We used our rebate check to go to Gatlinburg, Tennessee for 6 nights with the main purpose of auto touring the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which is free to enter.

Posted By Sarah C. Filpo on May 29, 2008, 5:05 PM

Yes. I have a 5-week long trip to Italy that I will spend it on this fall. Still don't have mine yet - I hope the dollar doesn't continue to fall before I can cash it in!

Posted By Pam Autio on May 29, 2008, 7:41 PM

We have used our rebate to put a deposit down on the Carnival Pride Panama Canal 14 day cruise next March.

Posted By Cindy Levy on May 29, 2008, 8:40 PM

I haven't gotten my rebate check yet, but have been giving thought to a nice quiet long weekend in Vermont, or maybe Mystic Connecticut.

Posted By Ann Cummings on May 29, 2008, 9:17 PM

Going on a cruise to the Eastern Carribean.

Posted By Glenda Varner on May 29, 2008, 10:01 PM

I've received my rebate check and am saving it to pay for gas during a road trip in August from Portland, OR to San Francisco and then further south to Big Sur along the California coast.

Posted By Jessica on May 30, 2008, 7:38 PM

My boyfriend and I are going to NYC for 4th of July. I used my stimulus check on 2 nights at a hotel right in Midtown and Amtrak tickets from Providence to Penn Station.

Posted By Kathleen on June 1, 2008, 9:11 AM

WE ARE GOING TO RUSSIA ON OUR REBATE CHECK.HOPE TO HAVE A GREAT TIME.

Posted By tim kish on June 2, 2008, 12:22 PM

We already used it to pay in part for a trip to Puerto Vallarta, Maito, and Yelapa, Mexico in May though we won't get it until sometime in June.

Posted By Barbara on June 2, 2008, 1:13 PM

I'm using my check for a week on Caye Caulker in Belize. I leave on Sunday - I can't wait!

Posted By Lola on June 2, 2008, 1:21 PM

I'm taking my 13-year-old grandson to San Francisco to ride the Segways and the cable cars; we will stay in a Fort Mason hostel and in a lighthouse hostel, at Asilomar near Carmel, and one night in a treehouse in Big Sur (I would have chosen the yurts in Big Sur, but they are not within my budget, requiring a longer stay, as they do). I'm sure most of the as-yet-not-received check will be spent on providing him food!

Posted By Mary on June 2, 2008, 1:51 PM

We are using ours for our annual family trip to New Orleans, LA!

Posted By Julie O on June 2, 2008, 1:56 PM

We just returned from Grand Cayman where our rebate check paid a good portion of a week's condo rental on the north side.

Posted By John on June 2, 2008, 2:12 PM

Will be spending it and a bit more on a Grand Circle River Tour up the Danube from Bucharest to Budapest to Prague with Transylvania thrown in!

Posted By Walt Gunster on June 2, 2008, 3:05 PM

Spent it by going to London and Krakow for 10 days. RT air from L.A. to London + six nights w/ breakfast cost $600 per person...I cannot resist not using the rebate check this way.

Posted By Tess Perez on June 2, 2008, 3:45 PM

My best friend and I are using our $600 to pay for about half of a plane ticket to Edinburgh, Scotland. We've had our rebates for some time but don't have all the money for the tickets yet! We're going in September and have already paid for our lodging in a two bed/ 2 bath townhouse in Old Town Edinburgh.

Posted By Katrina on June 2, 2008, 4:30 PM

Well my boyfriend and I are going to San fran for gay pride June 27th, we used our Delta skymiles and he used his rewards from his work to book the Westin St. Francis Union Square.

I may not be eligible for the check, as the IRS hasn't let me know yet.

Posted By Michael on June 2, 2008, 4:36 PM

Michael raises a good point. If you want to check whether you qualify for a tax rebate and when you should expect your check, visit the IRS website:
http://www.irs.gov/app/espc/

For GLBT travelers, note that the Kimpton hotel chain is offering 15 percent off their lowest room rates for GLBT travelers in many the cities where they have hotels. Other hotels also have specials--inquire by phone or on the hotel websites. Orbitz also has a microsite for gay travel.

Thanks to everyone who has commented so far.

Posted By Blog Editor on June 2, 2008, 4:47 PM

My boyfreind and I are planning on taking a sportsfishing trip to Cabo San Lucas 4th of July week. I find it amusing that most people like us are also spending most of their stimulus check or tax refund overseas and not domestically.

