Why these are Road Warriors' favorite cities for business trips

— -- Life on the road is tough for many frequent business travelers, but some destinations make the constant travel so much easier to take.

They're downright appealing places that business travelers look forward to visiting because of a special restaurant or hotel, nightlife, geography or the friendliness of locals.

CHARTS:Road Warriors' top U.S. destinations | Foreign destinations

USA TODAY asked very frequent business travelers who are volunteer members of the newspaper's Road Warrior panel for their favorite destinations.

About 175 responded, including Steven Metcalf of Live Oak, Fla., who says he's enjoyed most of his 165 nights this year away from home.

"I won't leave work just to eat dinner and sit in a hotel room," says the manager in the logistics industry. "I get out and about town. I'll go to a local fair or flea market, walk the mall, or take a drive into the country surrounding the city."

Metcalf enjoys driving to the Rocky Mountains outside Denver for dinner at a diner or drives up beautiful Clear Creek Canyon to the little gambling town of Black Hawk.

He also loves Seattle, its surrounding countryside and the nearby horse track, where it's "great to watch the horses run while the mountains overlook the track."

Richard Leck of Bedford, N.H., likes New York for its many dining and entertainment options, Chicago for its pizza — particularly Giordano's, Lou Malnati's or Gino's East — and Hawaii for dinners near the beach in shorts and a T-shirt.

"It is always nice to go someplace with physical beauty that you don't see every day at home," says the president of a management consulting firm who was away from home about 135 nights this year. "It is typically little things that make the difference, because a day on the road is so routine, and rarely do you see anything but traffic and an office."

Faith Varwig of Olivette, Mo., says out-of-town travel is "what you make it," and food "tells the story of the city and the people who live there."