There's something to be said about taking full advantage of paid time off from work and getting away even if it's only for a few days and with gas prices still over $4.00 a gallon, many people taking vacation time are taking it closer to home than in previous years.

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If you want to go on vacation but need to stay a bit close to home for financial reasons, and if you really enjoy an active life, Albany might be the destination you've been searching for.

A new trend in vacationing is people taking what is called a "fitcation." A fitcation is a vacation that incorporates some type of fitness. The trip doesn't have to be completely fitness centered, but it can if you'd like it to.

My Protein put together a list of the top 20 cities in the United States for a fitcation by looking at a variety of factors such as how many hiking trails each city has, how many yoga studios, and how many places to rent a bike. They also factored in the number of spas and gyms in each city.

Out of all of the cities in America, Albany, which is only a two-hour drive from Binghamton was ranked as being the very best. Albany boasts 15 hiking trails, eight gyms, three places where you can rent an ATV, 23 cocktail lounges, and the average temperature is a comfortable 57 degrees.

Coming in number three on the top 20 list is another New York city - this one Poughkeepsie. Poughkeepsie has four hiking trails, two gyms, one place to rent an ATV, 11 cocktail lounges, and the average temperature in Poughkeepsie is 59 degrees.

If you're thinking it would be nice to travel to our state to the south, Pennsylvania, Scranton is even closer than Albany at only an hour's drive away and it landed at number five on the top 20 list. In Scranton, you'll find three hiking trails, five gyms, ten places where you can rent an ATV, 39 cocktail lounges, and the average temperature is 55 degrees.

See what other cities top the list as best for a fitcation here.

LOOK: Stunning vintage photos capture the beauty of America's national parks

Today these parks are located throughout the country in 25 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The land encompassing them was either purchased or donated, though much of it had been inhabited by native people for thousands of years before the founding of the United States. These areas are protected and revered as educational resources about the natural world, and as spaces for exploration.

Keep scrolling for 50 vintage photos that show the beauty of America's national parks.

RANKED: Here are the most popular national parks

To determine the most popular national parks in the United States, Stacker compiled data from the National Park Service on the number of recreational visits each site had in 2020. Keep reading to discover the 50 most popular national parks in the United States, in reverse order from #50 to #1. And be sure to check with individuals parks before you visit to find out about ongoing, pandemic-related safety precautions at www.nps.gov/coronavirus.

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