This Calculator Tells You Where You Should Travel Based on Your Tax Refund

Kayak is helping travelers this tax season translate their tax refund into a potential trip with the help of a calculator that shows just where a person can go based on the amount of cash they receive.

The calculator allows travelers to put in the amount of their refund and see their vacation options based on that price, the company shared with Travel + Leisure.

"Getting money back from your tax refund is great, but what's even better is using that money to take a well-needed vacation," Matt Clarke, the VP of marketing at Kayak, told T+L. "That's where our Tax Refund Calculator comes into play. It takes our popular Explore feature and lets you enter your refund amount (or whatever portion of it you want to spend) to show you all the places where you can plan a post-tax season vacation."

Clarke said travelers can use the calculator and filter by the dates they want, the length of a flight, and the number of stops they are willing to make "to find the perfect spot."

Kayak is offering the option as a survey conducted by the company showed one out of every six people plan to put their refund towards a "Taxacation."

The average cost of a 4-day domestic vacation for two people is $1,654, according to Kayak, significantly less than the average tax refund amount. Last year, the average individual tax refund was $2,873, a 2% increase from 2020, according to data from the Internal Revenue Service.

About 40% of Americans expect to receive at least some money in a tax refund this year, according to the Kayak survey.

When it comes to summer travel, Kayak told T+L that the most popular destination to fly to is Orlando, followed by Las Vegas, Seattle, Honolulu, and Denver. And for international trips, vacationers are seeking out London, followed by Cancun, Paris, Rome, and Athens.

Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.