It’s worth bearing in mind that long-haul flights are set to offer the best bang for your buck this year, so let your imagination run wild and think far and wide. Meanwhile, the eurofree zone continues to surge in popularity as the pound wobbles, and travellers appear enticed by adventurous holidays of discovery rather than beach-bound lounging.

With these trends firmly on our radar, we’ve come up with the top five must visit destinations for 2010. Just see below for inspiration.

Lebanon
Lebanon hasn’t had an easy time of it over the last couple of decades, but somehow, despite the odds, it remains one of the Middle East’s most exciting destinations. Since Israel’s 2006 attack on Beirut and its suburbs, the country has bounced back, rebuilding infrastructure, creating new roads and opening spectacular hotels. Head to the capital (only four hours away from the UK) for a taster of the indomitable Lebanese spirit and to party hard with Beirut’s beautiful people. Elsewhere, there are ski slopes, historical sites, ancient mosques and gorgeous landscapes.

Cuba
Since Fidel Castro stepped down as leader in 2008 the country has seen its political stance against capitalism relaxed. Couple this with Obama’s more amiable approach to the Caribbean hot spot, and you have a Cuba that is ever more enticing to tourists. If Cuba’s vintage cars, humble tourism infrastructure and laid back, friendly reputation appeals, this year might be your last chance to enjoy it – expect the Hummers, luxury resorts and American tourists to roll in soon.

South Africa
With the FIFA World Cup taking place in South Africa this year, the country is braced for a mass influx of tourists. Sure, flight prices will be up, and hotels hard to book, but the atmosphere will be unbeatable! If football really doesn’t interest you, avoid the month of June and travel either in early spring, or late autumn. This way, you’ll get the best of the improved hotels, restaurants, events and lively atmosphere without the hullabaloo.

Egypt
Egypt enjoyed something of a boom in 2009 as cash strapped holiday makers looked for destinations beyond the eurozone. Expect this to continue for Egypt (as well as Morocco, Tunisia and much of Eastern Europe) well into 2010. Take advantage of stellar package holiday deals, bargain flight prices and perennial sunshine.

Dubai
The reports of Dubai’s fall from financial grace may be raging on, but the Arab Emirate continues its flashy assault with the world’s tallest building, the world’s biggest theme park and an ex-pat paradise of plush bars and fancy hotels. Its spirit may not have broken, but flight prices are certainly crashing. It’s also a good time to score good deals at hotels and good value package deals. If Dubai doesn’t appeal, try its neighbour Abu Dhabi – a country that is currently hawking its wares (stunning desert landscapes, impressive heritage and welcoming people) and is definitely not short on cash. essentialtravel

The Bratislava-based airline – the first low-cost carrier in central Europe when it started eight years ago in the run-up to expansion of the European Union in 2004 – canceled all flights from its hubs in Bratislava, Vienna and Prague, leaving passengers stranded across Europe. It was unclear how many passengers were affected. SkyEurope couldn’t be reached for comment.

A slew of low-fare airlines including easyJet PLC, Ryanair Holdings PLC and Wizz Air PLC Tuesday offered stranded SkyEurope passengers discounted flight tickets.

The discounted tickets followed Czech state-owned airline CSA Czech Airlines and privately held, Prague-based low-cost airline Smart Wings, which both late Monday offered SkyEurope’s passengers alternative flights at discounted prices.

The bankruptcy adds to the urgency of the consolidation of Europe’s airlines, analysts said. Last month two Spanish budget carriers finished their tie up, while Deutsche Lufthansa AG is finalizing its acquisition of Austrian Airlines.

The Czech government is also trying to sell its 91.5% stake in Czech Airlines.

SkyEurope was a niche airline with routes that most larger European peers found unattractive, according to Andras Zboray, an aviation consultant in central Europe and former operations director at SkyEurope. The airline’s failure, which is the first major collapse in Europe this year, will be felt most in Prague, where SkyEurope, with four aircraft, generated more than one-third of the airport’s budget airline net revenue and about 20% of overall flight activity revenue.

SkyEurope, which was founded in 2001 and first took to the skies in February, 2002, had never turned a profit and the bankruptcy was long coming, according to industry analysts. In the second fiscal quarter of this year, SkyEurope posted a net loss of EUR18.4 million, following a 2008 net loss of EUR17.2 million. The airline flew to 33 cities in 16 European countries in a fleet that peaked at 14 jets.

The company was able to raise EUR120 million of equity capital after going public in 2005, and in late July SkyEurope said Austrian group Focus Equity was willing to invest up to EUR16.5 million on the condition of a successful restructuring, which followed a Slovak court granting the airline protection from creditors in June. However, the cash never appeared because the airline was unable to stay afloat long enough to restructure its business and pay back overdue debts.

The Vienna Stock Exchange stopped all trade of the SkyEurope Holding’s shares Tuesday, which closed Monday worth EUR0.25 each, well below the peak of over EUR6 per share in 2007.

SkyEurope had been denied all services at the Vienna airport earlier this month for failure to pay its bills, and then Prague and Bratislava airports followed suit Monday. Earlier this summer, airports across Europe held onto SkyEurope’s planes as collateral to force the airline to pay its bills.