Posted By Maritza on June 2, 2008, 8:20 PM

My husband and I are using our rebate check toward a trip to Central Europe (mostly non-Euro using areas) this September...

Posted By Eileen on June 2, 2008, 11:04 PM

We are using our check to a trip to Puerto Rico.

Posted By Julian on June 3, 2008, 12:05 AM

Oh Yes! I have it written down- book room in Outer Banks when check comes. The rest will be used for the GAS to get there from Connecticut. We'll see how far it goes. We have to get back home!!!

Posted By sofiaANNA on June 3, 2008, 2:48 AM

We just used our refund on a trip to Greece. We cruised around the eastern Greek islands on Easy Cruise. The cruise itself was pretty miserable, but the islands were great.

Unfortunately with the dollar doing so poorly our refund won't cover much of our expenses, but every little bit helps.

Posted By Cori on June 3, 2008, 4:13 PM

Just put a down payment for a 10 day trip to Beijing and Shanghai for my husband and I. We will be traveling to China next April! Can't wait to see what it's like!

Posted By Tonya on June 3, 2008, 8:37 PM

Of course! Just booked a flight to Dublin for late August. Then we are off to Prague, Vienna and Budapest.

Posted By Lori on June 4, 2008, 2:50 PM

My Husband and I are going to Italy for two weeks in September. Definitely using the tax rebate. However, it will only cover a fraction of the trip but Italy is my dream trip so it will be worth every penny.

Posted By Randi on June 4, 2008, 7:12 PM

I used my check to help my Dad, a World War II veteran, fulfill his dream of seeing Pearl Harbor. We went to Oahu in May. A trip that will stay in my memory forever.

Posted By Karen Putz / DeafMom on June 5, 2008, 10:13 AM

My reason for living (my wife likes it when I call her that) & I are headed for Italy next week. We'll be there for 3 wonderful weeks. The rebate will go right towards the Visa bill that will soon follow our return. Buon giorno!

Posted By Scott Carpenter on June 5, 2008, 12:36 PM

Hi,
I am using my tax rebate to buy two new tires so I can go to PA and see my Mom and maybe a trip to Lenox, MA area to see some summer shows. I will economize on other things rather than run scared and stop living/traveling during the beautiful summer months because gas has risen so much.Cutting back on fattening fast foods, alcohol and trendy clothes. I'm making wonderful memories , not gaing excess pounds or cluttering my closet with additional clothing.

Posted By Janice Lohmann on June 5, 2008, 1:09 PM

I have already used my half (600.00)..for a trip to an Indian casino not far from my home (gas 60 to fill up RT)and two nights stay in a 4 star hotel, plus a day at the spa with a massage. It was the most relaxing trip ever and I totally recommend it to all you girls out there...I also married a non traveler...

Posted By Roe on June 5, 2008, 3:37 PM

My husband and I are using it for spending cash,when we go to London this fall.

Posted By Susan on June 5, 2008, 5:54 PM

I used my tax rebate to spend Memorial Day week-end in Seattle. My youngest had moved out, leaving the apartment in disarray, and the heat and humidity here in Dallas had gotten into the low 90's. It was the perfect weekend beginning with Alaskan airlines. The seats are some of the most comfortable. The roundtrip Greyhound shuttle from Sea-Tac airport to downtown hotels is a steal at $18.00. When I got to the Renaissance Seattle hotel, they gave me an upgrade to a corner suite with great views! Everything in the downtown area is in the 'free bus zone'. I walked down 6 blocks to Pikes Market, took a harbor cruise, and also a shuttle tour of Seattle.
It was a wonderful 3 day week-end. Did I mention it was only $640.00 for the flight and hotel and it was bright and sunny the whole week-end!!

Posted By Catherine on June 8, 2008, 9:36 AM

We spent our "rebate" on a trip to the Milwaukee area. Similar to Cincinnati in its German/beer heritage, the Milwaukee waterfront is everything Cincinnati wishes it was. We stayed at the Sheraton Four Points in Brown Deer, and took a full day to explore the downtown/riverfront area of the lovely old city of Milwaukee. The former warehouses along the river front have been converted to modern loft condominiums. We took a boat ride down the river out to Lake Michigan, and enjoyed a tour of the modern waterfront buildings. Their art museum with its Calatrava-designed metal sculpture defines Milwaukee's waterfront the way the Opera House defines Sydney. The German food at Mader's restaurant was wonderful, and the locals were all friendly and courteous. I hope to return to see more of this great city.

