Work a little, play a little. Credit: vastateparkstaff/Flickr

The Sunday New York Times Travel section had a good article on volunteer vacations, which is when you put in time for a good cause while on vacation. A major upside is reduced cost. Here’s my take on the story, with specific cheap volunteer vacations listed below.

Pros

Cost reduced by as much as 50%!

Unusual activities and trips built into your vacation.

Burn extra calories on the trip, making up for indulgent eating and drinking.

You can feel good about visiting third world countries, or wherever your trip takes you.

Cons

Some of the trips require 6 hours of work a day.

Not all the work is light labor. You’re going to break a sweat!

Specific trips (prices do not include airfare)

Appalachian Mountain Club

Help clean up trails from New Hampshire to St. John for about $220 a week

. The price includes meals and lodging, but don’t expect luxury. You’ll be sleeping in tents or cabins. The workload is 4-6 hours daily. You’ll be ready for an afternoon mai tai.

Cross-Cultural Solutions

A one-week trip to Brazil, Costa Rica, or Ghana will run you about $1,990 through the Insight Abroad program. Work includes painting, planting gardens, and working at day care centers. Major bonus is 100% of the cost is tax deductible! Accommodations are “modest” and you only have “some afternoons, most evenings, and every weekend free.”

Marco Island Marriot Resort, Golf Club & Spa

In exchangeg for helping out at the local YMCA in this South Florida town, you’ll get 15% off room rates through Sept. 30. The article was unclear if you have to help out two hours per day or per trip. This trip sounded the most luxurious of all five mentioned in the article, but the discount was also one of the smallest.

Sierra Club

Trips range from $325 to $1,975 for a week or longer, though 70% of Sierra Club trips cost $700 or less. By working to restore/maintain state and federal land, you’ll get access to areas of parks that are not usually open to the public. Expect cabin or tent lodging (i.e. rustic).

Vail Resorts Give and Getaway

Get 20% off 13 different resorts from Aspen, CO. to St. Lucia in the Caribbean when you help local farmers, plant trees, and clear trails.

Would you consider going on a volunteer vacation?

1. Choose the right transportation method: If you take your car, don’t forget to take car insurance before you travel. It can be really helpful if you happen to be unlucky. You never know what can happen while you’re abroad! If you take the train, remember to book early and be aware of discounts train companies might offer. If you take flights, book early as well and be careful not to overload your luggage, otherwise you will have to pay fees if you happen to travel with low-cost companies.

2. Prioritize your destination choices by price, and don’t accept what the travel agency is offering you first! Their offers might sound attractive, but take the time to look into the details. You might find some nasty surprises!

3. If comfort is not one of your highest priorities, backpacker’s hostels or camping can be a cheap alternative to hotels. This will give you the opportunity not only to save money but also to be more flexible and to meet new people!

4. If you really want to save money, avoid booking organized tours – even though they seem cheap and you don’t need to organize your holiday, they might turn out to be boring and expensive. In fact, it’s often cheaper to organize your holiday by yourself, and you will have the freedom to decide what you want to do.

5. Budgeting is the key if you don’t want to come home and don’t have a penny in your bank account. While you’re on a holiday, you might easily forget how much you’re spending on drinks, food, and little shopping tours. Try to organize your budget before you travel and set yourself a limit. I’m sure you will enjoy that cocktail when you know you can afford it, but you will regret that little summer dress you bought once you’re back if it wasn’t in your budget.

6. Finally, don’t forget to take a travel insurance, which you can find on LV life insurance for instance. It will help you save a lot of money if something happens while you’re on your journey!

This is paid content. Interested in an ad? Read my blog advertising page.

Free IHOP pancakes!

There are 17 coupons and freebies today. If you shop online, check if there is a cash back rebate for shopping through Ebates or Shortcuts. It’s free to join and you can save a bit extra.

Free museum entrance – Military personnel and their families can get into 1,000 museums across the country for free now through Labor Day, September 5, 2011 as part of the Blue Star Initiative. Thanks Frugal Freebies!

Free IHOP - Get a free meal at IHOP when you join the pancake chain’s mailing list. I just love their pancakes!

Free glasses (again) – CoastalContacts.com is giving away 10,000 pairs of free prescription glasses to folks who “like” its Facebook page. Giveway starts June 3, 2011. You pay shipping and handling (about $15) and for any upgrades.

