Southwest's 'Ding!' to celebrate its first birthday tomorrow

Josh Roberts believes the best trips involve long hikes and muddy boots. His life goals haven't changed much since he was a kid: He still wants to be Indiana Jones when he grows up.

Follow him on Twitter (@joshwhowrites) and Instagram (@joshwhowrites), and visit his website (joshrobertsbooks.com) or Goodreads page to learn more about his forthcoming novel.

Josh joined SmarterTravel in 2001, and is an active member in both the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

In addition to SmarterTravel, he has written for USA Today, The Boston Globe, Yahoo! Travel, The Huffington Post, Airfarewatchdog, TripAdvisor, Jetsetter, ABC News, Oyster, and Business Insider. His travel photography can be seen in Britain and Ireland's Best Wild Places, published by Penguin UK.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "A lacrosse ball. It's small, lightweight, and works wonders on loosening up tight muscles."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Being the first to discover an ancient lost city. Failing that, visiting as many of the already-discovered ancient ruins as possible."

Travel Motto: "Not all those who wander are lost." -J.R.R. Tolkien

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Aisle."

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February 28 marks the first birthday of Southwest’s low-fare alert system, “Ding!” And while that in and of itself is hardly newsworthy, Southwest’s celebration plan is worth your attention. The low-fare king promises to “cake on the savings” (their words, not mine, thankfully) if you download “Ding!” before tomorrow, February 28.

If you’re not familiar with the “Ding!” program, here’s how it works: You download the application to your computer, and it alerts you any time Southwest has an ultra-last-minute or deeply-discounted sale price. Last year SmarterTravel.com’s airfare editor, Jessica Labrencis, reviewed the software and declared it “worth the download.”

That’s still true today. If you live in one of Southwest’s markets, it’s a good idea to download “Ding!” and see what kind of savings it has to offer tomorrow.

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