The most luxurious destinations and accommodations in the world can be yours for a fair price. And we’re not talking traditional hotels. A startup called THIRDHOME is shaking up the luxury travel industry with its business model. THIRDHOME is a luxury property and travel club offering home exchanges, rentals and even adventures. “Originally a luxury home exchange, it has evolved into the only travel brand that brings together a collective group of trusted homeowners, renters and adventurers who share a passion for discovery and demand an elevated experience,” said Senior Vice President of Operations at THIRDHOME, Sean Judge. He spoke to RewardExpert about the advantages of traveling the THIRDHOME way.

Southwest Airlines is my favorite domestic airline due to their awesome customer service, no-frills approach and great benefits, like the Southwest Companion Pass. But did you know that there are 14 Southwest international destinations to choose from?

Southwest Flights to Mexico

When I lived in Orange County, one of my favorite Southwest international flights was to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The flight was only 2.5 hours long, and we could be transported to another world where we could lounge by the pool and sip margaritas all day.

In Mexico, Southwest locations include Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico City and Cancun.

Southwest nonstop flights to Cabo depart from Houston, Chicago, Denver, San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Jose and Sacramento.

Southwest airports that offer nonstop service to Puerto Vallarta include Houston, Denver, San Diego, Los Angeles and Oakland.

Houston is the only city on the Southwest flight map that offers nonstop service to Mexico City.

Cancun offers the most Southwest locations with nonstop flights from 13 different cities. These Southwest nonstop flights depart from Fort Lauderdale, Baltimore, Atlanta, Nashville, Columbus, Indianapolis, Chicago, St. Louis, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Denver and Los Angeles.

Southwest Flights to Central America

Southwest airports in Central America include Belize City in Belize and Liberia and San Jose in Costa Rica. My son, Timothy, and I flew to Costa Rica when he was 5 to stay at the Hyatt Andaz Papagayo, and we had an amazing father-son trip.

Belize City offers three Southwest nonstop flight destinations, including Denver, Houston and Fort Lauderdale.

You can fly to Liberia from two Southwest airports—Houston and Baltimore. The three Southwest Airlines cities that fly to San Jose are Houston, Fort Lauderdale and Baltimore.

Southwest Flights to the Caribbean

In the Caribbean, there are eight different Southwest destinations to choose from. And you can take Southwest nonstop flights from multiple Southwest Airlines cities within the United States to get there.

Nassau, Bahamas, offers two Southwest nonstop cities—Fort Lauderdale and Baltimore.

When service to Cuba was announced, there were multiple cities that flew to Cuba and there were three airports in Cuba you could fly to. Now nonstop service has been reduced to flights to Havana from two Southwest locations – Fort Lauderdale and Tampa Bay.

Grand Cayman is a beautiful island that I took Timothy to for his Spring Break when he was 6 years old. Swimming with the stingrays at Stingray City is a must-do. Nonstop service is only available from Fort Lauderdale.

Montego Bay, Jamaica, offers more nonstop flights on the Southwest flight map. You can fly nonstop from Houston, Chicago, Baltimore, Orlando or Fort Lauderdale.

The Turks and Caicos has nonstop service from Fort Lauderdale.

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, is served by four airports—Fort Lauderdale, Atlanta, Chicago and Baltimore.

San Juan, Puerto Rico, was the first Caribbean flight I took on Southwest when they acquired AirTran. San Juan is now serviced by six Southwest locations—Houston, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Chicago and Baltimore.

Aruba is the Southwest international destination that is the furthest away from the continental United States. Houston, Fort Lauderdale and Baltimore are the three Southwest airlines cities that offer nonstop flights to Aruba.

How to Book Southwest International Flights

When you book a Southwest international flight online, it is the same process as booking a domestic flight. If you need to call to book your Southwest international destination, then customer service will transfer you to a different department that has access to those systems.

Your flight is booked, the hotel is reserved, the suitcase is packed and you’re ready to jet set around the world like everyone else on social media. But did you pack the right credit card?

Serene beaches, beautiful harbors, incredible mountains, fabulous restaurants, centers of history and moderate temperatures. You don’t have to go to the Caribbean to have the perfect island vacation. Turns out that all you need to do is head to the San Juan Islands, a slice of heaven in the Pacific Northwest.

It’s just as common these days to call an Uber or Lyft as it is to vacation in somebody else’s home. More specifically, that means staying in an Airbnb.

Going on vacation can be fun and relaxing, but it can also be expensive. What do you do something comes up that prevents you from taking your trip at the last minute? What if there’s a medical emergency, a significant flight delay or your luggage is lost? That’s where travel insurance can help protect travelers and the money they invest in their vacation.