Free Entertainment Book - Get a 2011 Entertainment Book for free when you reserve your 2012 Entertainment Book by June 30, 2011.

Europe flight sale - RT flights to multiple destinations in Europe from Boston are $500 including taxes (but not fees)! Travelzoo has the Europe flight sale details on Iceland Express for travel June 9-Aug. 31, 2011.

Petco coupon – Get $5 off $25 in store at Petco June 11-12, 2011 only with this Petco coupon. Thanks Bargain Briana!

Quiznos coupon – Use this Quiznos coupon to get $1 off a regular sub or salad or $2 off a large sub through June 14, 2011.

Kohl’s coupon - Get free shipping on $75 or more with Kohl’s coupon code FUN4U75. Ends June 1, 2011.

Express coupons - Summer styles are 30% off during a current Express sale, plus men’s jeans are 30% off and women’s jeans are buy one get one 50% off.

Kellogg’s coupons (again) – Join Kellogg’s and get $5 in coupons.

Hockey jersey sale - Get a Peapod coupon code CJN10 to get $10 off your first order at Peapod.com through June 30, 2011. Or use coupon code NYCJ15 to get $15 off your first order in Manhattan only.

Borders coupons – Here are two Borders coupons for 33% off any one item. Use coupon code BGL3679P through June 2, 2011, and from June 3-6, 2011 use coupon code BRG3350G.

Bicycle gifts – Use this Groupon to get cheap bicycle-themed gifts when you pay $20 for a $40 credit.

New source of grocery coupons - CouponNetwork.com has many high value grocery coupons.

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Redplum coupons - More coupons for groceries and toiletries from Redplum.

Clicking on these links supports BargainBabe.com.

zoetnet/Flickr

Got vacation time coming your way? Trying to decide what to do? I’ve got 10 steps for a great staycation (a vacation at home, so no hotel and travel costs), plus specific things to do in 80 towns across the country below.

I’m always amazed by people who haven’t been to some of the interesting places in their hometown. Don’t wait for visitors to be a tourist in your own town!

1. Decide on your dates. If you have flexibility in your dates, try to arrange the time around an event you are already interested in attending like a fair or show. This will put a big highlight in your itinerary.
2. Start reading the calendar section of your local paper or the AAA magazine. Look for events occurring during your staycation.
3. Contact your local Chamber of Commerce to see if there are special events and discounts.
4. Do the same research on the internet that you would do if you were traveling to a foreign country. Read local blogs and search out special attractions.
5. Take out a travel book or two from your local library about your area. I got the most fabulous book from my local AAA. It’s called, “Los Angeles Attractions” published by Museon Publishing. This 500 page book has thousands of local attractions. Many of them are free. Most of them are things that I never heard of before such as Hollywood’s Rock Walk, the address of Ozzie and Harriet’s House and the history of the Venice, California canals.
6. Read the history of your area from a book such as Images of America. Take a day or two finding the places in the old photographs. Take modern pictures of the same sites.
7. Set aside money to do something extravagant that you wouldn’t normally do. This will really make it feel like a vacation.
8. If possible, try to keep all work and regular day to day activities out of your life. Tell your office you can’t be reached. Don’t answer your work email. Enjoy yourself!
9. Use every discount and coupon you can find. Buy a local discount coupon book, like the Entertainment Book. Or by Groupons. Search “name of your town”+”discounts” to be really thorough.
10. A great way to document your trip is with an ultramodern scrapbook or by making a video.

The main thing is to plan your time so that it doesn’t just slip by with the “same old, same old.” You want to feel like you have really been on vacation. Even if your itinerary is just “sleep in and lay in the hammock” you want to knowingly do that. You might even make a nice big “Do Not Disturb” sign and put it on your doorknob.

Staycations across the country: The Happy Housewife got together 80 bloggers to write about the best places to visit all across the country. Who knew there was so much to do in Oshkosh, Wisconsin!

Have you taken a staycation? Any advice for the rest of us?

Rennett Stowe/FLickr

Going somewhere? You better be getting a cash back rebate when you book flight, hotels, or car rentals! One of my favorite cash back sites, Shortcuts, has a page dedicated to cash back travel deals. New to this? Here’s my guide to how cash back rebates work.

