Summertime is all about vacation and for people like myself, vacation is all about road trips. I love road trips. When it comes to getting away to catch up on some R&R, there’s nothing more satisfying than viewing various landscapes, interacting with people of different domestic cultures and tasting tantalizing native foods. Massachusetts does pretty well for itself when taking these into account, snagging a number 12 ranking for best states for summer road trips, courtesy of WalletHub.
WalletHub compared each of the 50 states using 21 key metrics divided into four categories in order to determine which state is best for putting the pedal to the metal. After all, the perfect road trip is really a culmination of safe, efficient and cost-effective driving accommodations; enjoyable weather; and fun and scenic attractions and activities.
According to WalletHub, for example, the dense Bay State boasts the most National Park units per square mile and is eighth in terms of traffic conditions and driver safety. You can take that ‘Masshole’ moniker and shove it.
To determine its hierarchy of best states to cruise in, WalletHub examined various weighted conditions that fall under the aforementioned categories, such as average gas prices, maximum toll costs, lowest price of three-star hotels, quality of roads, car thefts per capita, and number of scenic byways – just to name a few.
By doing this, WalletHub writes, “road-trip vacationers can budget accordingly and experience quality destinations without breaking the bank.”
Rounding out the top 11 states with better road trip conditions than the Commonwealth are Oregon, Idaho, Minnesota, Utah, Washington, Nevada, New York, California, Ohio, Colorado and Arizona. The bottom of the barrel includes Mississippi at 50th, followed by Oklahoma, West Virginia, Arkansas and Alaska.
For more information on WalletHub’s data and system of metrics, you can take a look at the study right here.
In the meantime, feel free to share some of your best (or worst) road trip stories in the comments section below.
Featured image vis Shutterstock, interactive map via WalletHub
