Thanks to the price of gas, the costs of food, and the economy in general...More and more people are choosing to stay near home for thier vacations.
"Staycations" seem to be the latest trend in family-oriented "time away". Basically, a "staycation" is a vacation from work...taken at home. Many people are choosing to spend time with thier families and do activities that are close to home rather than jump into the Sport Family Truckster and drive all over the country. Touring local attractions rather than spending mass amounts of money to get to a typical "tourist trap" and then not being able to afford to do anything when you get there sounds appealling now that the economy has suffered like it has recently.
The real winners? Local businesses! More money is being spent in the local economy rather than spent outside while more and more familes take advatage of the "staycation".
The real losers? Any business that relies on tourism dollars to stay afloat. With the way things are looking...Tourism is going to take a huge hit this season...
I know I have 3 weeks of vacation coming to me in the following months. I have no plans on going anywhere far from my house. In fact, there are restaurants and museums and water slides and all kinds of things in my back yard I have not even seen yet...and I plan on "staycating" at home this year. (For info on my main "staycation" destination, check out this blog http://activerain.com/blogsview/402174/Sapphires-Sapphires-Everywhere).
Works for me! no airports, traffic or crowds.
DSF -- Yeah, there are decided advantages to this plan, thats for sure! :-) Luckily there are tons of things to do in my town...or just outside of my town that dont require lots of money to do...like sapphire mining!
Clint, What a great and concise post...my wife and I were just discussing such strategies!!! Thanks, Fran
Fran -- Thanks, man. My wife and I were thinking we were going to go on a big trip...now, we get to take lots of little trips and be home every night...or every other night. Its going to be like 3 weeks worth of dating again...lol.
I'm haeding south for a vacation and will fly for the first time in 21 years. Round trip for less then 250.00. You can't beat it. But outside of that it's here i will stay.
Clint- I just returned home from a week in DisneyWorld- It was mobbed.. My thought was, if the economy is so bad how can so many people travel. As Robert states in his comment above, he is flying- We flew and the parking lots were empty so it appeared that most people flew. I do not think Orlando's tourism is going to take a hit. I like the concept though.
Staycation! I like that...
Robert -- Nice price for a ticket. That's about 3 tanks of gas. :-)
Barbara -- There will always be huge destination spots like Disney and such that will be flooded regardless...but, even Vegas is currently stating that its business is down because of the economy. I guess people who are worried about thier gas bill dont make it to the blackjack table as much. :-)
Eugene -- I liked that name...catchy.
Clint..."Staycation" Classic, definitely well said. Like you, most of us Arizonians are staying home. Alot of us like to go rving or down to Rocky Point, but as you said with the economy and the gas prices, not happening.
Michael and Cheron -- Yup, me too! Luckily my family is more interested in seeing things closer to home. I swear, if my son tells me about Qwivals one more time, Im gonna flip out...lol. Something nice about sleeping in your own bed at night...lol.
I just saw a story on CNN last night about this very topic.....They said that rental spaces at RV parks are way down this year...and the costs for the services are up. Double whammy for that industry.
Clint, great post and right on the money. I think the trend will be exactly this. Enjoy your Staycation with the family.
Duane -- Thanks! And I have already spoken with the National Park Service with regard to the potential visitors for Glacier and Yellowstone...and they projected numbers that are 30% below average for this year. So...Im not the only one...
Clint, same here, "home is where the vacation (or staycation) is." May become the new saying....
Duane -- Thats my theme for this summer. :-)
sounds like a great idea. i'm in sw fla and will have to suffer with sandy beaches, gulf waters, great golfing , and boating.
it'll be tough going, but i can handle it.
Jay -- Sounds wonderful...But, You also get hurricanes, wild fires, oppressive humidity, tidal waves, and shark attacks. :-)
Im in NW Montana...I have mountain lakes and blue ribbon trout streams, superiour hiking and camping, 4 fantastic seasons with some of the best skiing in the world....But, by the same token, I also get earthquakes, forest fires, blizzards, avalanches, wolf attacks, grizzly bears rummaging through my garbage cans, and road construction from hell...lol But, I love it!
I will be having a staycation as well. I was going to go back to Florida for a vacation, but instead we are going on a "staycation" right here in our home town. You and your family enjoy your "staycation"
Christy -- And you as well! Hopefully, you can get some good quality staycating in while you are off. :-)
My husband and I tried this a couple of years ago - but we felt like it was a mistake. We just wound up cleaning the house and being couch potatoes. It definitely isn't for everyone.
Michelle -- Unfortunately, it takes a little self discipline to staycate properly. The key is to remember that you are on vacation. I dont stay in my hotel room watching TV when Im on vacation. And, I dont clean my hotel room when I leave in the morning...lol.
So, Im watching CNN Headline News and there is a huge article on there about this very subject. Local attractions are expecting a huge increase in visitations from local residents versus losing business to large attractions far away. High gas prices are keeping far more pople at home this summer.