Maine Crushes New England in Summer Road Trip Rankings

Whoever came up with the nickname "Vacationland" for Maine certainly deserves some serious compensation.

There’s no truer title for our state, and there’s plenty of evidence to back it up.

What are the Best States for Summer Road Trips?

The latest comes from WalletHub.com, a personal finance website that recently published a report ranking the best and worst states for summer road trips. The great state of Maine landed at 15th best in the country—a pretty solid ranking for our small and picturesque state.

Maine finished just behind Nevada and slightly ahead of Illinois in the poll, which crowned Minnesota as the number one state for summer road trips.

The ranking was based on three major categories: Costs, Safety, and Activities. These categories were broken down into 32 subcategories to make the analysis as detailed as possible. You can read more about the methodology here.

Was Maine's Scored Incorrectly for Best States for Summer Road Trips?

Maine's scores in both Costs and Activities were in the bottom 25, which wasn’t great. However, when it came to the Safety category, Maine excelled. According to WalletHub, our fine state earned the number two ranking. This significantly boosted Maine's overall position to 15th.

The rankings are certainly curious. While everyone knows how remarkably safe Maine is compared to other parts of the country, it’s a bit surprising to see the state struggle in the Activities category. This is a place full of wonderful things to do—especially when it comes to outdoor adventures in the summer. I would have expected that ranking to be much higher.

I may think Maine should be ranked higher, but 15th is still more than a respectable placing, especially when compared to the rest of New England.

I may think Maine should be ranked higher, but 15th is still more than a respectable placing—especially when compared to the rest of New England.

What New England States are Best for Sumer Road Trips?

The rest of the region got absolutely smoked in this report. Just take a look at this massacre:

38. New Hampshire
40. Massachusetts
47. Vermont 
48. Rhode Island
49. Connecticut 

The Costs category absolutely thrashed all of New England, which I’m sure doesn’t shock anyone. This region is one of the most expensive in the nation—which is absolutely miserable.

As bad as New England did, at least none of the states came in last. That honor went to the lovely state of Delaware.

I guess Wayne and Garth were right all along.