A sampling of the travel savings available:

Hotels

3.5% of your purchase back from Hotels.com on Ebates

2.5% of your purchase back from Best Western on Ebates

5% of your purchase back from Choice Hotels on Ebates or Shortcuts

1% back Marriott Hotels & Resorts on Ebates

5% back at BedandBreakfast.com on Shortcuts

5% back at Quality Inn on Shortcuts

1.5% back at Ramada on Shortcuts

2.5% from Best Western on Shortcuts

4.5% from Crowne Plaza on Shortcuts

5% back from Econo Lodge on Shortcuts

4.5% back at Holiday Inn on Shortcuts

2.5% back at Motel 6 on Shortcuts

Travel sites

1-3.5% back from Travelocity on Ebates and Shortcuts

2% back from Hotwire on Ebates

1-4.5% back on Priceline on Shortcuts

Airlines

3% back from Southwest Airlines Vacations on Ebates (the vacation bookings are slightly different than regular, flight-only bookings)

2% back on American Airlines Vacations on Ebates

1% back from Air France on Ebates

1% back from CheapOair on Ebates

1.5% back from Virgin Atlantic on Shortcuts

Car rental

3.5% back at Thrifty or Dollar Rent a Car on Shortcuts

3% back at Avis, Budget, CarRentals.com,  on Shortcuts

Resorts

2% back at ClubMed on Shortcuts

Is getting off a flight partway to save money ethical? Credit: stevendamron/Flickr

One solution to finding cheap flights is to get off the plane early, suggestions a story in Sunday’s New York Times Magazine. So-called “hidden-city ticketing” is when you book a cheap flight to Vegas, for example, but deplane during a connection at your true destination of Salt Lake City.

What’s going on here? Flying to smaller airports with fewer flights is more expensive than flying to a major airport like NYC, Vegas, Miami, or Boston.

Obviously, this doesn’t work for non-stop flights. But for connecting flights, the New York Times Magazine reporter found four instances where buying a ticket directly to a big city, but then getting off at the connecting city, was less than 50% of the cost of buying a ticket to the connecting city. Examples:

San Antonio –> Salt Lake City = $391

San Antonio –> Salt Lake City –> Las Vegas = $186

Buy the ticket to Vegas, get off in Salt Lake City, and save $205. More examples:

Fargo –> Chicago = $528

Fargo –> Chicago –> New York = $213

Des Moines –> Dallas = $375

Des Moines –> Dallas –> Los Angeles = $186

Louisville –> Charlotte = $405

Louisville –> Charlotte –> Orlando = $188

So is hidden-city ticketing it legal? Or ethical?

The reporter argues that it is legal and that savvy travelers can pull it off in three steps.

1. Book your ticket as two one-ways because airlines will cancel your return flight if you do not complete the outbound portion.

2. Don’t check bags because there is no access to them when you deplane partway.

3. Don’t lie if you get caught, or you could face fraud charges.

I’m not an expert on the legality of hidden-city ticketing and I certainly don’t agree that it is ethical. If you plan to return a TV after the Superbowl, it’s not ethical to buy it to show off at your football party. If you intend to get off the airplane partway, you shouldn’t buy a ticket for another leg. What do you think?

SkyMall.com

My least favorite thing about flying is SkyMall. I’ll put up with stinky closet-bathrooms, screaming jet engines, and ear aches, just please banish SkyMall.

The items and prices in this catalog are so ridiculous, it’s an affront to my bargain sensibility. I mean, who really shops at SkyMall? Have you EVER purchased something from SkyMall? What would compel you to shop there? Please enlighten me. I really don’t understand who would pay $59.95 for a bug vacuum.

I’m writing about SkyMall because one of my favorite things about flying – GoGo Wireless in-flight Internet – has partnered with my flight nemesis. Spend $125 at SkyMall and get a free GoGo pass (worth about $13). Bargain? Nyet. (That’s Russian for no so it really means no).

You’re better off looking for a GoGo coupon code, buying a pack of Internet passes, or reading a book. While I’m ranting, here three ridiculous things I found in SkyMall:

• A combo aquarium coffee table for $380. (That’s a lot of money for something that inevitably gets covered up with old magazines, dirty dishes, and crap.)

• A glorified neti-pot for $99.95. (The drugstore has them for about $10.)

• A stainless steel wall mount fireplace for $249.99, above. (Hey baby, let me impress you with fire in preposterous places.)

Clearly, SkyMall is making sales because it hasn’t gone out of business. I just don’t get why someone would need to buy something on a flight. Like, my pooch so desperately needs to climb into my bed that I’m going to purchase this $199.95 pet ramp right now. Even though it won’t be delivered for seven days.