Posted By Donna Kroner on June 8, 2008, 10:17 PM

I used mine for my trip to Greece. Because I use direct deposit for my tax returns, the rebate was deposited into my account while I was in Greece. It was great because I hadn't budgeted for the trip with that money in mind so it was a nice surprise when I checked my online banking while in Athens!

Posted By Lindsi on June 9, 2008, 4:56 PM

I think it's great you are all using your rebate checks on travel! I just booked a cottage for a week in Bar Harbor, Maine next to Acadia National Park. Can't wait to go, relax, and unwind!

Posted By Lisa on June 10, 2008, 12:29 PM

Got it and it's gone! We used our check to fly to Memphis to drop off our 10 month old with my parents and then my husband and I headed to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls via Buffalo. Most of the check went to airline tickets and rental cars. We had a great time on our own, as did the grandparents.

Posted By Misty on June 11, 2008, 11:38 AM

The check is in the bank; it's going toward putting our little RV on an Alaskan Marine Highway ferry, going as far out toward the Aleutians as we reasonably can and then slowly driving back to the 'lower 48' after visiting Denali. It should take pretty much all summer 2009.

Posted By Dorothy on June 12, 2008, 10:04 PM

I gave myself a great birthday trip to Aruba with the rebate

Posted By Mandy on June 12, 2008, 11:06 PM

hehe...I love all the money that's supposed to "stimulate" the American economy that's being spent abroad! I was tempted to do the same as I live in Germany, but instead I'm saving it for my month-long trip up the East Coast in August/September. Decided to go explore the home country a bit.

Posted By Kathleen Burnett on June 13, 2008, 7:33 AM

Yes...I spent it in St. Lucia! :)

Posted By marcie on June 13, 2008, 9:54 AM

I'm not sure how exciting this is, but we are using some of our stimulus check to take our three small boys (10-2) to the Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg. It's only about an hour from our house in Richmond and the kids get to sleep in a cabin in our room (which is hard to come by in the city). Plus with the recent heat wave, it's all indoors!

Posted By Chrissy on June 13, 2008, 8:31 PM

MOST CERTAINLY , I am trying to take my two children to Spain for two weeks .

Posted By t on June 15, 2008, 9:20 PM

When it arrives (still waiting??)I plan to put it in my savings acct. and use it for a 4-5 day trip to NYC to visit all the usual "must see" sites in the Big Apple.

Posted By cate on June 16, 2008, 6:02 PM

Why does the sales industry - along with airlines and hotels think that with our measley tax rebates that we can afford any sort of "luxury" such as trips or gadgets - like computers, cell phones, etc.? It sure would be different if my $1200 had an extra 0 on the end...making it $12,000...yes, then we could actually afford a "luxury" item or two... I am amazed at the commercialism for the rebate checks we got - like we all hit the lottery or something! My gosh! Get real for a change! It's not even like you all are offering a good deal either...

Posted By annette schumacher on June 16, 2008, 6:09 PM

I have not received my rebate check yet. However, I will save it and not use it for travel.

Posted By Tranquil606 on June 18, 2008, 4:15 PM

I used my $600 stimulus check to snag a 3 night stay at the Clarion Hotel in Orlando plus a 2 day pass to Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure and tickets to the Blue Man Group for 4 people. To make things better, Universal took a $50 discount off the package price as an incentive, so we only ended up paying $675 for accommodations and entertainment, This was for the entire Memorial Day weekend from Friday through Sunday. I think that was a good value for the money!

Posted By Donna Gordon on June 18, 2008, 9:51 PM

yes will be using rebate for vac... already bought plane ticket for tucson arizona

Posted By Shelby on June 19, 2008, 7:06 AM

I plan to use 1/2 for a new stainless steel refrigerator, and the other half to use for spending money for our trip to Memphis Tennessee.

Posted By L Williams on June 20, 2008, 9:57 AM

My husband and I will be using ours on our trip to Australia and Fiji in November. So for now it's in the bank waiting to be spent on some activity, sight seeing and/or dinners. It's just part of the cost of the trip but sure is going to be a nice addition to our travel fund! Can't wait to go!

Posted By Michelle on June 22, 2008, 3:57 AM