We're just hours away from Independence Day, and in my opinion, there's no more fitting way to ring in America's birthday than by exploring all the country has to offer. Luckily, you don't have to break the bank to travel the land of the free and the home of the brave this fall, thanks to Southwest Airlines' "Independence Yay" flight sale for July 4. Let wanderlust ring, because you can score some incredible deals from sea to shining sea.
Starting on Wednesday, June 3 through Thursday, June 4 at 11:59 p.m. PT, wannabe jet-setters can check out the airline's "Independence Yay" sale to score incredible deals on non-stop service to countless locations in the continental United States and abroad. Personally, I think there's no better way to celebrate all of your hard-won freedoms than by taking a trip (or two) — and these deals make that so much easier to do without draining your bank account.
There are so many options to choose from, but a number of the deals on the flight promo page definitely caught my eye. Some of the lowest one-way flights appear to be a $49 flight from Atlanta to Nashville; a $77 flight from Burbank to Las Vegas; a $81 flight to the Grand Cayman Islands from Fort Lauderdale; and a $98 flight from Chicago to New York City, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. It's wild to me that you could literally be hitting up Music City's Honky Tonk Row and getting your fill of Nashville hot chicken for the cost of a nice dinner this fall, so I'd definitely take a look and check out the options leaving from your destination city.
Airfare is understandably slightly more expensive for travel to international destinations like Belize, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Mexico, but there are a number of flights clocking in under $90 that fly out from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Unfortunately, flights to and from the continental United States to the Hawaiian islands are not part of the sale, but I'd suggest checking out the inter-island fares if you know that you'll be heading there this fall.
As with all flight sales, there are a few things to take into consideration before making moves on your booking. First of all, you'll need to fly out on a one-way non-stop flight on a Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday to take home the savings, although some of these dates vary by location for a number of cities in Florida, Las Vegas, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii.
In addition, these rock-bottom fares are valid from Sept. 3 through Dec. 18, which is admittedly a pretty large window. However, according to the fine print, black out dates for continental U.S. travel include Nov. 22, Nov. 24, Nov. 26-27, and Nov. 30 through Dec. 2. Meanwhile, travel between the different Hawaiian islands is black out from Nov. 22 through Dec. 2.
The Independence Yay sale also has specific travel guidelines for travel to and from San Juan, Puerto Rico, stating that these fares are only valid from Sept. 4 through Dec. 5. In general, international travel is valid from Monday through Thursday only from Sept. 3 through Dec. 11, although travel to Mexico is only available on Sundays through Wednesdays. Meanwhile, travel from Mexico is valid only on Tuesdays through Fridays.
All the fine print notwithstanding, you can always count on Southwest's flexible cancellation policy (10 minutes before your planned departure to apply the funds to your next trip) and two free checked bags to apply, so I'd take a few minutes to book your dream fall getaway before getting back to your July 4 festivities.
