As the winter holiday season approaches, WalletHub analysts crunched the numbers to find the most fun-filled and wallet-friendly winter destinations in the U.S.
When the mercury drops, some Americans follow the sun while others welcome the cold. Take it from the nearly 54 million skiers who hit the slopes in the U.S. during the chilly months this past winter. But with forecasts of a much milder, wetter winter ahead, travel options may be more plentiful for warm-weather fans than for their cold-loving counterparts.
Regardless, Americans aren’t cutting back on their winter travel spending this year. In fact, more than a third plan to increase their leisure travel spending, according to the most recent State of the American Traveler survey.
As the winter holiday season approaches, WalletHub analysts crunched the numbers to find the most fun-filled and wallet-friendly winter destinations in the U.S. They did so by analyzing two weeks of flight data for the 69 of the largest metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, across 26 key metrics. Their data set ranges from the cost of the cheapest flight to the number of attractions in each winter vacation spot. You can find the results – which they divided into “cold” and “warm” destinations based on traveler preference – a detailed methodology and expert travel commentary below.
Top Cold-Weather Destinations
| Best Cold Destinations for Winter Travel | Best Warm Destinations for Winter Travel | ||||
| 1 | Atlanta, GA | 1 | Las Vegas, NV | ||
| 2 | Albuquerque, NM | 2 | San Diego, CA | ||
| 3 | New York, NY | 3 | Los Angeles, CA | ||
| 4 | St. Louis, MO | 4 | Phoenix, AZ | ||
| 5 | Washington, DC | 5 | Tucson, AZ | ||
| 6 | Kansas City, MO | 6 | San Francisco, CA | ||
| 7 | Chicago, IL | 7 | Orlando, FL | ||
| 8 | Denver, CO | 8 | Tampa, FL | ||
| 9 | Philadelphia, PA | 9 | Dallas, TX | ||
| 10 | Cincinnati, OH | 10 | Austin, TX | ||
Top Warm-Weather Destinations
Best and Worst Cities for Winter Travel 2015 Cold
Best and Worst Cities for Winter Travel 2015 Warm
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
