Your average North Carolina vacation costs just $143 per night a new study finds. Not sure where that trip was too but just my hotel last weekend was almost 3x that. But as Memorial Day weekend approaches and school is wrapping up for the summer, parents are scrambling to plan family vacations. But this year despite lessened Covid restrictions and concerns there is a new obstacle to consider. Inflation, including high gas prices and unaffordable lodging. Is it even such a thing as affordable vacation destinations these days?

Wealthcare Financial analyzed Google trends and discovered that searches for “summer vacation” and similar phrases have risen in the past few days. Not only that but searches such as “discount travel deals” are also on the rise. In fact, they rose 60% in just 24 hours. Based on this info the managing partners at Wealthcare Financial put together a “2022 Summer Vacation Financial Report” which offers ideas for where travelers should go this summer for an affordable vacation. And two of the top affordable destinations are close by and some of my favorite places to visit!

Notable Findings: 

  • The average hotel room across the US costs $106 per night
  • Average meal price: $20
  • Highest meal price: Maine $43
  • Lowest meal price: Montana $10
  • Average gas price per gallon: $4.30
  • Lowest gas price per gallon: Georgia $3.95
  • Highest gas price per gallon: California $5.85

North Carolina did rank in the lowest of one category making it one of the most affordable vacation destinations. Which one? Keep reading to find out.

Data was analyzed and collected by Wealthcare Financial using the following sources:

  • Most Expensive States For Hotel Rooms

  • 1. Hawaii

    Average price: $310

    Hawaii

  • 2. New Mexico

    $196

    New Mexico

  • 3. Delaware

    $155

    Delaware

  • 4. New York

    $152

    New York

     

  • 5. California

    $146

    California

  • Most Expensive States For Hotel Rooms

  • 1. Arizona

    $73

    Arizona

  • 2. North Carolina

    $80

    Beach in NC

  • 3. Mississippi

    $81

    Mississippi

  • 4. South Dakota

    $82

    South Dakota

  • 5. North Dakota

    $81

    North Dakota

  • Most Expensive States For Food

  • 1. Maine

    $43

    Maine

  • 2. Delaware

    $30

    Delaware

  • 3. Nebraska

    $28

    Nebraska

  • 4. Rhode Island

    $28

    Rhode Island

  • 5. North Dakota

    $26

    North Dakota

  • Least Expensive States For Food

  • 1. Montana

    $10

    Montana

  • 2. Michigan

    $11

    Michigan

  • 3. Vermont

    $12

    Vermont

  • 4. Washington

    $12

    Washington

  • 5. Georgia

    $13

    Georgia

  • Most Expensive States For Gas

  • 1. California

    $5.85

    California

  • 2. Hawaii

    $5.31

    Hawaii

  • 3. Nevada

    $5.12

    Nevada

  • 4. Washington

    $4.91

    Washington

  • 5. Oregon

    $4.88

    Oregon

  • Most Expensive States For Gas

  • 1. Georgia

    $3.95

    Augusta Georgia Downtown

  • 2. Kansas

    $3.98

    Liberty Memorial and Union Station aerial views, downtown Kansas City

  • 3. Oklahoma

    $4.00

    OKC

  • 4. Mississippi

    $4.00

    Mississippi

  • 5. Arkansas

    $4.00

    Arkansas

  • Most Expensive States Overall

  • 1. Hawaii

    Hawaii

  • 2. Maine

    Maine

  • 3. Delaware

    Delaware

  • 4. New Mexico

    New Mexico

  • 5. New York

    New York

  • Least Expensive States Overall

  • 1. Georgia

    Georgia

  • 2. Tennessee

    Tennessee

  • 3. Washington

    Washington

  • 4. Texas

    Texas

  • 5. Michigan

    Michigan

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