Study ranks 2022’s best summer travel destinations

(WWTI) — Although the pandemic put a hold on many people’s summer travel plans over the last two years, restrictions have been lifted and travel has become more possible for those looking to explore somewhere new.

According to Destination Analysts, nearly 80% of American travelers plan to take a trip in 2022. To help people decide which travel destinations will give them the most bang for their buck the personal-finance website Wallethub developed a ranking of the cheapest destinations in the United States that are also the easiest to reach.

Wallethub analyzed 100 of the largest metro areas across 43 key indicators. The data ranged from the cost of the cheapest flight to the number of attractions to COVID-19 cases.

According to the website, the study focused on the cost and convenience of traveling to each location as well as its affordability. However, it also took into account the number of attractions and variety of activities in each destination to ensure visitors will stay busy and entertained throughout the trip.

The study found that the average flight to a popular summer destination costs $356, lasts 3 hours and 34 minutes, and has 0.3 connections. Additionally, the Los Angeles metro area was found to be the most attractive destination on the West Coast, and the Washington, D.C. metro area was ranked as the most attractive destination on the East Coast.

Florida and Texas were home to the top summer destinations in the U.S., each with at least two metro areas in the top 15. Oppositely, New York and California had the largest numbers of the most unpopular summer destinations, each with two metro areas.

The top five ranked travel destinations in order were Orlando, Florida, Washington, DC, Tampa, Florida, Austin, Texas, and Salt Lake City, Utah. The complete list of ranked travel destinations and each area’s score for each category is listed below.

