not as nice, imo, as spending your time and money in and around the Bay Area.
And I live 1500 miles away, so I'm not shilling for their tourist industry.
posted by beelzbubba at 9:00 AM on September 3, 2010