DULUTH, Minn. — Editor's note: The video above first aired on March 1, 2022.
Although these are challenging times, with record-high fuel prices, rickety roads and lingering COVID concerns, none are enough to keep Americans from engaging in a time-honored summer tradition: The road trip.
Personal finance website WalletHub cites a summer travel survey by The Vacationer, saying that 80% of American adults plan to take some sort of road trip. The question is, where?
The concerns listed above (especially fuel costs) will likely have road warriors planning their destinations a bit more carefully than in the past.
So where the heck should you go? To determine the best states to road trip in, WalletHub compared the 50 states across three key dimensions: Cost, safety and activities. Inside those dimensions researchers looked at smaller metrics, like cost of a hotel room, traffic congestion, quality of roads, and number of attractions like national parks, zoos, botanical gardens and historical sites. Typical summer weather also factored in.
Here's how the Gopher State stacked up:
Road Tripping in Minnesota (1=Best; 25=Avg.):
- 26th – Number of Attractions
- 8th – Lowest Price of Three-Star Hotel Room
- 12th – Avg. Gas Prices
- 15th – Nightlife Options per Capita
- 24th – Vehicle Miles Traveled per Capita
- 30th – Car Thefts per Capita
- 13th – Access to Scenic Byways
- 8th – Lowest Price of Camping
- 9th – Driving Laws Rating
- 2nd – Fatalities per 100 Million Vehicle Miles Traveled
Capturing the number one ranking was New York, with Texas, Louisiana and Maine rounding out the top five. Scraping bottom on WalletHub's list are Arkansas, Montana, Delaware, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Iowa, Minnesota's neighbor to the south, ranked 15th with Wisconsin at 18, North Dakota at 24 and South Dakota 29th.
WalletHub has a stable of experts that contributed to this research. For their road tripping advice and answers to frequently-asked questions, check out the WalletHub website.
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