Best – And Worst – Summer Travel Destinations In CA: LIST

CALIFORNIA – Summer is just around the corner, so it's time to plan the perfect getaway. To help you decide which places offer the most bang for your buck, Wallet Hub recently released its rankings of the best summer travel destinations – and not many places in California made the cut.

In fact, the Las Vegas metro area ranked as the most attractive destination on the West Coast, while the Washington D.C. metro area ranked as the most attractive destination on the East Coast. No California metropolitan areas ranked in the top 10.

Also see: Memorial Day 2018 CA Travel Guide: Gas Prices, Peak Traffic Times

To compile the rankings of "2018's Best Summer Travel Destinations," the people at the personal finance website considered cost as well as the activities, attractions, safety and weather each metropolitan area offers. WalletHub compared 100 of the largest metro areas across 40 key indicators, from the cost of the cheapest flight to the number of attractions.

The Washington D.C.-Arlington-Alexandria metro area actually ranked at the top of WalletHub's list, followed by the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida metro area and the Austin-Round Rock, Texas metro area. The Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nevada metro area – the best-ranked area on the West Coast – claimed the ninth spot.

If you're a Californian planning a staycation, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area is your best best, according to WalletHub. The Los Angeles metro area, ranked 12th, came in as the best summer travel destination in California. The San Diego-Carlsbad metro area, which ranked 28th, is the next best destination in the Golden State.

The worst summer travel destinations are in California, according to the study. The Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura metro area ranked 99th and the Santa Rosa metro area ranked 100th.

These are the top 10 best summer travel destinations for 2018, according to WalletHub:

1. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
2. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Metro Area
3. Austin-Round Rock, TX Metro Area
4. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metro Area
5. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metro Area
6. Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN Metro Area
7. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area
8. Oklahoma City, OK Metro Area
9. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV Metro Area
10. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX Metro Area

Here are the best – and worst – summer travel destinations in California, according to the study. National rankings are in parenthesis.

1. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metro Area (12)
2. San Diego-Carlsbad, CA Metro Area (28)
3. Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA Metro Area (44)
4. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Metro Area (70)
5. Fresno, CA Metro Area (77)
6. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metro Area (82)
7. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA Metro Area (84)
8. Bakersfield, CA Metro Area (96)
9. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA Metro Area (99)
10. Santa Rosa, CA Metro Area (100)

Click here to see the full report and rankings.

Do you agree with the rankings? Where are you traveling this summer? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: WalletHub

Image via Disney Castle at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. Photo by Renee Schiavone/Patch