When we think of ideal travel destination for summerthere are probably visions of brightly striped umbrellas, bright blue waters, white sand beaches, and maybe some sort of citrus drink to sip on. Or maybe it's a city with lively sidewalk cafes, tons of museums, and award-winning restaurants. But, according to a recent Forbes Advisor Studydestination aesthetics are only one part of what actually makes a destination. good travel destination. The study evaluated the 50 most populous cities in the United States to determine which were the worst for summer travel.
To assess which U.S. cities were the worst (and best), Forbes Advisor analyzed each city in three categories: city experience, air travel experience, and driving experience, with a total of 16 measurements for each of them. For city experience, which was the most weighted category, nine factors were considered. These factors were:
- Crime rate
- Median hotel prices during the summer season
- Median cost of tours and activities
- Average price of a meal for two people
- Average number of days with extreme temperatures in June, July and August
- Number of tourist attractions with four stars or higher on Tripadvisor
- Number of restaurants with four stars or more on Tripadvisor
- Walk Score
- Transit Score
So how have major American cities fared? Well, Jacksonville, Florida came in at number one for worst summer travel destinations. In the worst perfect score ever, Jacksonville scored 100 out of 100 for being a terrible summer vacation destination. The city, located on Florida's northeast coast, is known for its stretch of beautiful beaches dotted with cute vacation homes, restaurants and boardwalks. But it's also the worst score for walkability, third lowest for public transportation, second lowest for disrupted flights, eighth lowest for crime rate, and eighth lowest for fewest restaurants with four stars or more. Tripadvisor.
Here are the five worst cities for summer vacation, based on the factors above.
1. Jacksonville, Florida
2. Colorado Springs, Colorado
3. Fresno, California
4. Memphis, Tennessee
5. Albuquerque, New Mexico
So where should you plan to go instead? According to the Forbes Advisor ranking, here are the best American destinations to visit this summer:
1. Minneapolis, Minnesota
2. Long Beach, California
3. Washington, D.C.
4. Seattle, Washington
5. Omaha, Nebraska
These cities all offered the best combination of city experience, air travel experience, and driving experience, which means typical summer travel headaches as canceled flights and congested roads are the least likely to be encountered, and good restaurants and walkable neighborhoods will be easy to find.
