Posted by: Adam McCann

Summer is the perfect time to hit the open road: School’s out, the weather’s warm, and the possibilities are endless. The only dilemmas? Deciding on a destination and somehow affording everything you want to pack into your itinerary.

Gas prices might be one thing to worry about. They’ve been growing this year, with the national average rising 67 cents between January 1 and May 4. On top of that, you’ll need to consider accommodations, activities and dining. All of these certainly contribute to the more than $761 billion we spend on leisure travel each year.

None of the expense and hassle, however, seems to discourage Americans from traveling. In fact, 53 percent of families traveling this summer still plan to take road trips, according to AAA.

With road warriors in mind, WalletHub compared the 50 U.S. states based on 33 key metrics to find the most fun, scenic and wallet-friendly road-trip destinations — plus those that’ll have travelers pulling a quick U-turn. Our data set ranges from the number of attractions to road conditions to costs. Read on for the full ranking, our methodology and expert road-trip advice.

1. Main Findings
2. Ask the Experts
3. Methodology

Main Findings Embed on your website<iframe src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/embed/4648/geochart-roadtrips.html" width="556" height="347" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="width:556px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://bit.ly/31D76j2>

 

Best Road-Trip Destinations for Summer

Overall Rank (1 = Best)	State	Total Score	‘Costs’ Rank	‘Safety’ Rank	‘Activities’ Rank
1	North Carolina	57.57	9	30	8
2	Wyoming	57.26	1	19	20
3	Minnesota	56.95	25	3	19
4	Virginia	56.52	16	12	16
5	Texas	56.52	4	42	7
6	New York	55.44	48	4	2
7	Louisiana	55.29	2	40	11
8	Oregon	55.14	39	10	6
9	Utah	55.02	22	18	12
10	Wisconsin	54.70	8	8	31
11	Washington	53.45	45	20	4
12	Maine	52.96	32	2	26
13	Michigan	52.93	18	15	28
14	Ohio	52.65	29	22	13
15	Pennsylvania	52.47	43	11	9
16	Massachusetts	50.64	41	7	24
17	Illinois	50.37	38	13	22
18	Nebraska	50.08	15	14	38
19	Florida	50.05	31	50	3
20	Iowa	50.02	23	5	40
21	South Dakota	49.67	11	25	34
22	Georgia	49.57	20	33	27
23	Idaho	49.48	44	9	23
24	South Carolina	49.31	5	49	25
25	Colorado	49.20	35	35	10
26	Oklahoma	49.03	6	34	36
27	New Hampshire	48.74	30	6	37
28	Maryland	48.36	40	31	14
29	Vermont	48.26	28	1	50
30	Nevada	48.18	34	32	18
31	New Jersey	47.68	36	21	30
32	Tennessee	47.65	12	43	32
33	California	47.39	50	37	1
34	Missouri	47.37	13	45	29
35	New Mexico	47.28	14	48	21
36	West Virginia	46.97	7	29	47
37	Arizona	46.96	24	47	15
38	Alaska	46.60	46	46	5
39	Kentucky	46.45	26	26	35
40	North Dakota	46.03	17	17	44
41	Montana	45.20	21	38	33
42	Alabama	44.31	3	44	39
43	Mississippi	43.65	10	41	43
44	Kansas	43.54	27	27	45
45	Indiana	43.12	33	24	42
46	Arkansas	43.07	19	39	41
47	Hawaii	42.63	49	28	17
48	Connecticut	39.41	47	16	46
49	Delaware	39.05	37	36	48
50	Rhode Island	39.02	42	23	49

Ask the Experts

You can enjoy a summer road trip without breaking the bank or compromising your safety. For advice, we asked a panel of experts to share their travel wisdom. Click on the experts’ profiles below to read their bios and responses to the following key questions:

1. Do you have any budget saving tips for those looking to hit the open road?
2. Do you think more people will take road trips this summer than in previous years?
3. In evaluating the best states for summer road trips, which are the top five factors?
4. How can local officials enhance safety and promote tourism during the busy summer road trip season?

