The Worst Cities For Summer Travel, Ranked

Summer vacation is a time to relax and take a break, but potential complications like flight delays, cancellations or car accidents can make the experience anything but relaxing.

Some cities have plagued unsuspecting visitors with increased air travel disruptions, traffic snarls, scant amenities and sky-high hotel prices during the summer travel season.

More than half of Americans plan to take a vacation before the end of September, according to the 2024 Deloitte summer travel survey. With this in mind, Forbes Advisor set out to uncover the worst cities for summer travel.

We compared the 43 most populated cities with available data across 16 metrics spanning three key categories: city experience, air travel experience and driving experience.

Key Takeaways

• Jacksonville, Florida, tops the list of worst cities for summer travel, while Minneapolis, Minnesota, ranks as the best city for summer travel.
• Along with Jacksonville, two additional Florida cities rank among the top 10 worst cities for summer travel: Tampa and Miami.
• Four California cities rank among the top 15 best cities for summer travel: Long Beach, San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
• During the summer, visitors to Jacksonville tend to have the worst city experience, visitors to Colorado Springs typically have the worst air travel experience and visitors to Louisville typically face the worst driving experience.

Top 5 Worst Cities For Summer Travel

1. Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville’s score: 100 out of 100

Jacksonville ranks worst overall in the city experience category. Visitors will find getting around the city by foot difficult with poor public transit options.

Jacksonville has the:

• Worst walk score (25.6)
• Third-worst transit score (20.8)
• Eighth-highest crime rate (63.99 crimes per 1,000 residents)
• Eighth-fewest restaurants with four or more stars on Tripadvisor (728)
• 10th-highest number of extreme temperature days in June, July and August (62 on average)

Jacksonville also tied with Phoenix, Arizona for having the fourth-worst driving experience. The Jacksonville metropolitan area has the sixth-fewest parking lots and parking garages (1.49 per 100,000 residents).

Jacksonville also ranked seventh worst in the air travel experience category. Jacksonville International Airport, on average, has the second highest percentage of delayed, canceled or diverted flights during the summer (28.9%).

2. Colorado Springs, Colorado

Colorado Springs’ score: 99.59 out of 100

Colorado Springs has high costs for lodging and activities—and its low walk score means visitors will also likely have to shell out for a rental car during their trip.

Colorado Springs comes in worst overall in the air travel experience category.

• Colorado Springs Airport, on average, has the highest percentage of delayed, canceled or diverted flights during the summer (29.5%).
• Colorado Springs Airport reimburses the fourth-lowest percentage of property loss and damage claims in full (13.6%).

Colorado Springs also ranked second worst for city experience. It has the:

• Second-worst transit score (18.8)
• Third-highest median cost of tours and activities ($152)
• Fifth fewest restaurants with four or more stars on Tripadvisor (626)
• Seventh-highest median hotel price during the summer travel season ($228.33 per night)
• Eighth-worst walk score (36.1)

In addition, the Colorado Springs metro area has the 10th-fewest parking lots and parking garages (1.83 per 100,000 residents).

3. Fresno, California

Fresno’s score: 78.54 out of 100

Visitors to Fresno may be disappointed by the high costs of activities and the small selection of highly-rated tours and restaurants.

Fresno ranks third worst for city experience. It has the:

• Highest median cost of tours and activities ($279)
• Fewest tourist attractions with four or more stars on Tripadvisor (72)
• Fewest restaurants with four or more stars on Tripadvisor (518)
• Ninth highest number of extreme temperature days in June, July and August (75 on average)

Fresno also ranks sixth worst for driving experience.

• The Fresno metro area has the second-fewest parking lots and parking garages (0.79 per 100,000 residents).
• Fresno has the third highest average gas prices ($5.33 per gallon of regular gasoline).

In addition, Fresno Yosemite International Airport reimburses the seventh lowest percentage of property loss and damage claims in full (20%).

4. Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis’ score: 78.37 out of 100

Memphis has the highest crime rate and highest number of fatal car crashes during the summer, potentially making the city a risky destination for travelers.

