It’s that yucky time of year. Everyone in the US has either filed their taxes or they’ve requested an extension. Some of you may owe Uncle Sam thanks to new tax law changes that went into effect this year, and some of you are lucky enough to get a refund. So now that you just might have an unexpected chunk of change burning a hole in your pocket, what are you going to do with it?

In past years I’ve always paid off a few bills and put the bulk aside for a family vacation. One year I used the refund to purchase new camera equipment. Another year I spent it on the kids summer clothes. This year, why not use your refund to make some fun travel memories by spending a weekend at a family friendly destination? And keep reading for a travel giveaway opportunity thanks to Hampton Hotels to enhance your next trip.

Suggestions on which Hampton Inn property to spend a fun weekend:

Austin – Located just steps from the University of Texas and only a few blocks from the Texas State Capitol, this newly opened property features a rooftop swimming pool with breathtaking views. The property is also in close proximity to Austin’s famous 6th street, surrounding entertainment districts and downtown restaurants.

New York – UN Property – This newly opened hotel is located in the convenient base of Midtown Manhattan, just walking distance from iconic sites including Times Square, famous flagship stores such as FAO Schwartz, and the always-bustling Grand Central Station.

Orlando – This property is located in Kissimmee, Fla., conveniently situated just three miles from Walt Disney World® Resort, and less than ten miles from Universal Orlando, SeaWorld and the Orange County Convention Center.

San Diego – Located right in the heart of Embarcadero San Diego, this property is located in close proximity to the world famous San Diego Zoo, historical Gaslamp District and close to SeaWorld.

Chicago – Downtown – Located just steps from the famous Magnificent Mile, this property is located in the heart of downtown Chicago, IL. The property is conveniently located near must-see Chicago sites including the John Hancock building, Navy Pier, and numerous famous deep-dish pizza restaurants.

Of course, these are just a few of the many family friendly Hampton Hotels properties located around the US. Hampton Inn would like to give one reader of TravelingMamas.com a two night stay at the Hampton Hotels of their choice. It’s super easy to enter. Just visit HamptonInn.com and leave a comment here on this post with the name of the property you’d like to visit. You can enter once per day per email address. Winner must be 21 years of age and a US tax paying citizen (since this is all about using your tax refund). One winner will be randomly chosen via Random.org and will be contacted by email to respond within 48 hours with legal name and mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59 PM EST on Tuesday April 23, 2013. Certificate for stay must be used at a Hampton Hotels located in the USA.

So what are you waiting for? Getting to planning your tax refund family vacation!

Winner Update: Congrats to Jennifer comment #8 which was chosen by Random.org.

This giveaway has been provided by Hampton Hotels.

Recently, Alamo re-launched their website with their brand new Alamo Deal Retriever system to make finding the best Alamo car rental deal more efficient and affordable for you and your family. The Alamo Deal Retriever searches all valid Alamo deals and coupons on the web to find the best rates to meet customers’ needs and instantly offers customers the best deals that apply to their upcoming trips.

To celebrate the launch, and heighten your travel experience, Alamo would like to offer readers of TravelingMamas.com a chance to win a fantastic ‘Get to Know Alamo’ prize pack (some items pictured below).

Get To Know Alamo Prize Pack includes:

• $50 AMEX Card
• Kindle 6”
• Colby 7” Portable DVD Player
• Hasbro Travel Connect 4
• Hasbro Travel Battleship
• Alamo Lynx Sport Back
• Alamo 10oz Wake-Up Coffee Mug
• Alamo Carabineer Sanitizer with Moisture

It’s easy to enter. Just check out the newly designed Alamo website, and then leave a comment on this post telling us what you think of the new Alamo Deal Retriever and if you are planning a road trip this Spring or Summer. One entry per email address per day. Must be a US resident age 21 years or older to enter. All comments will be recovered from SPAM. Any inappropriate comments or links may be removed at our discretion. Winner will be randomly chosen via Random.org and will be notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a valid mailing address or prize will be forfeit and awarded to another entry. Contest entries close at 11:59pm EST on February 27,2013.

Promotional prize pack sponsored by Alamo. This is an informational post and not an endorsement of the product.

It’s that time of year, when school is back in session and many of us are dreaming of being on a beach somewhere. Don’t despair! Take a mental vacation to the seaside right from home with LUSH’s Beside the Seaside gift. It’s filled with dreamy bath products to make you feel like you’re right back at the beach and it’s delivered in a cute and colorful beach hut.

Take a trip in your tub with Sandstone soap, Blue Skies bubble bar, Big Blue bath bomb, and Happy Hippy shower gel. This gives you the sandy shores, blue skies, aqua water, and sunshine, all in a neat little package.

We’re giving away LUSH’s Beside the Seaside to one reader of TravelingMamas.com. Here’s how to enter:

Required: Leave a comment on this post telling us about your favorite seaside moment. You can enter once per day per email address.

Bonus Entries (once you’ve left the required comment, leave a different comment for each bonus entry below to be counted):

• Follow @TravelingMamas on Twitter and tweet this phrase: ”  I want to take a seaside escape with @TravelingMamas & @LUSHCosmetics http://bit.ly/n2IEu6  ”
• Like TravelingMamas on Facebook and hare this post with your friends.

Contest entries close at 11:59 PM CST on September 8, 2011. Must be at least 18 years of age to enter and a resident of the US. Comments will be recovered from SPAM.

I begin each morning with Community Coffee, a brand that’s been enjoyed by my family for more than four generations. It was there for me as a child, as I sipped coffee milk while watching Saturday morning cartoons. It got me through those college years, and has been with me through 18 years of working shift work in the fire service. Community Coffee was there for me, each time a hurricane hit our area, and we made our brew old-school with camping supplies. Community Coffee is also my travel companion, accompanying me from the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (it’s served in the cafe once you get through security), a fresh cup in my travel tumbler as I board the flight to my next adventure.

No matter how I travel, be it a family road trip, a train trip, or to a far off destination, I bring along my own coffee supplies. I do my best to find out which type of coffee maker is in my hotel room, and pack accordingly. Here’s what I have in my travel coffee supply pack:

• 4-Cup Filter Packs of Community Coffee
• Community Coffee Pods
• Premium Travel Tumbler (must be taken out of bag to go through security)
• Packets of raw sugar
• A few plastic stirrers
• Packets of powdered creamer

I pack according to the number of days I’ll be away, along with a little bit extra in case my flight is delayed or I need an extra cup. This is all placed in a quart zippered bag and placed in my carry on. If we are on a road trip and staying in a condo, I just pack a few coffee filters in a small, round plastic container, along with my coffee in a zippered bag and a Community Coffee plastic measured scoop.

Now, I used to be up a creek if I ended up in a hotel with a Kuerig coffee maker, however my friend and sometimes travel companion MommyMusings came up with a great way to refill a K-cup using your own coffee grounds. Problem solved!

I’ve teamed up with Community Coffee to offer one reader of TravelingMamas.com a chance to win a collection of Community Coffee travel friendly products.

The Prize:

• One (1) 18-count pack of Community Coffee Pods
• Three (3) Community Coffee Travel Packs (makes 4 cups).
• One (1) Community Coffee Premium Travel Tumbler

The winner will get to choose which roast, based on their preference. We’re traditional Louisiana coffee lovers and drink dark roast at our home, but if you are new to Community Coffee, you may want to start with Cafe Special or a medium roast.

How to Enter:

Just leave a comment telling us about an experience with an in-room coffee maker at a hotel, or leave a tip on how you travel with coffee. That’s it! You must be 18 years or older to enter and live in the US. One entry per email address per day. We will recover all valid comments from spam.

Bonus Entries: Once you leave your initial entry comment, you are eligible for bonus entries. Be sure to leave each bonus entrie as its own comment to be counted.

• Like Community Coffee on Facebook and share this contest on your Facebook page.
• Follow @CommunityCoffee and share this contest on Twitter.

That’s it! Contest entries will close at 11:59 PM CST on August 25, 2011.

Giveaway items provided by Community Coffee. I’ve been drinking this coffee since I was two years old and it is a staple in my home. TravelingMamas.com is not sponsored by Community Coffee, however we do enjoy stopping in their office for conversation and a cup of coffee. It is a family owned business based in Louisiana that we support. All opinions are my own.

Winner Update: Congrats to Marjorie from New York who won this giveaway.

There’s no doubt that The Flip Ultra HD is one of the most user friendly digital video cameras. It also set the bar for competing companies to produce products. Sadly, The Flip is no longer being produced and is becoming harder and harder to find in stores. In the TravelingMamas.com Research and Development Department, we’re always getting delivery of products for review and testing, including a variety of small and compact video cameras.

