The summer months are fast approaching, and with them comes daydreams of the perfect getaway
Given the current economic conditions, though, a more affordable option — such as a staycation — may be the route to go.
“It’s fun to visit an exotic location on vacation, but during rougher economic times, a staycation can save you a lot of money while being just as memorable,” Chip Lupo, an analyst with WalletHub, said in a Monday, June 8, news release. “Not only do you avoid the cost of overnight accommodations and minimize travel costs, but you can also discover all kinds of fun activities close to home that you might not have tried out otherwise.”
Ahead of the summer travel season, WalletHub released a new report ranking the best and worst cities for a staycation. Here’s what to know about the findings, including how California cities ranked.
WalletHub’s methodology
To determine the best cities for a staycation, WalletHub said it compared 182 cities nationwide across three dimensions: recreation, food and entertainment, and rest and relaxation.
WalletHub then assessed those dimensions across 41 metrics.
For recreation, WalletHub looked at a range of factors, including public golf courses per capita, swimming pools per capita, parks per capita, playgrounds per capita, hiking trails per capita, water and amusement parks per capita, and more.
WalletHub included a number of metrics to derive a city’s food and entertainment score, such as movie costs, bowling costs, average cocktail price, casinos per capita, restaurants per capita, museums per capita, and more.
Lastly, to assess rest and relaxation, WalletHub evaluated a city on an array of favors, including spas and wellness centers per capita, massage costs, beauty salon costs, public beaches per capita, and more.
“Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for staycationers,” WalletHub said.
From there, WalletHub said they calculated the weighted average for each city across the metrics to derive an overall score used to rank the cities.
Where California cities fall on WalletHub’s rankings
While a handful California cities made the top of WalletHub’s list, such as San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles most fell in the lower half of the list. Many of the lower‑ranked California cities also scored poorly in the recreation and rest‑and‑relaxation categories.
Here is where the California cities included on WalletHub’s report rank, along with their overall score.
The top 10 cities for a staycation, according to WalletHub
Here are the top 10 cities for a staycation, along with their rankings and overall scores.
The worst 10 cities for a staycation, per WalletHub
Here are the 10 worst cities for a staycation, along with their rankings and overall scores.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: WalletHub ranks best, worst cities for staycation. See California rankings
Reporting by Daniella Segura, USA TODAY NETWORK / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Daniella Segura, USA TODAY NETWORK | USA TODAY Network
