I am now only 1 Rapid Reward credit away from a free flight. I totally forgot about a promo they did where if you were able to get someone to sign up for Rapid Rewards you could earn credits. I had one person sign up and I earned a half credit. I was surprised when I logged into my account and noticed the 1.5 went down to 1.

After my trip to San Diego I’ll actually have enough for my next free flight. I rented a car using Rapid Rewards and will be earning a few credits. Of course now I just need to think about where I want to go. I know a Disney trip is planned next year for a friends birthday. I could always use it for that or hold into it for another California trip or even Vegas.

Where would you go with a free Southwest flight?

Via the Southwest Facebook account:

Southwest Airlines For 72-hours only! We’re celebrating 39 years with $39 one-way fares! (taxes, fees, and exclusions apply). Read all the details and book your tickets here:

You can get all the details and book here.

Here are a few more details:

For 72 Hours Only, We’re Gonna Party Like It’s Our Birthday!
No need to bring a present to this birthday bash; we’re giving you one instead! For the next three days, you can score some of our most amazingly awesome deals of the year for travel September 8 – November 17, 2010. Our gift to you!

Don’t miss out on this limited-time-only party favor. Book by June 24, and let the celebration live on through your next vacation!

While in Chicago I was able to earn 6 new Foursquare badges! It actually made the trip even more fun by trying to earn various badges by wandering around the city. Here’s a little break down of the badges that I earned while on vacation.

On Location: This is a special Chicago only badge that you can earn by visiting places in Chicago that were featured in different movies. You have to follow Explore Chicago to be able to earn the badge. I earned this badge on my last day in Chicago at the Lincoln Park Zoo!

Photogenic: You earn this badge by checking into 3 places that feature photobooths. This was a surprise as I didn’t expect to unlock this badge while checking out Wrigley Field.

Historian: This is another special badge that’s offered by The History Channel. You need to just visit 2 locations that they’ve tagged. I earned this badge by visiting The Field Museum & Soldiers Field. Wrigley Field was on the list as well but I had already earned the badge by then. I do think they should up it to 5 checkins.

Overshare: I wasn’t surprised to earn this badge as I was checking in all over the place! You earn this badge by doing 10+ checkins in 12 hours. I received this badge when I went out to dinner Saturday night at Ada’s Famous Deli.

Superstar: A simple badge to earn by checking into 50 different venues. I received this badge when I checked in at Henry’s Hot Dogs.

I’m on a boat!: I think you can figure this one out. I checked in at Shoreline Sightseeing and earned this badge while doing a boat tour of Chicago.

I think Foursquare has added a new layer to vacations. They were fun to begin with of course but with the added “scavenger hunt” feel that is Foursquare it’s added a different element and way to have fun when visiting a new city or special event.

I’m holding out hope that SDCC will offer special Foursquare badges like SXSW did this past year.

I wanted to update everyone on the Happy Cow “Fiona Bag” that I bought.

While in Chicago over the weekend I used the bag for pretty much the entire trip. I’m beyond glad I bought this bag! It made the trip 10x easier. I didn’t worry about leaving my bag somewhere, I didn’t have to dig around to find my camera or cell phone, my shoulders didn’t hurt from carrying around an overstuffed bag and of course I was able to take with me just what I needed for the day. The two pockets are the perfect size for your camera and cell phone and all the zippered pockets give you plenty of choices on where to keep your money and cards.

By the end of the weekend both my friends were saying they needed to get a bag like this. It might not be for everyday use, I still love my various purses, but for a vacation it’s great. I’m even more excited about using this bag for San Diego Comic Con.

Thanks Happy Cow for putting out such an awesome bag!

I think most of us ladies out there can agree that carrying a purse around can be a huge hassel. Even if you carry one on the small side it’s still a pain to carry it around and it’s very easy to set your purse or bag down and forget about it.

Well, I think I’ve found a pretty awesome and stylish replacement for the typical purse. Meet the Happy Cow Belt Bag. If you’re a fan of “Burn Notice” you might recognize this bag as something very similiar to what Fiona uses on the show. I went ahead and ordered one and it’s beyond nice. The leather is very soft and there are plenty of pockets to hold what you need. There are two “larger” pockets to be used for a camera and/or cellphone plus a few zipper areas for cash and cards.

The main reason I ordered the bag was because I didn’t want to carry around a purse while at Comic Con. I didn’t want to have to dig around in a bag for my phone or camera but I still wanted something fun and cute, not just your typical “fanny pack.” I wanted everything to be within reach since you never know what you might see or who you might run into. I don’t want to carry anything that I don’t need to carry since I’ll have enough to lug around with all the free bags and what not that you receive at an event like this. Using a hip bag will keep my hands free and I’ll always know where my bag is, around my waist!

I haven’t actually used the bag yet but I plan on making use of it when I go to Chicago next week. I really am looking forward to using it and I’ll be sure to type up a follow up post afterwards.

Even though I’ve only had my Southwest Visa for a few months I’m only a few credits away from my 2nd free flight. Yes, my 2nd. I earned my first free flight pretty much instantly thanks to the bonus offers that they had going on. I believe right now I’m only 5.5 away from my next free flight and I have until 2012 to earn the rest of the credits. I’ll earn 2 credits in May when I go to Chicago plus I’m pretty close to getting a credit for spending X amount on my Visa. I know I’ll have no problem earning that next free flight.

I’m already thinking about where to go. I’ve never been to Vegas and my Aunt has a timeshare out there I could use. I figure if it’s free a might as well fly somewhere I wouldn’t be able to afford normally. I was thinking maybe San Fran. I’ve always wanted to visit there as well. Alcatraz is on my “Must Visit” list. You know me, always a flare for the oddball stuff. Plus it just looks really nice from the pictures I’ve seen. I could save it and use it go to Spring Training one year too. That’s another thing I’ve always wanted to do and while it wouldn’t cost much to just pay to fly down there, any savings is good! It would probably allow me to stay an extra day or so.

Ah, so many places to go and only one free flight coming up.

Emily over at Maiden Voyage Travel recently talked about her Top 20 travel goals. It made me think about places that I’d like to visit and experience. Here’s my list and I’m not sure I’ll get to 20 but maybe over time I will.

1. Australia: I’ve wanted to visit Australia for as long as I can remember. It just looks amazing and beautiful. I’m always keeping an eye on deals just in case I find myself able to actually afford a trip. I’m hoping to get there in a few years hopefully.

2. Ireland: I’m not sure why Ireland but it’s on my list. A friend of mine had the chance to visit and I fell in love with the scenery and landscapes after she shared all her amazing photos. It doesn’t hurt that I think Irish accents are high on top the hot accent list either.

3. New Orleans: I don’t want to go during Mardi Gras but I do want to experience New Orleans. I’ve talked about going before and I’m hoping to make a trip next year. The history of the area is deep and I’m a sucker for haunted hotspots.

4. London: One main reason I want to go is to check out the catacombs. The whole idea just sounds really neat. I’m sure I could spend all day just checking those out. I’d like to go on the Jack The Ripper Tour as well. Morbid I know but that’s how I roll.

5. Florence: I’d love to visit Florence one day. I’m not sure when but it’s something I really want to try and make happen. The architecture alone is worth a trip. Another reason I’d like to visit is because the film “Hannibal” was filmed in Florence and while researching that I found an interesting website that maps out his travels in the city. I think that’s kind of neat and different.

As you can see my list is pretty short right now but as time goes on I’m sure I’ll be adding to it and hopefully crossing some things off as well.