The 10 Places to Avoid If You’re Traveling in the US This Summer

Tripadvisor just published its most popular destinations list. Go elsewhere.

a sign saying "Florida Welcomes You." The state had several areas in Tripadvisor's most popular summer destinations list.
Three cities in Florida were sought-after destinations in Tripadvisor's 2021 Summer Travel Index
iLLiePhotography / Getty

Safe travels ahead? Maybe!

Seems like we can get out and actually go somewhere this summer, although given the CDC warnings it’ll be limited to domestic travel. But we’re still not sure about big crowds … so we’re gonna use Tripadvisor’s 2021 Summer Travel Index to cross some popular destinations off our list.

According to that travel site, 43% of Americans believe travel activity will rebound within three months. And 67% of respondents in Tripadvisor’s survey say they’re planning to travel this summer, with longer, more expensive and decidedly domestic destinations the preference (although domestic here seems to include a lot of Mexico).

All good for our economy. But again, maybe we don’t want to go where suddenly excited travelers are headed.

So first, avoid Cancun, number one on the list and one of four Mexican resort areas on the top 10 list. In the actual United States, the most popular destinations in order are Orlando, Myrtle Beach, Key West and Miami Beach. Out of country? Maybe avoid Punta Cana (Dominican Republic), Bora Bora and Dubai.

Our suggestion? We have some fantastic domestic road trips that go a bit off the beaten path. Bonus: These aren’t beach destinations during the hottest part of the year — seriously, as someone who loves Playa del Carmen (#7 on the list), go off-season in the fall or winter.

The data here was drawn from an online survey of over 2,500 consumers conducted between April 1-8, 2021 across six countries (U.S., U.K., Australia, Italy, Singapore and Japan).

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