Is there anything that gets under your skin like SkyMall irks me?

Royal Street in New Orleans Credit: ~MVI~/Flickr

This post was brought to you by Corus Hotel, which have hotels throughout the UK including Lake Windermere Hotels, a Central London Hotel and their Famous Berkshire Hotel (an ideal wedding reception venue). Unfortunately they don’t have any hotels in New Orleans!

Maureen asked if I knew of a great hotel in New Orleans, but I’ve never been so I can’t answer firsthand. I do know there are a ton of travel bargains right now. Folks travel so much for the November and December holidays that the travel industry offers steep discounts to entice people to travel in January and February. The site Travel Ticker has compiled some of the best MLK travel deals (including many deals that extend through February and beyond).

Here is what Maureen is looking for:

I am heading to New Orleans the weekend of January 20th!  I was wondering if you might have any pointers on securing a great hotel, in the “happening” part of New Orleans.  I prefer to stay closer to the French Quarter.  I’ve already browsed hotel websites using their member loyalty programs.

Any suggestions?

Thanks, Maureen

Here are five quick tips to get a travel bargain and you can find more ways to get a travel deal here. If you book over the phone, remember you can bargain down the price!!!

What would you tell Maureen? Want to share a great bargain tip? Email me.

bfhoyt/Flickr

For many people, holiday time means taking their kids to non-kid-friendly homes or having kids come to their non-kid-friendly homes. For either party, it’s a tough time if you aren’t prepared. Kids, unlike their older counterparts, do not understand that if they are bored, they should find some quiet non-destructive activity to pass the time. Kids WILL find something to do if they aren’t given someway to entertain themselves. Unfortunately, their solution might not be something YOU find entertaining.

Do yourself a favor and spend a bit of time preparing for your visitors. You will be well rewarded by happier kids and a less stressful visit.

• To prepare your house for toddlers, get down on your hands and knees and go around your house. Any door, drawer or plug within easy reach will be the visiting 2-year-old’s adventureland. Also, remember that kids under 3-years-old like to put everything in their mouths. If you don’t want to invest in kid proof appliances, then tie shut cupboards or take out anything that is dangerous or you don’t want broken.

• As always, your local thrift shop, Freecycle, and Craigslist will be your best friend in finding age-appropriate used toys and games for cheap.

• If you live in a cold weather area and your guests are coming from a southern climate, see about borrowing size-appropriate clothing for your visitors. It is quite expensive to buy boots, jackets, gloves, hats, etc for your entire family for a few day visit to snow country. Letting your company know that you will have these items on hand for them when they arrive will be a big financial relief.

Beyond your home, here are places and activities that entertain across genders and ages:

• Go to a museum, beach, playground, park or zoo. Be sure to check for free days and holiday promotions.
• Miniature golf or bowling always go over well with my family. Coupons are often available online or by signing up for the attraction’s email list. Call ahead and ask.
• If you are going to go out to eat, check for restaurants where kids eat free.
• Blow bubbles or build snowmen depending on weather.
• Play a friendly game of kickball – note the word “friendly.”
• Hoola hoops, jump ropes and jacks – my kids have always been better than me at these, but I keep trying.
• Puzzles – have the younger kids sort by colors or have two tables with different difficulties of puzzles.
• Apples to Apples – a fun game that young and old can play together. Will be hard for the under 5 year old, but above that you can help them with the reading if necessary.
• Bake cookies and decorate them together.
• Make a craft project. A hand print sweat shirt is a nice reminder of a great day.
• Pull out the old photo albums and reminisce.

Please DON’T take a 2-year-old to Disneyland. It is a waste of money and way too stressful for everyone. The local farmer’s market or pick your own fruit stand will be just as good, cheaper and more fun.

Use the internet to find free or discounted age appropriate adventures:

• Nickelodeon’s Parent Connect
• Yelp.com will help you out if you search for Kid Activities in your city.
• You can also use any search engine and search “kid activities”+”name of your town.”
• Most newspapers in even the tiniest town now have websites and list local activities.

Above all, remember that these people are your invited guests and the point is to have fun. Have some – after you put away the breakables.

Posing for pics is part of every trip. Credit: pixajen/Flickr

As an addendum to my recent posts on cheap holiday vacations and cheap holiday travel tips, I just discovered a very cool map on the travel site FareCompare.com.

Plug in your starting location, your budget, the month you want to travel, and the map shows you exactly where you can afford to go across the globe.

