Day Trip to Denver, Denver, Colorado

A week ago, I hopped on a plane at 5:30am for a day trip to Denver, Colorado. If you've been keeping up with this blog, then you know I'm based on out Austin, Texas and not in Colorado. However, as I mentioned in my recent Washington, D.C. post, I have to take four total flights on Southwest to be A-list preferred for a year via perks through my job's corporate partnership. So, I looked at my schedule and booked a flight for a day trip to the most affordable place that I would have an interest in visiting -- which brought me to Denver. The trip would require me to fly to Denver and back to Austin on my last day of eligibility for this special corporate program. Conveniently, that day was also my work anniversary and the only day I could really manage to take time off from work!

Now that you know how this trip randomly came about, let me walk you through what I did to make the most of my 15 hours in Denver, CO.

As I mentioned earlier, I flew Southwest to get to Denver. They had nonstop flights super early in the morning and late enough in the evening for this day trip to even be possible. These are also weekday flights at obscure hours and that meant they would be very cheap compared to flying at any other times that day or during the weekend. Each flight was only $89! Additionally, this trip gave me an opportunity to gain a new sense of appreciation for the Denver airport. I had a couple of brief layovers there in 2010 during a family vacation and had been wanting to go back ever since to see more of the airport. It's actually nothing close to how I remember it, but some of the renovations that have been done on the interior and exterior are incredible and comfortable. In my All About Airports post, I highlight my appreciation for discovering what makes each airpot unique and was glad I had a chance to explore that in Denver's airport. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).