Iowa’s Most Popular Travel Destination This Year is in the Southwest

Iowans looking at flights this winter are heading to a place much warmer than Iowa!

Earlier this month, Mental Floss published an article highlighting the "Dream Travel Destination" for all 50 states. I feel that title is slightly misleading, though. It's more like... the most popular travel destination for all 50 states. Here's how the results were determined:

"Analysts from Google Trends created a map that highlights the most popular travel destinations for residents of each state. The map is based on data collected from January 1, 2025, to February 27, 2025. The analysts used the phrase flights to to determine which destinations people in every state were searching for the most."

If you're wondering where Iowans are headed this year, the answer is just a short flight away. According to the data, Phoenix, Arizona is Iowa's most popular travel destination right now. It makes much more sense now that I know it's not Iowa's DREAM travel destination. That's not to say that Phoenix isn't awesome. In fact, I went there for the first time last February! But, if you could go anywhere in the whole world, would you really choose Arizona?

Let's take a look at some of the other popular travel destinations in the Midwest:

• Minnesota - Las Vegas, Nevada
• Wisconsin - Fort Meyers, Florida
• Illinois - Mexico City, Mexico
• Missouri - Los Angeles, California
• Nebraska - Thailand
• South Dakota - Japan

I've got a few vacations on the schedule this year, but nothing that requires a flight. I am headed back to Ireland in 2026, though! Where are you traveling to in 2025? Let us know in the comments or by sending us a message on our station app!

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