Are These The Best Winter Vacation Destinations?

For travelers looking to hit the road this winter, U.S. News & World Report released its annual rankings of the best winter vacations destinations.

The study ranked 20 global destinations that would be perfect for travelers exploring the world during the year's coldest months. In addition, U.S. News also ranked the best affordable winter vacations, the best winter family vacations and the best Christmas vacations.

For the best overall winter vacation category, the results found that Rome was the top option in 2017, followed by Dubai, Honolulu, Quebec City and Auckland, respectively. Rome also topped the list of best affordable winter vacations, followed by Quebec City, Auckland, Seville and Costa Rica rounding out the top five.

Travelers hitting the road with their families this winter will be happy to know that Orlando topped the list of best destinations thanks to the Walt Disney World Resort. The other top-ranked locations include Anaheim (Disneyland), Branson, Honolulu and Whistler, British Columbia.

"While many people stay home for the holidays, other travelers like to take advantage of their time off and look to escape to somewhere new," U.S. News travel editor Gwen Shearman said in a statement. "U.S. News' Best Winter Vacations offer a variety of family-friendly and affordable getaways for every traveler, whether that's a winter wonderland or tropical oasis."

New for this year, is the U.S. News' ranking of the best places to visit for a holiday vacation, including Prague, which takes the No. 1 spot, followed by Vienna, Taos, London and New York City, respectively.

The U.S. News best vacation lists were determined by analyzing more than 300 destinations using a methodology that combines travelers' opinions with expert and editor analysis. Each destination was scored in 10 categories.

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