< >

• Tyra Warner Hilliard Ph.D., JD – Assistant Professor, Hospitality & Tourism Management, School of Business & Public Management, College of Coastal Georgia
• Babu George Ph.D., DBA, IEM (Harvard), Associate Professor, Coordinator of International Programs, Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship, Fort Hays State University

Methodology

To find the best road-trip destinations for summer, WalletHub compared the 50 states across three key dimensions: 1) Costs, 2) Safety and 3) Activities.

We evaluated those dimensions using 33 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for summer road trips. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), we used the square root of the population to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across states.

We then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Costs – Total Points: 33.33

• Average Gas Prices: Double Weight (~8.89 Points)
• Maximum Toll Costs: Full Weight (~4.44 Points)
• Average Cost of Car Repairs: Half Weight (~2.22 Points)
• Lowest Price of Three-Star Hotel Room: Full Weight (~4.44 Points)
• Lowest Price of Camping: Full Weight (~4.44 Points)
• Lodging Units per Capita: Full Weight (~4.44 Points)Note: “Lodging units” include campgrounds, hostels, condominiums, villas and lodges.
• Cost of Living Index: Full Weight (~4.44 Points)

Safety – Total Points: 33.33

• Vehicle Miles Traveled per Capita: Full Weight (~2.34 Points)
• Population Density: Full Weight (~2.34 Points)
• Share of Urban Interstates Congested during Peak Hours: Full Weight (~2.34 Points)
• Increase in Vehicle Travel on Highways (2017 vs 2010): Full Weight (~2.34 Points)
• Driving Laws Rating: Full Weight (~2.34 Points)
• Traffic Indiscipline: Full Weight (~2.34 Points)Note: This is a composite metric that measures incidents due to poor behavior: phone use, speeding, aggressive acceleration, harsh braking, and poor turning.
• Quality of Roads: Full Weight (~2.34 Points)
• Quality of Bridges: Quarter Weight (~0.58 Points)
• Traffic-related Fatalities per 100 Million Vehicle Miles Traveled: Triple Weight (~7.02 Points)
• Share of Uninsured Drivers: Full Weight (~2.34 Points)
• Car Thefts per 1,000 Residents: Full Weight (~2.34 Points)
• Rate of Larceny: Full Weight (~2.34 Points)
• Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents: Full Weight (~2.34 Points)

Activities – Total Points: 33.33

• Share of Total Area Designated as National Parkland: Full Weight (~2.08 Points)
• National Parks Recreation Visitors per Capita: Full Weight (~2.08 Points)
• Zoos and Botanical Gardens per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.08 Points)
• Amusement & Theme Parks per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.08 Points)
• Fairs and Festivals per Capita over Summer Time*: Full Weight (~2.08 Points)
• Number of Attractions: Double Weight (~4.17 Points)Note: Nightlife options excluded.
• Nightlife Options per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.08 Points)
• Access to Scenic Byways: Triple Weight (~6.25 Points)Note: This metric takes into account both the number of scenic byways and the length of scenic byways.
• Historical Sites per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.08 Points)
• Miles of Shoreline: Full Weight (~2.08 Points)
• Idealness of Summer Weather: Full Weight (~2.08 Points)Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Cities with the Best & Worst Weather” ranking.
• Accommodation & Food Services Establishments per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.08 Points)
• State & Local Direct General Expenditures on Parks & Recreation per Capita: Full Weight (~2.08 Points)

Videos for News Use:

• YouTube (for web embedding National)
• YouTube (for web embedding North Carolina)
• Raw files (for editing into clips)

 Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Council for Community and Economic Research, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Park Service, The Insurance Research Council, National Conference of State Legislatures, American Automobile Association, The Road Information Program, America’s Scenic Byways, NOAA Office for Coastal Management, CarMD, Kayak.com, Kampgrounds of America, TripAdvisor, EverQuote, FairsandFestivals.net and WalletHub research.

Image: Africa Studio / Shutterstock.com

from Wallet HubWallet Hub


via Finance Xpress