BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - March 31, 2011) - As tax season fever grips the U.S., for many, the next step is to start thinking about how to spend their long-awaited 2010 refund. According to CNN, the federal tax refund this year is averaging more than $3,000. And, since time is as precious as money, Cheapflights.com, the online leader in finding and publishing travel deals, did a bit of digging and came up with a list affordable and accessible Top 10 Tax Refund Trips. The list features 10 three-day, short-distance getaways in five geographical sections across the country combining great airfare deals offered by Cheapflights.com and hotel stays. These trips consume as little of your time and money as possible while giving you a much deserved "taxation vacation."
Here are five of the trips, one from each of the geographical sections of the US:
Seattle to Las Vegas: 865 miles. Round-trip airfare and three-night hotel stay = $862.58.
The airline is Southwest ($325.58), and the Mirage ($537.00) provides the accommodations. Assuming you keep tight rein on your wandering wallet (on arrival flight attendants are fond of saying 'Welcome to Lost Wages') and don't hit the slots too hard there are lots of other things to spend your money on: great food, extraordinary shows, and world-class shopping.
Salt Lake City to Albuquerque: 492 miles. Round-trip airfare and three-night hotel stay = $514.20.
Delta ($300) gets you from SLC to ABQ, and Hampton Inn ($214.20) gives you a good night's sleep (the beds are really remarkable). Ditch the umbrella. The place is suffused with sunshine 310 days a year. They even call the airport the 'Sunport.' Bring along the clubs. 14 courses turn desert brown into fairway green. Take a hot-air balloon ride above America's epicenter of the sport. Hike the flanks of dormant volcanoes, or mountain bike through the stunning Sandia Mountains. Something more sedate? There's old town for great southwestern cuisine and terrific shopping. Cap off the trip from the cabin of the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway.
Des Moines to Minneapolis/St. Paul: 233 miles. Round-trip air fare and three-night hotel stay = $746.01.
Delta ($444.00) offers the airlift, and Comfort Suites ($302.01) the accommodations. Remember, the Mississippi meanders through the Twin Cities. It's worth your while to see where it takes you. Saint Paul is graced with 26 miles of shoreline, more than any other city (including New Orleans) on the mighty river. Get out on the water on one a paddle-wheeler from the Padelford Packet Boat Company. One of the region's real treasures is the Covington Inn Bed and Breakfast out on Harriett Island. Be in the middle of it all yet get away for a while.
Oklahoma City to San Antonio: 408 miles. Round-trip airfare and three-night hotel stay = $755.14.
Southwest ($278.14) is the airline in this case, and Hampton Inn San Antonio Downtown on the River Walk ($477.00) is the hotel. The Hampton will put you at the virtual doorstep of a river that's decidedly different from the Mississippi. Flowing through the heart of one of America's four unique cities, the San Antonio River is flanked by history, heritage, and heroism. Not far away is the Alamo, where a 189-man assembly of frontiersmen, adventurers and patriots held off an army of 5,000 for 13 days. On the south bank of the river is La Villita, the city's first neighborhood. Now it's a cultural, culinary and shopping mecca -- nicely proportioned and not at all kitschy.
New York to Portland, Maine: 274 miles. Round-trip airfare and three-night hotel stay = $435.
Continental Express ($138.00) propjets you there, and Holiday Inn and Suites South Portland ($297.00) accommodates you. Portland is predicated on the sea and the rivers that feed it. This slice of Maine harbors some of the continent's best whitewater rafting -- and some of its best deep-sea fishing. Take in an afternoon at the theater and cap it off with a sunset cruise on Casco Bay. Next day, wake up and smell the beer. Food? Rumor has it Portland possesses more restaurants (some 230) per capita than any city in the United States -- save San Francisco.
To get some more ideas for taxation vacations, read the complete list of Cheapflights.com's Top 10 Tax Refund Trips at www.cheapflights.com/travel-tips/top-10-tax-refund-trips/. To come up with your own list of trip ideas, check out our Inspiration Search tab and simply plug in your departure point.
All prices are for round trip airfares and include taxes and fees and are correct at time of publication. Prices are subject to availability.
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