THE PLAN: Four full days in London without a hint of jet lag.

BEST FLIGHTS: Hop on the British Airways outbound flight on a Sunday early evening (around 7 p.m.), and enjoy a nine-hour nap. Arrive in London at noon on Monday. Return to Portland on the 3:30 p.m. nonstop Friday flight, arriving home at 5:20 p.m. 

PRO TIP: Don't attempt to sleep on London's time zone. Instead, go to sleep around 1 to 3 a.m. London time, and awake around 9 to 10 a.m. London time. And then do not sleep on the return flight home, and sleep in your own bed that night. You're welcome. 

best time of year to Visit: late spring and early fall

THE PLAN: A long weekend (three full days) in the Big Apple, missing only one day of work (Friday). That's plenty of time to see a couple shows, catch up with friends, and eat your way through Manhattan.

BEST FLIGHTS: Airlines including JetBlue and Alaska run similar schedules: a red-eye flight to NYC that departs around 11 p.m. or midnight on Thursday, putting you on the tarmac in New York around 7 a.m. Friday morning. Return Sunday on a direct flight that leaves New York in the early evening (usually around 7 p.m.), arriving home by midnight. 

PRO TIP: This is the rare itinerary where a red-eye is worth it—especially when hotel costs can be more than the flight. (The alternative is a full day wasted on travel, plus a pricey hotel.) Just get plenty of sleep Wednesday and Friday night, and you'll be fine.

best time of year TO VISIT: APRIL AND SEPTEMBER 

THE PLAN: A short trip without any traffic or early awakenings. 

BEST FLIGHTS: Many airlines, including Alaska and United, fly to San Francisco area airports (we like SJC) every hour or two. Snag an outbound flight around 10:30 am, which will land in San Francisco just after noon, so you'll miss rush hour on both ends. Return on an evening flight around 7:30 p.m., which gets you to your doorstep at 9:30 p.m. with plenty of time to reset for the work day. 

PRO TIP: Try our perfect plan of where to eat, stay, and play in San Francisco.

best time of year TO VISIT: fall 

THE PLAN: Avoid weekend crowds and save your money for the craps table.

BEST FLIGHTS: A half dozen airlines offer PDX-to-LAS service, making trips affordable and easy to book. Frontier has dirt cheap ($70–150 round-trip) morning flights on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings that leave PDX before 9 a.m., arriving in Las Vegas around 11 a.m. Come home midday on Thursday or Friday on Frontier's noonish-flight, getting back to PDX before 3 p.m. 

PRO TIP: Vegas is also uniquely positioned to access to natural wonders like Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona and Death Valley National Park in California. 

best time of year TO VISIT: spring and fall 

THE PLAN: Most Portland-to-Austin flights are wildly inefficient for travelers: outbounds depart around dinnertime, meaning you're lucky if you get into your hotel by midnight, and any delay means you arrive at 2 to 3 a.m. Return flights often leave at 7 a.m., and you know how that 4:30 a.m. wake-up feels after a night at The Austin Beer Garden Brewery.

BEST FLIGHTS: Wait until February, when airline schedules change, and Alaska Airlines' midafternoon AUS-to-PDX return flights appear. You want a late morning departure from PDX (Alaska leaves just before noon), arriving in Austin around dinnertime. Return on a 3 p.m. flight, getting you back to PDX around 5:30 p.m.  

PRO TIP: Weekend flights and hotels can be pricey in Austin.

best time of year TO VISIT: spring and fall