Memphis ranks fifth worst in our city experience category. It has the:

• Highest crime rate (97.64 crimes per 1,000 residents)
• Second-fewest restaurants with four or more stars on Tripadvisor (531)
• Fourth-worst transit score (22.2)
• Sixth-worst walk score (35)
• Eighth-fewest tourist attractions with four or more stars on Tripadvisor (241)

Memphis also tied with El Paso, Texas, for having the 10th-worst air travel experience. Memphis International Airport (MEM) has the sixth-highest percentage of delayed, canceled or diverted flights during the summer (27.5%).

Additionally, Memphis ranks 11th-worst in our driving experience category. The city has the following:

• Highest number of people involved in fatal crashes between June and August on average (17.84 per 100,000 residents)
• Eighth-fewest parking lots and parking garages (1.73 per 100,000 residents)

5. Albuquerque, New Mexico

Albuquerque’s score: 73.37 out of 100

Albuquerque ranks fourth worst in our category assessing city experience. Albuquerque has the:

• Third-highest average price for a two-person meal ($110)
• Sixth-fewest restaurants with four or more stars on Tripadvisor (688)
• 10th-highest crime rate (62.76 per 1,000 residents)

Albuquerque also ranks seventh worst in our category assessing driving experience.

• The Albuquerque metro area has the third-fewest parking lots and parking garages (1.08 per 100,000 residents).
• Albuquerque has the fourth-highest number of people involved in fatal crashes between June and August on average (11.16 per 100,000 residents).

Additionally, Albuquerque International Sunport has the 10th-highest number of property loss and damage claims (1.17 per 100,000 domestic passengers).

Methodology

To determine which cities are the worst for summer travel, Forbes Advisor examined data for the 50 most populated cities (43 of which had available data) across three key categories: city experience, air travel experience and driving experience.

We considered 16 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights:

City Experience - Total Points: 50

• Crime rate: 8% of score. This metric reflects the number of violent and property crimes per 1,000 residents. Data comes from NeighborhoodScout, 2022.
• Median hotel price during the summer travel season: 7% of score. This metric reflects the median hotel price between June and August. Data comes from Expedia, 2024.
• Median cost of tours and activities: 6% of score. Data comes from Tripadvisor, 2024.
• Average price of a two-person meal: 6% of score. Data comes from Numbeo, 2024.
• Average number of extreme temperature days in June, July and August: 5% of score. This metric reflects the average number of days above 90 degrees in June, July and August. Data comes from The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and is averaged from 1991–2020.
• Number of tourist attractions with four or more stars on Tripadvisor: 5% of score. Data comes from Tripadvisor, 2024.
• Number of restaurants with four or more stars on Tripadvisor: 5% of score. Data comes from Tripadvisor, 2024
• Walk Score: 4% of score. This metric reflects pedestrian friendliness. Data comes from WalkScore.com, 2021.
• Transit Score: 4% of score. This metric reflects access to public transit. Data comes from WalkScore.com, 2021.

Air Travel Experience - Total Points: 25

• Percentage of flights delayed, canceled or diverted: 9% of score. This metric reflects the total percentage of flights delayed, canceled or diverted in June, July and August between 2019 and 2023. Data comes from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) TranStats database.
• Number of property loss and damage claims per 100,000 domestic passengers: 9% of score. This metric reflects the total number of property loss and damage claims submitted between 2013 and 2022 in June, July and August.
• Percentage of property loss and damage claims reimbursed in full: 7% of score. This metric reflects the percentage of property loss and damage claims submitted in June, July and August between 2013 and 2022 that were fully reimbursed.

Property loss and damage claims data come from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). All data reflects claims submitted for property loss or property damage that occurred during the TSA screening process at each airport.

For cities with two major airports, we used the total number of air travel disruptions at both airports. The number of domestic passengers comes from the BTS.

Driving Experience - Total Points: 25

• Number of people involved in fatal crashes between June and August per 100,000 residents: 10% of score. Data comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. For this metric, we took a five-year average, using data from 2017 to 2021. City population data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau, 2022.
• Average gas prices: 6% of score. This metric reflects the average price of regular gasoline. Data comes from AAA, and was collected on May 3rd, 2024.
• Number of parking lots and parking garages per 100,000 metro area residents: 5% of score. Data comes from the Census Bureau’s 2021 County Business Patterns Survey.
• Average speed in rush hour traffic: 4% of score. Data comes from the INRIX 2022 Global Traffic Scorecard.