No Time for a Long Vacation — How about a Road Trip

WalletHub says this year 72% of us are planning on some sort of time off. While it might not be a full-fledged vacation, many are thinking of at least taking a nice road trip of a few days.

Some of us might even take more than a few days.

The reasons for just a short road trip can be found in inflation and high fuel prices. The average price of a gallon of gas is still topping $4.50 in a lot of states. Inflation has hit food prices, restaurant prices and other activities hard.

WalletHub’s Chip Lupo said his company looked at all 50 states across 32 metrics wrapped around fun, scenery and affordability to determine which are the best for a good road trip.

“Taking a summer road trip can be a very exciting way to experience a new place, but with the prices of gas, food and accommodations still impacted by inflation, you’ll want to be in a state that makes this type of vacation affordable,” Lupo said. “Safe roads are also key, and so is having plenty of worthwhile attractions to stop at along the road. The best states for summer road trips therefore are those that keep costs low while providing the best driving experience and most fun activities.”

These are the top 5 states for doing a road trip. None of them are in the PIA Western Alliance’s 10 states but number-two ranked Utah is close to several of them.

1. Minnesota

Total score: 61.11

Costs rank: 16

Safety rank: 3

Activities rank: 20

2. Utah

Total score: 60.15

Costs rank: 34

Safety rank: 6

Activities rank: 8

3. Lousiana

Total score: 60.03

Costs rank: 1

Safety rank: 42

Activities rank: 10

4. New York

Total score: 58.88

Costs rank: 42

Safety rank: 13

Activities rank: 3

5. Florida

Total score: 58.55

Costs rank: 21

Safety rank: 49

Activities rank: 2

How the PIA Western Alliance states stack up:

11. Idaho

Total score: 56.58

Costs rank: 26

Safety rank: 12

Activities rank: 21

17. Alaska

Total score: 53.77

Costs rank: 44

Safety rank: 16

Activities rank: 7

19. Nevada

Total score: 53.42

Costs rank: 27

Safety rank: 37

Activities rank: 12

23. Arizona

Total score: 52.49

Costs rank: 25

Safety rank: 44

Activities rank: 15

26. Hawaii

Total score: 51.87

Costs rank: 45

Safety rank: 17

Activities rank: 13

30. Oregon

Total score: 51.29

Costs rank: 43

Safety rank: 27

Activities rank: 11

40. Washington

Total score: 48.33

Costs rank: 49

Safety rank: 34

Activities rank: 4

42. Montana

Total score: 47.99

Costs rank: 30

Safety rank: 33

Activities rank: 33

43. New Mexico

Total score: 47.73

Costs rank: 19

Safety rank: 50

Activities rank: 29

47. California

Total score: 46.56

Costs rank: 50

Safety rank: 43

Activities rank: 1

By the way, average gas prices are lowest in Oklahoma. The five highest gas prices in the country are in the PIA Western Alliance states. The price of gas is twice as much in California than it is in Oklahoma.

50. California

49. Washington

48. Hawaii

47. Oregon

46. Alaska

The lowest prices for camping can be found in the PIA Western Alliance states of Arizona and Nevada. They rank 1st and 3rd respectively. The PIA Western Alliance state of California has the highest prices and ranks 48th.

Auto thefts are highest in Vermont. The PIA Western Alliance state of Idaho ranks 3rd. Four of the five fewest thefts per capita are found in the PIA Western Alliance states of California (46), Washington (47), Nevada (48) and New Mexico (50).

The most — and sometimes best — scenic trips can be found in the PIA Western Alliance states of Oregon (1), California (2) and Washington (5). Utah ranks 3rd and North Carolina 4th.

Source link: WalletHub — https://bit.ly/4z0ITmy