Organizations do not have to spend a fortune to hold a first-class convention or major gathering. Nor do they need to head to major cities like New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco. Cities like Cincinnati, Ohio provide companies with choice and convenience.

Your trip is booked, your bags are packed, and you’re ready to go. Chances are the last thing on your mind is how you’re going to save money on currency conversion fees, securing pocket cash and on your foreign purchases.

These expenses can add up though and without some upfront planning, you’ll return from your holiday with a bank or credit card statement full of fees. Minimal time invested before you go can result in reducing transaction fees, avoiding overcharges for foreign travel expenses and even earning rewards while you’re traveling.

From overbooked flights and endless delays to cramped airplane seats and lost luggage, traveling can sometimes leave you feeling like everyone in the industry is out to get you. Fortunately, that’s not so. Travelers United, a non-profit membership organization with a five-star rating from GreatNonprofits.org, has your back.

RewardExpert recently spoke with Charles Leocha, the organization’s president and co-founder, about the inspiration behind Travelers United, their accomplishments and current initiatives, and the launch of a new paid membership option.

Have some spare change that you throw in a jar after work each day?  Looking to use that change to help change lives across the globe? Compassion International is an organization that could use your help to transform the life of a suffering child.

Tim Glenn, Compassion International’s USA Communications Director, said he is proud to work for a company that makes such a difference in the world.  “How many careers allow you to change the course of a child’s life in a positive way?  For 1.8 million children every week?  That’s incredibly rewarding,” he said. With just pennies a day, you can make a difference for your sponsored child, and even take the trip of a lifetime to visit them through the company’s sponsor tours.

Do you live to travel? If you’ve found your way to RewardExpert, it’s a safe bet that you do. After all, earning enough points and miles to score free airline tickets requires diligence and a well-crafted plan—two things your average sporadic vacationer rarely has. It’s even possible you love traveling so much that you’ve imagined quitting your job and spending the rest of your years journeying around the globe. But while that’s an attractive daydream, it doesn’t leave much room for family, friends, or future retirement savings.

The home page at Stride Travel includes a banner that says “Life’s too short for vanilla vacations.” While most of us would agree with that conclusion, planning that perfect combination of travel, accommodations and sightseeing is not an easy task.

What if you didn’t have to search for a good travel agency or company, because the agency or company could find you?

Zicasso connects luxury travelers with pre-qualified travel specialists. You identify the country you plan to visit, along with any special interests you have, and Zicasso matches you with top tour companies or agencies who can plan your ideal trip.

When you think about going on a cruise, what images come to mind? If you’re like most, you may envision sun-filled skies, gentle waves, relaxing pools, endless buffets of decadent dishes, plus pants that are too tight and a scale that reads at least 10 pounds heavier by the time you return home. But what if you could enjoy all the best features of a cruise vacation while simultaneously getting a jumpstart on a healthier lifestyle? With Holistic Holiday at Sea, you actually can.

Have you ever longed to meet someone who hates Justin Bieber as much as you do? Well, there’s an app for that. It’s called Hater, and it’s taken the dating world by storm.

Hater creates romance by matching people based on who or what they loathe. Public Relations Director Sam Terris said the app’s mission is to get the dealbreakers on the table, rather than go through five dates only to find out that “Joe is a conspiracy theorist.”

Florida is a popular destination for vacationers from all over the world. According to the Orlando Sentinel, nearly 113 million tourists visited the Sunshine State last year. Orlando, the central Florida city that Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, and SeaWorld Orlando Resort call home, is home to some of the biggest attractions for travelers.

For many of us in the industrialized world, malaria seems a distant and fading issue, encountered only when visiting the most remote regions of the globe.

World travel can seem daunting. After all, there are many places to go, a lot of preparations to make, and some uncertainty about what you’ll find once you reach your destination. Fortunately, there are tools online to help ease both your burden and your anxiety about traveling abroad. We found one called YouCouldTravel.

Imagine traveling the world, exploring exotic locations, immersing yourself in extraordinary cultures, and meeting new exciting people, all while earning a living. Sounds like a dream, right? Fortunately, it’s one that can become your reality—even if you’re not a travel blogger or adventure photographer—with the help of Upwork, a web-based platform designed to connect freelancers with companies and the contract jobs they need to fill.

Between Portland’s exploding culinary scene, the recent recognition of the Willamette Valley as one of the world’s best wine regions, and the soon to open Oregon Timber Trail for mountain bikers that was inspired by the iconic Pacific Crest Trail, Oregon seems to be maturing into a new level of sexy as a travel destination.