City in New York State Crowned Nation’s Best Destination for Winter Travel

The holidays are coming and there's a city in New York State that is one of the best destinations in America to visit this winter.

The country is bracing for a colder-than-normal winter, which could impact a lot of travel plans.

So WalletHub looked into the destinations that are least likely to be impacted by bad weather or travel conditions.

NY Scores Top Honors

This list is, interestingly, focused on a city's ability to offer the least amount of stress or crazy prices instead of scenic beauty.

So, for those interested in having a good time without breaking the bank or having Mother Nature ruin your plans - keep reading.

Read More: This City in NY Is Among Nation's Worst Places to Drive

WalletHub compared nearly 70 of the largest U.S. metro areas grouped by warm and cold weather.

Each destination was analyzed based on 37 key metrics, primarily the expense and hassle of traveling to each location but also on other indicators, such as weather forecasts, safety and variety of activities.

Interestingly enough, the website picked up some interesting facts about holiday travel.

The average flight to a popular cold winter destination costs $399.05, lasts 3 hours and 35 minutes, and has 0.34 connections. In comparison, the average flight to a popular warm winter destination costs $503.55, lasts 5 hours and 26 minutes, and has 0.58 connections.

In the end, one city in New York State earned the title of one of the best "cold destinations" for winter travel.

Several Cities Made the Cut

Several NYS cities actually made the list, but only one cracked the top 10. In all, four cities were highlighted.

Rochester was 30th best overall while the Buffalo-Cheektowaga area came in one spot above, in 29th place.

Read More: What Happens When the Rockefeller Xmas Tree Is from Your Town?

Right above that was the Albany-Schenectady-Troy metro area in 28th place.

In the end, New York City was crowned the 4th best cold destination to visit this winter.

Why so special?

NYC heavily benefitted from its rich array of cold-weather activities that take over the city when winter comes a well as a lack of extreme weather events.

It also ranked #1 overall when it came to its attractions.

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However, NYC was dinged for how expensive it can be, such as the cost of using public transportation or housing accommodations for overnight visits.

In fact, NYC had the highest local costs out of all cold weather states. Rochester came in second-worst.

Ironically, WalletHub said the Capital Region had the 5th-lowest local costs in the roundup but had the fourth-worst travel costs and hassles in the country.

Winter travel outlook

Economists issued a lukewarm forecast for the upcoming travel season.

Matthew Miller, who is the Assistant Professor of Hospitality Management at Wells College, warned of a "mini-recession" stretching into the colder months.

am pessimistic about a very high “turnout,” in trying to occupy empty domestic plane seats or hotel rooms...

On the contrary, I see restaurants seeing an “uptick” in business with many travelers saving money from plane flights or hotel rooms that they would otherwise take advantage of during other holiday seasons.

Others noted of a 10 percent drop in domestic travel for pleasure and that the holiday season is indicating some uncertainty in terms of travel and spending.

That means more Americans are hoping to stretch their dollars, so they will opt for less expensive outings when it comes time for them to relax and unwind.

Sounds like a lot of staycations this winter.

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