By John S Kiernan, WalletHub -- School’s out, the mercury’s rising and, for some folks, tax refunds have yet to be spent. What does this mean for millions of Americans? Time to plan their perfect summer getaways. Americans of all ages — but Baby Boomers and Traditionalists especially — plan to travel and increase their travel spending this summer compared with the same time in 2014, according to travel and tourism research firm D.K. Shifflet & Associates.

 

And while the younger generations also intend to boost their travels during the warmer months, their budgets tend to fall heavier on the side of frugal. Millennials in particular will spend about $2,300 on their vacations, nearly $500 less than the $2,788 budget of the average American traveler.

 

So in order to supplement CardHub’s money-saving travel insight through its Currency Exchange and Best Travel Credit Card studies, WalletHub identified the most fun-filled and wallet-friendly summer destinations in the U.S. We did so by first analyzing flights from the six largest airport hubs in the U.S. to the 80 largest metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, spanning July 11 to July 19. In total, we examined 13 key metrics, among which are the cost of the cheapest flight, the number of attractions in each summer vacation spot and other costs once at the destination. Our findings, as well as expert travel commentary and a detailed methodology, link to the full article by clicking the "Click Here to Read More" below.