Forget New England: Maine’s Shocking Top Dream Destination Is on the Other Side of the US

No matter whether we love winter or not, I think we Mainers can all agree that it drags on way too long.

Believe me, this is not a post bashing winter. I love the season. Give me all the snow in the world so I can hit the slopes or the fields. However, every man and woman has a breaking point where they just need a vacation from the chilly days and Arctic nights.

It would be one thing if winter abruptly ended on March 1 every year, but that is a laughable concept. So, we must cope with it and find various outlets to keep ourselves sane.

Traveling to a Warmer Climate During a Maine Winter is Ideal

One of those outlets is, well, getting the hell out of Maine. Jumping in the family cruiser or jet-setting away to somewhere that's about 50-80 degrees warmer. For many, it's an annual tradition.

Of course, the obvious question now is: where to go? Well, thanks to a popular website, we now know where most Mainers would like to travel during this wonderfully brutal season.

The popular site Mental Floss recently released an infographic all about dream destinations. The site shared analysis from Google that showed where Americans are most interested in traveling. Google used many metrics, including the phrase "flights," to find the most popular travel searches by state. You can read more about the methodology here.

Maine's Most Popular "Dream Destination"

You can imagine that many of the answers were fairly standard. Locations in Mexico, Europe, and the Caribbean came up often. However, for Maine, the number one destination is right here in America—sunny and beautiful San Diego.

This is an excellent choice by Mainers. I mean, how many of us just default to San Diego as the perfect weather destination when we are complaining about our miserable Maine weather? It's essentially the climate we all yearn for when our fingers and toes are numb from the 87th consecutive day of cold and windy temps.

San Diego is also a major city right on the Pacific. It has delicious food (hello, tacos), vibrant entertainment, rich culture, and possibly the most perfect weather on Earth. I mean, it's scientifically proven to be so good.

Here's an excerpt from the travel site TripSavvy explaining why it's so nice.

Technically, it’s categorized as a Mediterranean climate although it tends to be generally more arid and dry than typical cities in the classification because it’s basically a desert with beaches. So summers are less humid and winters are drier and less severe and the proximity to the ocean usually mitigates the heat.

Well, that sounds just about perfect now doesn't it.

READ MORE: Portland, Maine: Not Quite What USA Network Portrayed

I can certainly understand why Mainers would be searching frantically for flights to San Diego, especially considering the insane difference in weather between the two states. Plus, there are all the other wonderful things that come with San Diego's climate. So, good for Mainers for making that choice.

New England's Most Popular "Dream Destinations"

So, what are the dream destinations for the rest of New England? Let’s take a look.

New Hampshire: Orlando
Vermont: Cancun
Massachusetts: Greece
Rhode Island: Bahamas
Connecticut: Puerto Rico

These are all tremendous picks, well, other than New Hampshire.

You can find the entire map here. Happy travels.