You can narrow your search by choosing activities (ski, beach, golf), specific airlines, or price per mile. It’s easy – and fun – to think about all the trips you can take across the world. Chile! New Zealand! Turkey!

The map pulls fares published in the past four hours, so prices are accurate. Prices include taxes and fees, but not checked baggage costs, which vary greatly by airline. Flight prices may not be available on all days of the week. The map is for departure points in the U.S. only.

Thanks, Dan!

UggBoy+UggGirl/Flickr

I’ve never spent Christmas away from home so I’m fascinated with trading in a fragrant douglas fir for a margarita on the beach or map of Paris. If you are considering traveling instead of visiting family (or perhaps traveling with family), there are many affordable places to visit. Getting a cheap flight is possible, too.

Hotel prices in major American cities are 75% lower than rates in the summer in some cases. Hotels in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, and San Diego are lowing rates dramatically over the holidays as business travel approaches zero, said Gabe Saglie, a senior editor at Travelzoo. The site blasts top travel deals to its 21 million subscribers daily. There are some bargains in Florida, too, because of unrealized fears about oil reaching the beaches.

“The holidays are a time when people priced out of luxury hotels can stay in 4-star properties,” Saglie said.

Look to pay about $200 a night in New York City, less than $125 a night in Chicago, and about $130 in San Francisco. Atlanta has 4-star hotels for less than $100 per night. The best time to find hotel bargains is between Nov. 21-27 and between Dec. 19-27. Or, push back your trip to begin the first week of January to get a steal.

Internationally, Mexico’s Cancun, Playa Carmen, and Riviera Maya have the best deals, Saglie said, especially if you book a vacation package. Worried about the drug wars? Tourist destinations have been largely untouched, reports MSNBC.

Still, take precautions when traveling abroad. Carry an international phone, keep a photocopy of your passport in your hotel, and let family or friends know where you are staying and how they can reach you. It’s also a good idea to register your trip with the Department of State in case of disaster.

Are you traveling during the holidays?

spookyamd/Flickr

I love road trips. One of the best things about moving from Boston to Los Angeles was the opportunity to drive across America and experience the Crayola Crayon Factory, the Route 66 Museum, the Giant Coke Bottle AND the Giant Milk Bottle. Road trips offer untold opportunities to stop and visit unique tourist attractions. Not to mention the enlightening conversations with the owners of said establishments.

There is simply no better website for finding unusual destinations than Roadside America. Where else can you find a motel to watch a drive-in movie from your motel window? What about a museum in New York where you can learn everything you ever wanted to know about Jello? Or a ranch in Texas where they grow Cadillacs (pictured above)?

Roadside America (per the editors Doug Kirby, Ken Smith, and Mike Wilkins) is devoted to oddball or over-the-top places that make them laugh. They apparently make a lot of other people laugh as well because this site has been growing steadily since it first appeared in 1994. The content is created by the editors as well as attraction owners and visitors. They sell a phone app, Muffler Men memorabilia. However, it looks like they most likely support the site through booking hotel and motel rooms.

You can find attractions based on location or topic. You can also select several stops and have a custom map made from one location to the next.

Pack a cheap picnic lunch and set a course for a day or weekend road trip through your neck of the woods. Many of these locations are free so for the cost of gas you can have a fun adventure.

If you plan a trip with your kids or honey, it is a great opportunity to learn about the history and uniqueness of your home state. Or, if you are planning a vacation further from home, the site will help you avoid the pricey tourist attractions and check out the local flavor. You can also include yard sale stops using the yard sale treasure map.

What’s your favorite unique spot?

Stay on top of the latest strategies, coupons, and inspiration to save money everyday with BargainBabe.com’s email list.

My tip was a lot bigger than this! Credit: Dauella manera/Flickr

It’s amazing what two twenties will do. When I arrived at LAX last week, I had no intention of lugging seven heavy boxes through the airport by myself to the regular check-in counter. Instead, I stuffed my fist with cash and walked up to the Sky Cap counter, which had a line 40-some people deep.

Two nights before a reader named Eileen had shared a valuable but expensive lesson on luggage. “My Mother taught me this,” Eileen said. “If you ever need help at the airport, put a fifty dollar bill in your raised hand and ask if anyone can help. Someone will find you.”

Eileen was right. With $40 in my left hand, I approached the Sky Cap counter.

“I have seven boxes to check. Is it okay if I put them right here while I wait in line?”

