Where would you travel in North America with free airfare?
Nov 16th, 2006, 08:25 AM
#21
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 21,991
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If you can travel later than May, I would consider Glacier Nat'l Park in MT and Yellowstone. It's expensive to fly into Montana and there are never good deals, so it would be a good use of your free tickets. But I would wait until July or August to visit due to weather, road closures, etc.
Nov 16th, 2006, 09:56 AM
#23
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,869
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The weather in most of Mexico is very warm in Apr/May. Gets way better in the mountains in early June (actually this May was mild), but many beaches are uninhabitable due to heat and humidity.
M (SMdA, Gto.)
M (SMdA, Gto.)
Nov 16th, 2006, 10:44 AM
#24
I would choose expensive tickets also. St. Thomas tickets are usually very pricey. If you want to lounge on the beach, the islands of St.John and St.Thomas have some of the best beaches in the Caribbean. That is where I would go.
Mexico is usually an area that you can get cheap flights too.
Or I would go to California and go to SF and drive the coast.
Mexico is usually an area that you can get cheap flights too.
Or I would go to California and go to SF and drive the coast.
Nov 16th, 2006, 11:50 AM
#28
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,620
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Go for a place that you have always wanted to go.
Darn the price.
Just because you will fly for free does not mean that you need to choose an expensive flight. Your enjoyment of the vacation should come first. If you want to go to Nashville, so be it.
OK..now if it was me, I would go for a beach location in April-May but perhaps that is a beautiful time in your neighborhood.
It doess't really matter, just enjoy
!
Darn the price.
Just because you will fly for free does not mean that you need to choose an expensive flight. Your enjoyment of the vacation should come first. If you want to go to Nashville, so be it.
OK..now if it was me, I would go for a beach location in April-May but perhaps that is a beautiful time in your neighborhood.
It doess't really matter, just enjoy
!
Nov 16th, 2006, 03:34 PM
#30
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 167
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
How about one of the lesser-traveled (expensive) Hawaiian islands if they fly directly into your chosen island? That would be the low season so hotels should be much lower. I have only been to Maui and Oahu but the locals recommended Kauai.
Nov 16th, 2006, 06:01 PM
#31
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 76
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Have you called the number on the free tickets to make your reservations. I also had free tickets to use recently and basically found that they have virtually no seats to anywhere, you have to travel on a Tues., or Wed. to get seats, etc. Your tickets may be better than mine, but before you start planning the location you may want to check on how useable the tickets are. I have just torn mine up since I spent more than enough effort trying to find any day, to any place I wanted to go, and couldn't get availability.
Nov 16th, 2006, 06:22 PM
#33
For April/May, I'd choose Portland Oregon. Drive up the Columbia Gorge and through the Hood River Valley to Mt. Hood. All the orchards in that area will be in full bloom. Take Highway 97 north from the Columbia through Indian country to the Yakima Valley in Washington, where it will be warm but not yet hot, and the vinyards and hills will be green and welcoming. Stay at a winery or two, or hike up into the Mt Adams foothills if spring has progressed in that area.
Then take US 2 over the Cascades to western Washington in time to see the amazing tulips in bloom in the Skagit Valley (an hour north of Seattle.) If time permits, take a day or two to visit San Juan or Lopez Islands in the San Juans.
Then drive back to Seattle for a little city fix, down I-5 to visit Mt St Helens, which ought to be accessible by then, and end up back in Portland. Great trip with a week or 10 days, better with two weeks, but all the variety you could ever want.
If you're from the southeast I suspect Florida or even the Caribbean are places you could get to without having to wait for free tickets.
Then take US 2 over the Cascades to western Washington in time to see the amazing tulips in bloom in the Skagit Valley (an hour north of Seattle.) If time permits, take a day or two to visit San Juan or Lopez Islands in the San Juans.
Then drive back to Seattle for a little city fix, down I-5 to visit Mt St Helens, which ought to be accessible by then, and end up back in Portland. Great trip with a week or 10 days, better with two weeks, but all the variety you could ever want.
If you're from the southeast I suspect Florida or even the Caribbean are places you could get to without having to wait for free tickets.
Nov 19th, 2006, 09:15 AM
#34
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,420
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I would pick Kauai if that is an option. I've looked into going there and it was pricey. Free airline tickets would certainly make it more affordable. If one of the Hawaiian islands is not an option, the I would choose Zihuatanejo Mexico and try to stay at La Casa Que Canta. Again getting free airfare would enable you to pick a more expensive hotel that normally may not be in your price range.
Dec 10th, 2006, 10:27 AM
#38
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 167
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sorry, I just saw that it says in the continental US. I hope you have called the airline to go over the details with them. Hubby before he was hubby & I rec'd free flight certificates from TWA to anywhere in the world they fly. I said we should go to Cairo (this was 9 years ago). Hubby said lets go to Hawaii and since I had chosen the vacation that got us the free tix (Europe) I said that would be fine. He suggested we get married while over there & we did. Thanks TWA! Oh dear, I have wandered off the thread here, haven't I?
What I started out telling you was that the rules may change between you receiving the tickets and when you intend to use them. In our case it stated to set up our flight directly with the airline within 14 days prior to when we wanted to fly. When I called to do that about 20 days out hoping for the off-chance that they may go ahead & book us they said that their rules had changed and that the terms of those certs had been changed. We needed to have booked long before. How were we supposed to know this? I was polite & explained that we were using these tix for our wedding and that we had everything else set up. The ticket agent was kind enough to work with us & get us on those flights using the freebies. It really pays to talk directly to the airline and I suggest calling on 2 separate occasions just to make sure you get the right info. Your trip relies too much on the flight itself to have something go wrong there.
What I started out telling you was that the rules may change between you receiving the tickets and when you intend to use them. In our case it stated to set up our flight directly with the airline within 14 days prior to when we wanted to fly. When I called to do that about 20 days out hoping for the off-chance that they may go ahead & book us they said that their rules had changed and that the terms of those certs had been changed. We needed to have booked long before. How were we supposed to know this? I was polite & explained that we were using these tix for our wedding and that we had everything else set up. The ticket agent was kind enough to work with us & get us on those flights using the freebies. It really pays to talk directly to the airline and I suggest calling on 2 separate occasions just to make sure you get the right info. Your trip relies too much on the flight itself to have something go wrong there.
Dec 10th, 2006, 10:47 AM
#40
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 965
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If I wanted to relax on the beach go for the gold, either US Virgin Islands or Hawaii. As much as I like the yucantan peninsula in Mexico, you can always get reasonable packages there. But Hawaii and Virgin Islands are always somewhat expensive, so milk it!
