Methodology · Reviewed October 2026
How Wayscore scores destinations
Every destination in the Wayscore finder is rated from 0 to 10 on six things that shape a trip. The Wayscore Travel Desk researches each rating against public data and official sources, then reviews it at least every quarter, and sooner when a government advisory changes.
Your personal score in the finder is a weighted average of these six ratings, using the importance you set on each slider. If you choose a travel month, destinations get +0.3 when it is one of their best months and −0.4 when it is not.
Safety
Starts from the current U.S. State Department advisory level for the country, then adjusts for the specific city using local crime reports, the Global Peace Index and recent traveller reports. Level 1 countries usually start around 8.5–9.5; Level 2 around 6–8.5. Cities with well-documented petty crime or scams lose points even when violent crime is rare.
Main sources: U.S. Department of State travel advisories; UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office travel advice; Global Peace Index (Institute for Economics & Peace).
Cleanliness
Combines air quality (annual PM2.5 averages), tap-water safety and the state of streets and public transport that visitors use most.
Main sources: WHO air quality database; CDC destination health pages on food and water.
Locals
How welcoming the city feels to visitors: guest-review sentiment, how easy it is to get by in English, and tourist-scam frequency.
Main sources: EF English Proficiency Index; Aggregated guest-review sentiment.
Things to do
The range and quality of attractions: museums, historic sites, nature within a day trip, food scene and nightlife. Breadth matters more than a single famous sight.
Main sources: UNESCO World Heritage list; National tourism boards.
Value
Typical mid-range daily cost for one traveller: a 3-star double room shared, three meals, local transport and one paid attraction. Lower cost relative to quality scores higher. Daily budgets are shown in U.S. dollars.
Main sources: Local price surveys; Numbeo cost-of-living data.
Weather
How many months of the year are pleasant for sightseeing (roughly 18–28°C / 64–82°F with limited rain), plus extremes like monsoon or burning seasons. Best months shown on each destination come from the same data.
Main sources: National meteorological services; Long-term climate normals.
Live official advisories
Destination panels, trip plans and safety guides also show the live U.S. State Department advisory level and summary, plus current CDC travel health notices, pulled directly from the official feeds and refreshed twice a day.
AI estimates
When you search for a city that is not yet in our catalog, the finder can produce an AI estimate. These are clearly labelled "AI estimate", are not reviewed by our editors, and are not published as pages for search engines. The official advisory shown next to them is real.
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will check it against the latest sources.