Two junior Sky Caps conferred and decided it would be okay to tuck my bags off to the side so I wouldn’t have to inch them forward as I waited in line. I think they saw my twenties.

I put my cash back in my pocket and began unloading boxes from my friend’s car. A senior Sky Cap came over while I was dropped off box No. 3 and I double checked that it was okay to stockpile my boxes while waiting in line. It was.

When I dropped off the last box he was waiting for me. Had he seen my twenties? I’m pretty sure.

“How many are you flying with?”

“Just me.”

“We’re going to have to charge you for those extra bags, unfortunately.”

“That’s fine. I did the math and Southwest is the cheapest.”

The senior Sky Cap asked for my full name and suggested I step down two counters so he could check me in. What? No line?

He DEFINITELY saw my twenties. Because he offered to let me cut, I didn’t protest.

I checked in and was free of my burdensome bags within 10 minutes. I paid $250 for my seven pieces of luggage (the first two bags are free on Southwest and each bag after that up to 10 bags is $50). Not a single bag was weighed – at least that I saw. Bags over 50 pounds are $100 and one of my pieces was awfully heavy. Did my big tip save me an overweight baggage fee? I’ll never know.

I jumped into the security line and wondered if big spenders regularly experienced the ease and comfort I had. My $40 saved me time, reduced my stress, and got me out of the mid-day heat.

I rarely sympathize with big spenders – I have been known to scoff at overt displays of wealth – but after my $40 worked wonders at the airport I have a new perspective. Spending money, and not just saving it, can bring peace of mind. So if a Sky Cap at my destination airport happens to notice my fresh twenties and offers to lug my seven boxes across baggage claim? Well, I’m going to smile and say thank you.

What was your most worthwhile splurge?

Thanks for the tip, Eileen!

goodrob13/Flickr.

Do you yearn to be a screaming audience member on The Price is Right or a cheering fan on the Tonight show? Do you dream of watching your favorite star being filmed on-set? With some pre-planning, patience and luck, these experiences can be yours – for free.

As hard as it is to believe, television studios have to work to fill their audiences each time they shoot. It’s not just a matter of opening their front door and letting any old riff-raff in. There are dress codes and rules. Doling out coveted set passes sucks up staff time and energy. For many (but not all) shows, this coordination is too much trouble so television show  turns the duty over to a company that specializes in finding audiences.

Here are some ways to get in to the shows you want to see:

• For free tickets for Two and a Half Men, Wizards of Waverly Place, Melissa and Joey, I’m in the Band and more, try Audiences Unlimited, Inc.

• If you are a Jimmy Kimmel Live! fan, you can get tickets online or call 866-546-6984 (weekdays from 1-4 p.m. PST).

• American Idol, Hannah Montana, So You Think You Can Dance?, and Dancing with the Stars tickets can be obtained through On Camera Audiences.

• Your dream to be on a game show can come true at game show contestant submissions or go to any of the major TV network’s websites and look for a “casting” link.

• The Tonight Show tickets are distributed at the studio’s ticket window the day of taping or by mail. Write to 3000 W. Alameda Ave, Los Angeles, CA 91523 or call 818-840-3537.

• Saturday Night Live tickets are distributed by lottery.

• And last, but not least… if you are just dying to be seen on television wearing a hula outfit and scuba gear holding a sign saying “I love Drew Carey” then you are destined to be on The Price is Right.

Going to the taping of a TV show is an impressive first date (if the show is your date’s favorite), a frugal and memorable vacation event, or an educational field trip. There is a LOT more going on off the screen than most people know.

I’ve seen some really cool shows with my friends and family using some of these links.

Have you ever gone to the taping of a TV show? Was it fun?

One way sample fares include:

• Burbank to Oakland, Vegas, San Jose, or Phoenix for $59
• Orlando to Ft. Myers for $53, or to Ft. Lauderdale for $69
• Jackson to Houston for $69
• Long Island or New York to Baltimore for $69
• San Diego to Vegas, Phoenix, or Tuscon for $59
• San Francisco to Vegas, Orange County or Los Angeles for $59
• See all the cheap flights on Southwest

Caveats: 14-day advance purchase required, purchase by June 17, 2010 at 11:59 pm PST, fares do not include federal excise tax of $3.70 per takeoff and landing, airport-assessed passenger facility charges (PFC) of up to $9, and government-imposed September 11th Security Fee of up to $5 one-way.