As the economy forces consumers to be smarter with their money, leisure activities often take the first blow. Travelling to your bucket-list destinations need not be a complete write-off, however, as planning ahead can get you far – literally.
If you’ve longed to visit the USA, online finance brand WalletHub has released its ranking of the most cost-friendly destinations in the States to visit in the summer.
According to its website, “compared with other rankings that focus on each destination’s scenic quality, this report focuses primarily on the cost and convenience of travelling to each location, as well as its affordability. However, it does take 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 principal municipalities of the Washington metropolitan area, namely Washington, Arlington and Alexandria, made it to the top of the list, with the highest score of 67,34. The greater Orlando metropolitan area, which consists of Orlando, Kissimmee and Sanford, ranked second on the list, with a score of 67,25, followed by the Texan metropolitan area of Austin-Round Rock in third place (66,37).
The study looked at factors such as the local cost of living, the lowest nightly rate for a three-star hotel room and the average price of a two-person meal. In terms of the destinations’ activities on offer, Wallethub looked at factors such as restaurants and food festivals per capita, retail shopping centres per capita and even public beaches per capita, to name a few.
Top 10 Summer Destinations in the US
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Metro Area
- Austin-Round Rock, TX Metro Area
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metro Area
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metro Area
- Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN Metro Area
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area
- Oklahoma City, OK Metro Area
- Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV Metro Area
- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX Metro Area
