Atlanta named Best Summer Travel Destination by WalletHub
ATLANTA - Despite rising costs for food, housing, electricity, medical care, and transportation, people are still eager to take a break from the grind and go on vacation. Experts say most people view vacations as a necessity for their mental health and are willing to delay purchasing new cars or other material items to escape their daily routines.
According to TheVacationeer.com, 82% of Americans are expected to take a vacation this summer, with half of those planning to take more than one trip.
However, while wealthier consumers feel optimistic due to a strong stock market and rising home values, poorer families have less money to spend on vacations and seek the best value for their budget.
To help Americans plan their next vacation, WalletHub developed a ranking of the cheapest U.S. destinations that are also easy to reach. They analyzed 100 of the largest metro areas across 41 key indicators, including the cost of flights, average price of a two-person meal, lowest nightly rate for a 3-star hotel room, number of attractions, weather, restaurants per capita, retail shopping centers, music venues, golf courses and country clubs, food festivals, parks, swimming pools, and crime and safety.
Best Summer Travel Destination: Atlanta
When all factors were considered, Atlanta emerged as the best summer travel destination for 2024, according to WalletHub Here's the breakdown for Atlanta:
- Overall Rank: 1st
- Travel Costs & Hassles: 7th
- Local Costs: 38th
- Number of Attractions: 20th
- Diversity of Attractions: 4th
- Cost of Cheapest Flight: 3rd
- Cost of Three-Star Hotel: 26th
- Weather: 15th
- Activities: 7th
- Safety: 29th
Top 10 Summer Travel Destinations
- Atlanta, GA
- Washington, D.C. area
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
- Honolulu, HI
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
- Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX
- Philadelphia, PA
- Chicago, IL
- El Paso, TX
- Cincinnati, OH
Additional Findings
- Lowest Travel Costs & Hassles: Santa Rosa, CA
- Highest Travel Costs & Most Hassles: McAllen, TX
- Lowest Local Costs: Tulsa, OK
- Highest Local Costs: Santa Rosa, CA
- Most Attractions: Los Angeles, CA
- Fewest Attractions: Deltona, FL
- Most Activities: Honolulu, HI
- Fewest Activities: Jackson, MS
- Safest Place to Travel: Washington, D.C.
- Least Safe Place to Travel: Memphis, TN
Other Georgia ranking stories
- Atlanta ranked No. 62 on Best- and Worst-Run Cities list from WalletHub
- Georgia on top 10 list of worst states for road rage shootings
- Decatur ranked as most charming small town in North America by Betway
- Atlanta named 8th-best city to have a staycation, study finds
- Georgia's Best States Ranking: Moving up but missing the Top 10
- Top public high schools in Georgia, according to U.S. News & World Report
- Atlanta ranked 2nd in U.S. for car gun theft rates, new report reveals
- Georgia city named among Top 100 Best Places to Live in US
- Georgia beach named among the best in the US by Travel and Leisure
- Metro Atlanta city named best place to move to in Georgia
- Best Places to Live in America rankings released, how did Georgia do?
- Here's the minimum annual income required to be middle class in Georgia
- Here’s how much money you need to make to live comfortably on your own in Atlanta
- Rent vs. Buy: Shocking disparities revealed in 50 major metro areas
- Atlanta home buyers need to earn almost $60K more in 2024 than 2020 to afford home
- Atlanta ranked as 4th loneliest city in America, new study says