Rank	Destination (Metro Area)	Total Score	Travel Costs & Hassles	Local Costs	Attractions	Weather	Activities	Safety
1	Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Metro Area	69.97	35	25	6	62	1	8
2	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area	67.10	9	76	13	19	12	15
3	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metro Area	66.84	18	50	25	40	10	2
4	Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX Metro Area	64.37	32	27	11	21	23	38
5	Salt Lake City, UT Metro Area	63.85	5	72	32	11	31	32
6	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metro Area	63.51	28	94	2	49	9	18
7	Urban Honolulu, HI Metro Area	63.16	11	98	19	1	2	33
8	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metro Area	62.97	3	59	31	75	20	14
9	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN Metro Area	62.95	2	28	34	48	13	72
10	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX Metro Area	62.06	29	6	20	38	38	55
11	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL Metro Area	61.94	55	77	14	67	3	10
12	Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area	61.84	66	16	61	3	14	37
13	Raleigh-Cary, NC Metro Area	61.43	49	18	41	22	59	23
14	Jacksonville, FL Metro Area	61.14	60	19	29	61	25	16
15	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area	61.10	12	69	18	42	19	51
16	Oklahoma City, OK Metro Area	60.91	27	4	44	17	80	48
17	Tulsa, OK Metro Area	59.67	51	2	60	18	78	44
18	Knoxville, TN Metro Area	59.65	36	7	75	36	50	54
19	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Metro Area	59.58	30	96	7	80	5	6
20	St. Louis, MO-IL Metro Area	59.56	63	21	28	12	24	66
21	El Paso, TX Metro Area	59.42	76	13	73	10	76	12
22	Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR Metro Area	59.32	31	12	65	9	83	74
23	Columbia, SC Metro Area	59.11	42	9	68	28	63	64
24	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area	58.87	50	85	4	66	7	77
25	New Orleans-Metairie, LA Metro Area	58.62	62	60	15	39	18	49
26	Springfield, MO Metro Area	58.52	8	38	64	27	69	82
27	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA Metro Area	58.45	15	32	17	15	11	98
28	Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL Metro Area	58.43	33	29	99	45	79	7
29	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Metro Area	58.38	16	92	63	7	73	13
30	Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL Metro Area	58.22	34	74	70	N/A	15	9
31	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area	58.15	67	22	21	41	32	47
32	Pittsburgh, PA Metro Area	58.05	26	66	37	71	27	25
33	Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI Metro Area	57.89	13	57	54	76	52	31
34	Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN Metro Area	57.86	80	36	40	16	36	28
35	Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area	57.51	7	46	45	79	39	41
36	Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA Metro Area	57.29	68	43	69	44	37	20
37	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metro Area	57.23	21	58	16	70	21	76
38	Lafayette, LA Metro Area	57.04	19	37	83	47	87	43
39	Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metro Area	57.00	81	42	22	6	42	53
40	Wichita, KS Metro Area	56.91	47	5	78	33	89	60
41	Richmond, VA Metro Area	56.80	25	47	47	32	30	89
42	Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC Metro Area	56.68	54	3	66	29	99	78
43	Fresno, CA Metro Area	56.47	52	82	72	2	85	21
44	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metro Area	56.24	93	83	1	55	4	59
45	Dayton-Kettering, OH Metro Area	55.69	6	14	88	65	67	90
46	Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC Metro Area	55.67	53	80	59	26	34	36
47	Columbus, OH Metro Area	55.46	74	31	56	20	57	39
48	San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA Metro Area	55.44	10	95	5	95	8	27
49	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA Metro Area	55.24	72	89	30	31	45	11
50	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metro Area	54.87	85	41	26	23	47	40
51	Greenville-Anderson, SC Metro Area	54.87	24	24	55	N/A	17	85
52	Kansas City, MO-KS Metro Area	54.84	61	8	35	37	68	80
53	Albuquerque, NM Metro Area	54.71	38	17	36	5	41	99
54	Tucson, AZ Metro Area	54.24	22	61	23	57	33	94
55	Madison, WI Metro Area	54.09	14	53	49	87	40	70
56	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metro Area	54.02	70	48	27	43	49	61
57	Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area	54.00	83	35	38	52	54	26
58	Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX Metro Area	53.98	92	11	9	50	28	73
59	Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL Metro Area	53.84	69	34	100	59	91	4
60	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metro Area	53.40	58	33	52	56	62	69
61	Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY Metro Area	53.36	20	55	57	82	46	58
62	Corpus Christi, TX Metro Area	53.27	59	23	81	34	70	79
63	Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR Metro Area	53.24	41	20	90	25	92	92
64	Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV Metro Area	53.23	86	79	3	77	6	86
65	Akron, OH Metro Area	53.22	39	49	79	74	96	42
66	Toledo, OH Metro Area	52.86	43	30	76	63	90	67
67	Chattanooga, TN-GA Metro Area	52.80	82	40	51	14	51	83
68	Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT Metro Area	52.64	40	62	92	68	74	50
69	Greensboro-High Point, NC Metro Area	52.23	65	45	77	35	88	65
70	Boise City, ID Metro Area	51.15	78	75	48	30	64	57
71	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metro Area	50.68	37	93	43	88	56	19
72	Colorado Springs, CO Metro Area	50.64	46	71	33	78	66	71
73	Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA Metro Area	50.63	75	56	80	N/A	77	22
74	Portland-South Portland, ME Metro Area	50.61	23	84	42	93	22	34
75	North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL Metro Area	50.38	79	73	91	N/A	71	5
76	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metro Area	50.27	73	87	10	90	16	46
77	Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metro Area	50.23	71	44	46	13	82	95
78	Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area	50.14	91	54	39	51	44	52
79	Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL Metro Area	49.83	95	67	98	64	43	1
80	Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metro Area	49.69	87	63	87	60	61	29
81	Rochester, NY Metro Area	49.53	64	68	50	85	35	68
82	Baton Rouge, LA Metro Area	49.04	98	15	62	46	53	56
83	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA Metro Area	48.65	1	100	89	91	60	17
84	Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA Metro Area	48.33	17	70	53	89	81	87
85	Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA Metro Area	48.19	57	86	95	81	93	24
86	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area	48.19	77	91	12	73	29	75
87	Syracuse, NY Metro Area	47.93	48	65	67	84	55	91
88	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metro Area	47.89	4	97	8	94	26	81
89	Bakersfield, CA Metro Area	47.08	90	90	82	4	98	30
90	Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Metro Area	46.93	97	39	86	53	95	35
91	Lexington-Fayette, KY Metro Area	45.40	89	51	58	54	84	88
92	McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX Metro Area	44.85	100	1	94	58	97	84
93	Jackson, MS Metro Area	44.82	84	10	97	8	100	96
94	Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area	44.09	88	78	71	24	72	93
95	Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY Metro Area	43.61	96	64	74	86	75	45
96	Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT Metro Area	42.38	94	88	84	69	58	62
97	Lansing-East Lansing, MI Metro Area	42.12	99	26	93	82	94	63
98	Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Metro Area	41.59	56	81	85	72	65	97
99	Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA Metro Area	41.37	45	99	96	95	86	3
100	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Metro Area	41.29	44	52	24	92	48	100