My first compact digital camera was The Flip, and for a beginner, it was so easy to use, even a preschooler could record a movie. It was sturdy, surviving a few drops on the ground, and still kept on working. Then The Flip Mino came on the market, and while it was a good product, I still liked the original Flip best.

This digital video camera is a classic for family travelers looking to capture their memories on video. It connects easily to any computer via the internal USB arm that swings out for connection. The software is already on the camera and the video can be edited and uploaded to YouTube or your favorite video sharing site easily.

Since we have an extra, brand new Flip Ultra HD, we thought we’d offer this for one reader to capture their next trip or family memory on video.

The Giveaway:

One (1) Black & Silver Video Camera, rechargeable battery pack, wrist strap, soft case, user guide, BONUS Flip Tripod.

Records 2 Hours of video

How to Enter:

Leave a comment telling us where your favorite trip was, and who you were with. If you’ve never been on a trip, then tell us where you’d like to go, if given the chance. That’s it!

Bonus Entries: (Once you enter with the comment above)

• Tweet this contest. Leave your twitter status as a comment for it to be counted as a valid bonus entry.
• Share this link on Facebook and leave as a comment on here. You must be a fan of TravelingMamas on FB for the entry to count.

Father’s Day is just around the corner and we Traveling Mamas love our Traveling Papas. For me, I credit my own father for my love of travel. He worked extra shifts at the fire department to make sure our family took a family vacation each year, be it to the Smoky Mountains or the Gulf Coast beaches.

When my dad retired, he took the entire family to Walt Disney World, so that we could all share this first visit with Mickey Mouse. A few years later, he organized a family road trip from Louisiana to Colorado, with stops at odd roadside attractions along the way. A travel wish he’s had for the longest time was to take a cruise and to visit Europe. Thanks to Carnival Cruise Lines, I was able to bring both my parent’s along for the Carnival Magic cruise with European stops.

One thing we never really got into while I was growing up was camping. That’s why, when my dad retired and bought an RV, we thought he was a bit crazy. But traveling the US from an RV was something my dad had always wanted to do, but never had the time to do it. One item everyone should have while traveling from campsite to campsite is a Rayovac Sportsman Extreme flashlight. In honor of my dad for this Father’s Day, we’re giving away Rayovac Sportsman Extreme flashlights to 10 commenters on this post.

Features:

• New and Ultra Bright 4W flashlight LED lasts for 50,000 hours
• Yields an amazing 180 lumens on high and 75 lumens on low
• Runtime: 22 hours on high and 60 hours on low
• Anodized Aluminum
• Rubber Comfort Grip
• Water Resistant
• Sleek Titanium Color
• Powered by 3 C Batteries

Uses 3 C Batteries (not included)

How to Enter:

Leave a comment by 11:59 PM CST June 19, 2011 stating your favorite outdoor or camping memory with your own dad or father figure in your life. 10 winners will be chosen randomly. Must be US residents age 21 or older. One entry per email per day.

Happy Father’s Day Dad!

This is part of the Rayovac Power Blogger program. Giveaway items provided by Rayovac. For coupons and specials, be sure to like Rayovac on Facebook or follow Rayovac on Twitter.

This evening I’m headed to Venice (Italy, not Louisiana) with my parents as we attend the launch ceremony and inaugural sailing of Carnival Cruise Lines’ newest ship, the Carnival Magic. This will be the first cruise my parents have ever taken, and I’m so excited that they’ll be ever to check a few things off of their Didja Ever list.

I can’t wait to check out all of the new things for Carnival Cruise Lines that will be revealed on the Carnival Magic. I’ll be sharing my experience along the way, with photos, videos, and posts. If you’d like to get a behind the scenes look as I travel and experience this amazing event, be sure to follow me on Twitter and Facebook. Also, on Twitter, the official hashtag is #CarnivalMagic where all the other journalists and travel writers will be sharing their experiences.

A special item that will be given out during the Carnival Magic launch cruise is a limited number of Carnival Magic Inaugural Commemorative Coins. These are highly collectible and thanks to Carnival Cruise Lines, we’re able to offer you the chance to win one of these coins, along with a fabulous collection of Carnival logo items to help celebrate this fantastic new ship.

Here’s what’s included in the prize:

• A Carnival Magic Inaugural Cruise Commemorative Coin
• Beach Tote
• Beach Towels
• A Fun Ship Freddy Doll
• A Towel Animal Doll
• A Towel Creations Book
• Care to Play photo holder
• and other surprises

When I leave for a Mama trip, I not only have to pack for myself, but there are so many things to do at home to leave my family taken care of. I’ve got to make sure my daughter had clean school uniforms, I have to stock up on groceries, and I also need to make things easy on my husband when it comes to dinner preparation.

