what are Southwest Airlines Vacations spot

Southwest Airlines Vacations

Southwest began as a budget airline, but it has grown to be a reliable choice for domestic and Caribbean travel. They have a great frequent flyer program and a generous flight cancellation and change policy. And they don’t charge any fees for checked luggage.

Southwest also offers vacation packages. These packages include a hotel, flight, and additional activities such as rental cars or activities. Let's look at the packages and see if they are worth it.

What is Southwest Vacations?

Southwest Vacations has package deals that include both a stay at a hotel and a flight. Your package can include rental car, airport transfers and insurance.

How to Find Southwest Vacations

There are two ways to get to Southwest Vacations.

First, you can go to the Southwest website and click on Flight| Hotel Car| Vacations in the main menu. Click on Vacations.

You can also visit SouthwestVacations.com. The search interface in these 2 different methods will be a little different, but you will get to the same results page either way.

How to book a Southwest vacation package

Select a hotel

Enter your departure and destination cities as well as dates and the number of people you are traveling with on the Southwest Vacations homepage. Click Get the Best Package Deal.

Southwest Vacations. This will take you to the search results pages for hotels in your chosen city. You will find the filtering options to your left. Filter by:

• Hotel name
• Price
• Rating
• The hotel amenities include a pool, fitness center, breakfast and spa services.
• Enjoy (adults-only, beach, family and golfing, etc.
• Distance between points of interest

You can sort the results alphabetically, by price or by top picks by using the drop-down menu at the top.

The map view can be accessed at the top of the screen. To view the map, click View these Hotels on a Map. I could not get this map to appear in practice, but it is theoretically possible!

You can also click the map button on each listing to view that hotel's location on a particular map view.

Prices listed in per person include hotel, flight and taxes. A per-month price might also be displayed. This is due to Southwest Vacation's Pay Over Time plan, Uplift. (More information below).

You can then choose your room type. The right side of the screen will show any additional charges for upgrading your room.

You can choose Keep to keep your current selection or choose to select a new room.

The center of the page will display any promotions for each type of room. These promotions can be a bit misleading -- I clicked on the Discount up to 65% promotion and was shown that was already included in the price.

The Unlimited Luxury Inclusions promotion included amenities the hotel offers to all, such as daily maid service and "no need for wristbands."

You can modify your hotel selection by clicking Modify Hotels at top of the page.

Take a flight

Next, you'll be asked to select a flight. Your hotel selection will be displayed at the top of this page. Below, you'll see all your flight options. You can filter your results using the options to the left or sort with the drop-down box at the top.

The current flight selection will appear in green. Some flight options might have higher prices.

While the price will be listed to the right of the item, the more expensive options won't be. You should still pay attention to your original price quote.

All price quotations will include the cheapest Want to Get Away fares. However, you can change to Want to Get Away plus or Business Select fares if necessary.

To view flight information click view and then click Choose to go to the next step. Continue the process until you choose your return flight.

Next, you can review your hotel and flight options, as well as additional services like airport transfers and travel insurance. You can also rent cars and do other things.

The total price of your vacation package will now be displayed for all persons, including taxes and fees. (On previous pages it was per person).

Rent a car

Click Cars to add a rental car in your vacation package.

The list of options will appear in the middle, with filters to the left. The total rental car price (per-day price) will be shown right below.

To continue, click after you have selected your car.

You might see a note that says, " Personal Liability Insurance must be purchased if the renter's credit card does not have Personal Liability Insurance coverage."

The Chase Sapphire Preferred(r) Card provides primary rental coverage. This means that you don't need to first make a claim with personal insurance.

Airport Transfers

You will not find an airport transfer tab in the main menu. However, you can still find them in a few ways.

After making a hotel, flight or car selection, scroll down to find them. They can also be found under the Things to Do tab.

To select the number passengers, click the yellow View Options button and then add the transfer to the vacation package.

Travel Insurance

It can be difficult to find travel insurance. These options will be listed once you have made a hotel, flight or car selection. You can also find them under the Things to Do tab.

To view the details of each type, click on More. To select the number passengers to add to your vacation package, click View Options.

It is a completely different discussion. Although I have not bought travel insurance personally, there are certain times when it might make sense.

A credit card with insurance is an alternative to buying separate travel insurance. There are many credit cards that provide different types and levels of coverage.

• Travel Accident Insurance
• Offers by Chase Sapphire Preferred(r), American Express (r) Card and many more
• Trip Cancellation Insurance
• Offers by Ink Business Preferred(r), Chase Sapphire Preferred(r), and many more
• Lost Luggage Insurance
• Offers by American Express Platinum Card(r), Ink Business Preferred(r), Credit Card and many more!
• Trip Delay Insurance
• Offers by Ink Business Preferred(r), Chase Sapphire Preferred(r), and many more

Things to Do

Click on Activities to Do to add activities to your Southwest Vacation Package. Scroll down to see a complete list of activities.

To view all details, click More. Click View Options to choose the number of participants and add the activity to your vacation package.

Complete your Purchase

Once you've made your selections click View from the main menu.

You can scroll through your selections, change any details and view a breakdown of the prices from this page.

You can enter a promo code below the price breakdown if you don't have one already. To complete payment and to obtain traveller information, click Continue.

Lowest Price Promise

Southwest Vacations offers a Lowest Price Promise on their packages, but it only applies to a price change on the SouthwestVacations.com website -- not to a similar package offered by a different company.

If you find an identical package on SouthwestVacations.com, you are eligible to receive the difference in price in the form of a travel credit code good for future travel.

The lower-priced package must be identical in all aspects including flight dates, flight numbers and fare types, hotel room categories, rental companies and classes, and any activities.

You can submit a claim if you find an identical package.

Code for Travel Credit

You will receive a travel credit code if you have been issued a Lowest Price Promise claim. It will be emailed to your primary contact within 7-10 days.

It is quite restrictive. If you travel together on a future vacation package, it is only valid for the same travel group as the original trip.

Cancellation or modification of a vacation package

Now, your life has become chaotic and you need to cancel/change your Southwest Vacation package. Here are the details.

Although Southwest Vacations does not charge cancellation or change fees, packages that are cancelled or modified may be subject to fees up to 100% of the purchase price.

You could end up paying the full price if you cancel or modify a Southwest Vacation Package.

You can exchange the money for a different flight if your package includes a flight. The money can be used to purchase another flight on Southwest Airlines.

Cancellations must be made before departure. To cancel, you must call 1-800-775-7105 if you are within the first 24 hours of your trip.

All refund requests must be received in writing within 90 calendar days of the departure date. Email your refund request to refund@southwestvacations.com.

The following items are not eligible for refunds:

• Don't miss any flights, hotel or rental car days.
• Tickets, show tickets or tickets to the theme parks that have been cancelled, lost, or not used are not eligible for refund.

Last Thoughts

Southwest Vacations offers travel packages that include hotels, Southwest flights and rental cars. They also offer insurance, airport transfers, activities, and airport transfers. These packages may not always be cheaper than booking separately, but they can sometimes offer lower prices.

Consider their strict cancellation and change policy before you book a Southwest Vacation Package. Sometimes it is worth paying a bit more to be able cancel or modify your reservation without any penalty.

These packages may not always be the best deals, so it is smart to compare each item before you purchase a package.