Spend that refund on a long-haul trip to Tokyo, where thousands of cherry trees or sakura burst into bloom each spring and mark the end of winter (April 1 is the start of the academic and financial years in Japan). The Japanese cherish this tradition, so symbolic of the fleeting nature of life since each flower lasts for little more than a week. While you're there, make sure to take part in hanami, a ritual which literally translates as ‘looking at flowers': To make like a local, pick up a seasonal bento box from a supermarket and head to a park for an al fresco lunch under the branches. You can track this year’s projected peak blooms by area and, per that forecast, the best places for bloom-spotting this April are north of Tokyo in the Tohoku region. Try the hipster-heavy city of Onagawa, which has rebounded strongly since it suffered extensive damage in the 2011 earthquake. Later in the month, head to the top of Honshu island to Hirosaki Castle, renowned as one of the best places in the country for hanami: the centuries-old keep sits in a small park that’s crammed with more than 2,500 cherry trees.

Picture a rowdy, raucous mashup of St Patrick’s Day and Mardi Gras, and you’re still not close to the annual King’s Day or Koningsdag celebrations that sweep the Netherlands on the last Saturday in April each year. It’s the official, rather than actual, birthday of the monarch—currently, King Willem-Alexander (until he took over from his mother, Queen Beatrix, in 2013, it was long known as Queen’s Day). Celebrations start the evening before—King’s Night—with street parties across the city, and continue the next day with more partying and huge flea markets selling trinkets and food. Just make sure to pack some oranje clothes if you want to fit in: the Dutch festoon themselves in their national color for the day. Even better, April marks the peak of Dutch tulip season, so you expect riots of color both across the revelers and in the parks around them.

Buenos Aires is a popular winter sunspot for northern hemisphere types, but the muggy Porteño summer can make exploring the city unappealing. Come instead as fall begins in April, with the foliage gently turning and daytime temperatures consistently in the 60s and 70s (bring a light sweater for the cooler evenings). The city’s annual answer to Tribeca, BAFICI, turns it into a hub of Spanish language indie cinema for ten days, while the Nuestros Caballeros riding showcase offers the chance to experience Argentina’s horse-made culture first-hand. Hole up in the Faena Hotel + Universe, a sprawling hotel-cum-culture complex that singlehandedly helped revive the historic Puerto Madero neighborhood. And don’t miss a cocktail in the award-winning basement speakeasy, Floreria Atlantico, hidden beneath a chic flower shop.

This tiny island nation’s hub, Valletta, snared designation as a European Capital of Culture this year. That honor has helped spotlight a country whose strategic location saw it passed between successive empires, each leaving indelible legacies: north African-influenced architecture, Sicilian-style food and British politeness—not to mention several branches of U.K. department store-slash-national treasure, Marks & Spencer. This month, the country’s calendar includes the three day-long Fireworks Festival and a chance to gorge for the day on locally produced strawberries, known across the Mediterranean for their sweetness, in the village of Mġarr. Mark the Easter weekend here with a trip to the sister island, Gozo, where the Christian holy day is splashily marked—even non-believers can try a slice of figolla, the moreish Maltese Easter cake filled with almonds.

April is shoulder season in Zambia, with the downpours of the artfully rechristened Emerald (or wet) Season dwindling but the heat, and prices, of high season not yet in full force—making it an affordable time to travel there. It’s the first month when weather makes the country widely accessible, so while the parks are usually quieter, the landscape is lush and green in the Lower Zambezi: many birds burst into full breeding plumage (look for heron and stork nests in the trees) and the impala begin calving. More than anything, though, it’s the finest time to witness Victoria Falls: The waters will be at their maximum, plunging noisily more than 300 feet, and the river is high, making water safaris more viable. Try a dual location safari from Robin Pope, to explore the Luangwa Valley and Lower Zambezi.

There’s still ample powder for outdoor adventuring this late in the season, especially if you want an extreme adventure with former Olympian Tommy Moe, who co-owns Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, a short flight out of Anchorage. (One recent storm in Alaska dumped 10 inches of snow in an hour.) Come here for an all-inclusive getaway packed with extreme sports like heli-skiiing, snow hiking and fat biking. Combine it with a trip to nearby Denali National Park, the six million-acre wilderness that’s home to North America’s tallest peak, the namesake, 20,000-foot mountain.