Travel is expensive these days, even a simple two- or three-hour road-trip is something that needs to fit in the gas budget. But you work hard, and you deserve to get away. So where to go?
WalletHub has a list of the best “budget-friendly” U.S. destinations.
They analyzed 100 of the largest metro areas across 41 “key indicators”, including stuff like: The price of flights, “local costs,” the number of attractions, pools, weather, safety, and the number of “beer gardens per capita.” (???)
In the end, Atlanta is #1. Orlando is second, followed by Austin, Texas. The rest of the Top 10 is: Washington, D.C, Honolulu, Tampa, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, Cincinnati, and Richmond, Virginia.
Also: Two Oklahoma cities made the Top 15: Oklahoma City at #13, and Tulsa at #15. Eat your heart out, New York City! New York is next at 16th.
The WORST area to visit is Ventura County, California, just north of L.A. That includes Thousand Oaks, where Britney Spears has her 20-acre estate. (That’s fair. I wouldn’t assume celebrities’ neighborhoods to be “budget-friendly” for family trips.)
Hidalgo County, in Southern Texas is second-worst, followed by Lansing, Michigan, Norwalk, Connecticut, San Jose, California. (Fortunately, those cities probably aren’t high on most people’s bucket lists.)
(WalletHub.com has the full ranking. You can also sort by category.
