Believe it or not, there actually WAS a summer outside last year . . . even though we were all inside, eating cans of soup we’ve had for years, taking work calls over Zoom, and watching “Judge Judy” in the background.
So naturally, we’re looking to ramp things up this summer to make up for lost time.
According to a new poll, 75% of people plan on being “more active” this summer than ever before. Some of the activities people are most looking forward to include: swimming, walking or running, playing a group sport, and cycling.
On average, we plan on spending a FULL EXTRA WEEK outside this summer compared to last year.
And 72% said they want this summer to feel as close as possible to a normal, pre-pandemic summer. (I don’t know anyone who DOESN’T want to get back to pre-pandemic summers . . . so I’m curious what the other 28% are thinking.)
WalletHub.com crunched the numbers to create a list of the best “budget-friendly” U.S. destinations.
They analyzed 100 of the largest metro areas across 42 “key indicators” . . . including stuff like: The price of flights, the local “cost of living,” the number of attractions, weather, safety, and the number of “beer gardens per capita.” (???)
In the end, Orlando is #1. Honolulu is second, followed by New Orleans. The rest of the Top 10 is: Austin . . . Atlanta . . . Salt Lake City . . . Tulsa, Oklahoma . . . Los Angeles . . . Oklahoma City . . . and Little Rock, Arkansas.
(Yes, two Oklahoma cities made the Top 10. Eat your heart out, New York City. By the way, New York is #47.)
The WORST city to visit is Lansing, Michigan. Ventura County, California just north of L.A. was second-worst, followed by Fort Myers, Florida . . . Portland, Maine . . . and Allentown, Pennsylvania.