Best Bang-For-Your-Buck Summer Travel Destinations

Trying to decide where to take the family on vacation this summer? A new report released Tuesday identifies the best places to get a bang for your buck and may be helpful in making a decision.

The Orlando metropolitan area ranks No. 1 among “2022’s Best Summer Travel Destinations,” according to personal-finance website WalletHub. Others in the Top 5 are Washington, Tampa, Austin and Salt Lake City.

The website says it compared 100 metro areas based on “43 key indicators of budget- and fun-friendliness.” The key indicators fell into six categories: travel costs and hassles, local costs, attractions, weather, activities and safety.

Orlando’s metro area ranked No. 1 in activites available to travelers, followed by Honolulu, Miami, Chicago and San Diego.

The lowest-cost metro area is McAllen, Texas, followed by Tulsa, Oklahoma; Augusta, Georgia; Oklahoma City, and Wichita, Kansas, WalletHub says. The Wichita metro area has the lowest average nightly rate — $36 — for a three-star hotel room. That’s nearly five times less expensive than in Santa Rosa, California, which, at $165, has the highest rate.

WalletHub’s Top 20 Summer Travel Metro Areas:

1. Orlando

2. Washington

3. Tampa

4. Austin

5. Salt Lake City

6. Los Angeles

7. Honolulu

8. Minneapolis

9. Cincinnati

10. San Antonio

11. Miami

12. Charleston, South Carolina

13. Raleigh, North Carolina

14. Jacksonville

15. Philadelphia

16. Oklahoma City

17. Tulsa

18. Knoxville

19. San Diego

20. St. Louis