Planning a Southern beach escape? The stretch between airport baggage claim and beach towel can set the tone for the whole trip — and a new global study says the South delivers some of the fastest transitions in the world.
Ground transportation booking platform Mozio analyzed 100 well-known beach destinations across the U.S., Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. The study measured Google driving time and distance from each destination’s primary commercial gateway to a representative beach point, according to the report.
Key West leads the U.S.
As originally reported by The Sun News, Key West topped the American rankings and came in at No. 3 worldwide, trailing only Cozumel, Mexico, and Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. For travelers who want to trade airplane seats for sand in a hurry, the Florida Keys destination is the country’s easiest option.
The only other U.S. destination in the global top 10 was San Diego, which ranked No. 10.
Three South Carolina beaches in the top 100
South Carolina landed three destinations on the global list, and all three are reachable within an hour of their primary gateway airports.
Myrtle Beach ranked No. 13 in the world — the third-highest U.S. destination behind Key West and San Diego. The beach sits 4.1 miles from Myrtle Beach International Airport, with an estimated 12-minute drive to the shoreline, the study said.
Folly Beach placed No. 63, with an estimated 36-minute drive from Charleston International Airport.
Hilton Head came in at No. 78, with an estimated 54-minute trip from the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport.
What it means for Southern beach planning
For travelers mapping out a Southern beach trip, the study points to a clear tier of quick-access options. Key West offers the shortest airport-to-sand transition in the country. Myrtle Beach delivers a 12-minute post-flight drive that ranks among the shortest anywhere in the world. And for those flying into Charleston or Savannah, Folly Beach and Hilton Head both keep the total airport-to-shoreline time under an hour.
Whether the destination is the Keys or the Carolina coast, the getaway can begin within minutes of the wheels touching down.
This story was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists.