This winter has been -- and continues to be -- a brutal one in the United States. Naturally, this makes for a perfect time to start looking at potential vacations in 2014 to escape the cold weather and the tedious work schedule.

Thanks to Expedia, we have highlighted a few destinations to help give you an idea of different places to check out this year. From one continent to the next, there are opportunities all over the world and some are much cheaper than you might think. For example, a trip from New York to the bottom tip of Africa is currently only $200 more than a trip to London, which is a much shorter trip.

Here are three destinations to consider as we flip the calendar to 2014. Note that each of these has a different departure airport in order to cater to travelers in different corners of the United States.

Rio de Janeiro -- Going to Brazil costs less than going from New York to London. For only $875 in February, you can fly from Miami, Florida to Rio. To make things even better, the trip on Expedia only has you stopping one time on the flight that takes nearly 12 hours. Considering that this is a roundtrip ticket, you could take advantage and enjoy a week in a new culture for less than $1,000 of traveling costs.

Cape Town -- Known as "The Mother City," Cape Town, South Africa has served as a top vacation destination ever since Apartheid ended in the mid 1990s. On Expedia.com you can find roundtrip flights from New York's JFK airport to Cape Town for just over $1,000. Although this sounds pricey at the moment, it really is not considering that they were often at least $2,000 just a couple years ago. Furthermore, this is only about $200 less than the current price for plane tickets to London.

Hong Kong -- Here's another way to take an international roundtrip without spending $1,000. For only $925, you can go from Los Angeles to Hong Kong -- with only one quick stop in Vancouver. Considering the distance and the things you can do in Hong Kong, this deal just might be the best of the three.

Where do you plan on vacationing this year? Perhaps you're waiting a couple years in order to save up enough money for a huge trip. In the comments section below, tell us about your plans!