Would you cross a (state) line to get a bargain?

Psst! You. Yes, you. Can I interest you in a Hello Kitty lunchbox, a 20-pack of freshly sharpened pencils, a blue hooded sweatshirt, or a new laptop computer? Would you head to the mall or drive to the next state if I knocked off the sales tax, and maybe threw in a free soda and some live entertainment?

Think about it. Because while you’re probably sick of all that cutesy talk about staycations, daycations, and no-can-do-cations (I sure am), if you’re in the market for some book bags, office supplies, clothing, boots, or sporting goods now may be a very good time to give in and plan an end-of-summer shop-cation.

Cross a border, save some money
Despite being cash-strapped and in some cases, practically broke, at least 16 states around the country have once again declared a summer sales tax holiday. That means for a few days, (usually over a weekend), state sales tax is waived on a wide variety of merchandise. Depending on a state’s sales tax rate, shoppers might see a savings of $4 to $10 on every $100 they spend. And at a time when so many people are trying to stretch each and every dollar, that savings can add up to something meaningful. Or at least, retailers hope, get some people to at least buy something.

Originally created as a way to help parents save some cash on back-to-school shopping expenses, you certainly don’t need to be a parent or a student to take advantage of these tax-free sales. And while the official list of eligible items is usually described as “school supplies and books, clothing, footwear, and computers,” each state’s list of tax-free items is surprisingly inclusive. Everything from underwear to outerwear and paper clips to computers is usually included.

Still, before you plan a shopping spree, take a moment to study the tax holiday price limits and the items that are on and off the lists. Each state has its own price cap for various categories and there are wrinkles and product exemptions that may both surprise, stump you, or trip you up.

For instance, in Vermont, beer, wine and liquor are exempt from sales tax during the sales tax holiday. In Texas, qualifying “school supplies” can include compasses (think hiking trips) and any sort of paper, including legal pads. Eligible clothing includes hosiery, hooded sweatshirts, jogging apparel, pajamas and ties. But while belts with buckles are tax-free, belt buckles —without the belt — are not. It’s like that with hats: baseball, fishing, golf and knitted caps are tax-free during the Texas sales tax holiday, but hard hats and helmets for biking or playing baseball, football, hockey, or for riding a motorcycle, are not.

Where and when to go
Once you’ve decided to take a sales tax holiday, you’ll need to figure out where and when to go. Financial issues caused the District of Columbia and the state of Florida to cancel their scheduled sales tax holiday this year. Massachusetts not only canceled its summer sales tax holiday, but on August 1, the state increased its sales tax rate from 5 percent to 6.25 percent. Georgia and Mississippi held sales tax holidays this past last weekend. And this coming weekend (Friday though Sunday, August 7-9, in most places) they’ll be celebrating the sales-tax-holiday in Alabama, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Connecticut will have a sales tax holiday on August 16-22, and in Texas, the tax-free shopping days will take place August 21-23. On August 22 only, there will be no sales tax levied for personal purchases up to $2,000 throughout the state of Vermont.

Most other states either don’t have a summer sales tax holiday or, like Oregon, Montana, Delaware, New Hampshire, and Alaska, don’t need to because they don’t charge any state sales tax year-round. (For an at-a-glance rundown of all state sales tax holidays, there’s a handy chart put together by the Federation of Tax Administrators listing each state’s sales tax holiday along with the items included and the maximum costs for each category.)

Some things to keep in mind
A sales tax is often a blend of city, county, and state taxes and some states may declare a state sales tax holiday but allow cities and counties to opt out.  Missouri is one of those states, and the Missouri Department of Revenue has published a long list of places, such as Branson, where shoppers will be charged local, but not state, taxes during the sales tax holiday weekend.  So before you start shopping, check to see if local taxes are being charged.

It’s also important to know when a bargain is a bargain. If you’re only going to buy a few small things and the discount will be just the 5 percent sales tax, then it may not be worth getting in your car and traveling an hour or more into another state, says J. Craig Shearman, of the National Retail Federation. “But these days with the economy in the condition that it’s in, any savings may be appealing. For some families that 5 percent can be the make or break point for whether or not they buy clothing or school supplies at all. For others it can make the difference between buying a generic backpack or the one with the cartoon character on it. Anytime you’re paying less, well, less is good.”

Family financial expert Ellie Kay agrees. She says you can make sure you’re paying less and getting the best deals by researching prices online, studying where the sales are, and looking for any coupons or additional discount opportunities that may be available before you travel across town or across state lines in search of a tax-free purchase. Some individual stores and shopping centers plan special sales, prize giveaways, and entertainment specifically for tax-free holiday shoppers, so there may be even more ways to save.

And if your family hasn’t taken an official summer vacation yet, Kay says you might consider turning your shopping spree into a family trip. “If you’ve wanted to go somewhere anyway, go online and check for special offers from hotels and restaurants near the places you plan to shop.” But be sure to set a budget for travel and meals ahead of time. “If you overspend on that trip, then you’ve negated the savings aspect of the sales tax holiday.”