Monday, April 24, 2006

The American Automobile Association (AAA) has been tracking vacation costs since 1950, and just announced this year's top 10 most and least expensive U.S. states for family travel. Vacation costs are calculated based on a family of four. Hawaii tops the bill for most expensive ($559 daily) and North Dakota comes in as the best state for savings ($191 daily). Rates average $261 daily for food and lodging, and AAA expects the overall cost of vacationing to rise 5.4 percent from last summer.

10 Most Expensive States

Hawaii, $559

District of Columbia, $518

Nevada, $348

Rhode Island, $329

New York, $329

California, $320

New Jersey, $311

Massachusetts, $310

Florida, $303

Delaware, $294

10 Least Expensive States

North Dakota, $191

Nebraska, $191

Kansas, $193

Iowa, $196

Oklahoma, $199

South Dakota, $203

Arkansas, $206

Kentucky, $210

Alabama, $211

Tennessee, $214