HONOLULU (KHON2) — A recent WalletHub study determined some of 2025’s best summer travel destinations — and one city in Hawaiʻi earned a spot in the top five.
According to the study, urban Honolulu is the fourth-best place to visit this summer when looking at categories including travel costs, local costs, attractions, weather, activities and safety. The top five destinations are as follows:
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Metro Area
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA Metro Area
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
- Urban Honolulu, HI Metro Area
- Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX Metro Area
In most categories analyzed for the study, Honolulu scored highly — out of six categories analyzed, it was within the top 20 cities. A lower number is a more positive ranking, and Honolulu was ranked number one for local weather conditions, number two for available activities, and number 15 for travel costs and hassles.
However, when it came to the ranking for local costs, Honolulu was ranked 95 out of 100, meaning it has some of the highest costs out of all the cities analyzed.
“When picking a summer travel destination, it’s easy to focus just on the types of activities you want to do or certain cities you’ve always wanted to see,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. “However, choosing a destination that’s not only entertaining but also affordable is important when travel, dining and activity costs have surged so much in recent years.”
The rankings explained
WalletHub said the 100 locations included in the ranking are the country’s 100 most populous metro areas, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau. The six categories compared were travel costs and hassles, nearby attractions, local weather, activities, safety and local costs.
An interactive map showing the 100 best places to travel to this summer is included below:
To learn more about the methodology used in this study, you can see the full breakdown on WalletHub’s website.