While I’m all about healthy snacks on road trips and trying to lead a healthier lifestyle, let’s face it, sometimes we’re just looking for convenience. Fortunately, Schwan’s not only offers healthy meal choices, but delivers to my neighborhood and it makes my life so much easier to stock easy-to-prepare meals that even my teen daughter can cook. I’m able to leave town knowing that my family will have a hot, comforting meal each evening I’m away. I can even order online, pay via credit card, and have the meals delivered to my doorstep in a freezer bag that keeps the items cool for at least eight hours until someone at the house can put them in the freezer. If that’s not the ultimate in convenient shopping, I don’t know what is!

Schwan's Fresco by Scotto Baked Ziti

Our most recent Schwan’s dinner was:

• Salad
• Schwan’s Fresco by Scotto Baked Ziti - Rich combination of three cheeses: Ricotta, Mozzarella and Parmesan baked with ziti pasta and a flavorful tomato sauce. Ready to eat in 15 minutes or less.
• Schwan’s Five Cheese Garlic French Bread - Crisp and tender French loaves are sliced in half and generously topped with sweet roasted garlic and five big cheese flavors—Mozzarella, Provolone, white and yellow Cheddars and tangy Romano. Fabulous hot out of the oven served with your favorite Italian entrée or a bowl of soup. Also wonderful when grilled and served with burgers or steaks.
• Schwan’s Chocolate Ice Cream (dessert) - Rich and creamy, mellow and smooth, this slow-churned milk chocolate ice cream is the chocolate purist’s choice. Nothing gets in the way of this All-American favorite. It might just win some points with the vanilla ice cream lovers too!

Here’s what my daughter thought about this Schwan’s Baked Ziti:

If haven’t already heard, to celebrate The Oprah Winfrey Show Farewell Season, United Airlines is giving away one million miles each month through May 2011.

United also teamed up with The Oprah Winfrey Show to unveil The Oprah Winfrey Show Farewell Season Plane, which made its inaugural flight last week from O’Hare to LA. The plane will be flying around the country on United’s domestic network through May 2011 and we’d like to encourage people who spot the plane to upload photos to the entry site.

“As Chicago’s hometown airline, United is proud to celebrate The Oprah Winfrey Show’s Farewell Season with our customers, employees and ‘Oprah’ show fans,” said Mark Bergsrud, senior vice president of marketing for United. “This unique plane represents the global reach of two great Chicago icons.”

At the send-off event at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, customers were surprised with a special message from Oprah Winfrey before boarding the flight. During the flight, one lucky ticketed customer won the trip of his or her dreams by receiving enough United Mileage Plus^® miles for a trip around the world. Each customer on the inaugural flight received a specially monogrammed “Oprah 25” fleece blanket.

“We are delighted to team up with United to bring some of the excitement of The Oprah Winfrey Show’s Farewell Season to their customers,” said Sheri Salata, president of Harpo Studios and executive producer of The Oprah Winfrey Show. “It is thrilling to see our farewell season commemorated with a plane that will visit cities all over the country.”

In conjunction with the unveiling of The Oprah Winfrey Show Farewell Season Plane, United is launching the United Million Mile Giveaway – a sweepstakes that will give one million United Mileage Plus miles to one lucky winner each month through May 2011. Additional prizes include Oprah Store e-cards, and details for the sweepstakes can be found at unitedmillionmiles.com. Go check out the site and enter to win a million miles on United. I’ve entered and I’m dreaming of the places we could go and the great things we could accomplish with all those airline miles

We surveyed our readers, Facebook friends, and Twitter followers to get an idea of what destinations and travel brands are your favorites. Of the valid survey answers, we found out that the average annual family vacation budget of readers of TravelingMamas.com is around $3300US. 60% of our readers have children under the age of 17 in their household with 75% of readers having taken or planned a family trip for 2010. Business trips come in second with 65% of readers traveling for business in 2010 and 55% taking a romantic escape.

We’ve put together a list of the top nominated brands and destinations and now we’re asking you to help us determine the favorites. Survey closes at 11:59PM EST on November 14, 2010. Don’t worry if your favorite isn’t on the list, you have the option of voting for them by typing in the name of your favorite.