ORLANDO, Fla. – Planning your next vacation? If you’re on a budget, think about exploring the City Beautiful, where there’s a lot more to experience than just theme parks.
According to Kayak’s 2020 Travel Hacker Guide, Orlando was ranked No. 1 for affordable trip destinations, averaging 47% less than the average North American trip cost.
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Wekiwa Springs and the Orlando Science Center were mentioned as fun, affordable alternatives to the various theme parks tourists usually visit.
If you want to plan ahead, the guide listed January as the cheapest month for flight travel with prices averaging $149 and hotel prices averaging $166. Kayak "defined a ‘trip’ as ‘a round-trip flight + 3-night hotel stay,” the travel guide methodology section said.
The most expensive month to visit is December with flights costing about $231 and hotels $222.
The guide recommends readers stay at Melia Orlando Celebration, The Westin Lake Mary or Castle Hotel Autograph to get the most bang for your buck.
If you’re thinking about grabbing a meal or drink, you’ll spend an average of $13 for a cheap meal, $5 a beer and a nice dinner for two will run you between $45 to $70.
Places you can eat include Eddie V’s for seafood, Seito Sushi for a contemporary take on traditional Japanese cuisine and the Bull & Bear Steakhouse for prime cuts of meat.
Here’s the full list of the most wallet-friendly destinations for 2020:
1. Orlando, Florida
2. Guadalajara, Mexico
3. Las Vegas, Nevada
4. Raleigh, North Carolina
5. Dallas, Texas
6. Tampa, Florida
7. Albuquerque, New Mexico
8. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
9. Denver, Colorado
10. Salt Lake City, Utah