It’s that oh-so-American time of year again: Tax Season. While the document gathering and filing process is no fun, the good news is that the majority of Americans (83%) receive a tax refund with an average refund of $3,120 for 2015 taxes. That’s a nice chunk of change to add to the household budget, but what should you do with it? For me, the answer is a no-brainer: TRAVEL!

A tax refund comes just at the right time for planning and paying for a summer trip, so when the kids were school-aged, I treated it as a “vacation club” account for a family vacation. In past years, we have chosen Caribbean cruises, beach resorts, Disney, Italy and England. Now they are graduated, grown and have careers, so our family travel tends to be over holidays – which needs to be planned well in advance, so the tax refund makes a convenient deposit for a special December trip together.

Tax refund trips are not just for families. An adventure-loving friend does mountain climbing and white water rafting expeditions, so his refund usually goes toward a plane ticket to some remote destination. Another friend is a master at stretching his refund to cover a month’s worth of solo travel every fall and he always returns renewed and richer (at least in mind and heart) for the experience. A group of women I know who live all over the country use their refunds for an annual girlfriend’s reunion in a different place each year.

So what will you do with your tax refund? You could take a grandchild to Europe to bring your family heritage alive and deepen those ties through the shared experience. Or maybe it’s time for you and your significant other to get away to a romantic beach villa to reconnect during lazy days and dreamy nights. Since a tax refund feels like found money, you might want to splurge – a few nights at an exquisite luxury hotel, a week at a relaxing destination spa, or upgrade to first class on your next flight.

Travel expands your horizons, gets you away from the daily routine and is just plain fun, so when Uncle Sam repays that interest-free loan you gave him over the last year, treat yourself to travel. The possibilities are endless and if you need help deciding, Covington’s advisors are full of ideas and firsthand experience. You can also sign up to receive our weekly vacation promotions with hand-picked specials and deals from the best travel suppliers, so start making plans for how to use your tax refund on travel.