For Summer Travel and Convenience, Chicago Tops the List

WalletHub has taken a close look at how U.S. cities stack up when it comes to summer travel. For anyone who has visited the Windy City, it should come as no surprise that Chicago occupies the top spot.

Chicago ranks first in Best International Departure Ranking, fifth in Best Domestic Departure Ranking, and first in Overall Departure Point Ranking.

WalletHub describes their methodology like this:

WalletHub analyzed flights listed on Kayak.com from the 50 largest metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the United States to the 8 most popular domestic and 10 most popular international destinations, using July 12 as the departure date and July 20 as the return date.  We compared airfare costs, flight times, and the number of connections for each in order to determine:

• Which departure points offer the best combination of inexpensive flights and short travel times to the most popular destinations; and
• Which destinations are the most accessible – both logistically and financially – for U.S. travelers across the 50 largest metro areas.

What’s amazing is that Chicago ranked #1 without having to rely on its staggering number of incredible summer events or even the many industry conventions and corporate meetings it hosts all year, every year.

Read the full report from WalletHub here.