It's a hot time for a 'staycation'
The trendy thing to do these days, what with penny-pinching all the rave during a struggling economy, is to have stay-at-home vacations, or "staycations."
"That's what you call a vacation spent at or near home, and with gas prices still climbing in a belt-tightening economy, the Schwarzes are among the many Americans expecting to be in their backyards a lot this summer," according to a recent Associated Press story.
The story cited a Rand McNally survey, which found two-thirds plan to shorten or cancel summer road trips.
Al Behrman/The Associated Press
Retailers including Wal-Mart are trying to take advantage of that trend by rolling back prices on items including DVD players and barbecue accessories such as grills and sauce. Landscaping supplies are also hot these days.
But here's the rub: What if you are like many other people who don't have backyards? Being couped up inside watching movies on gorgeous, bright-blue summer days because you can't afford the gas to go somewhere, let alone the lodging, isn't something you'd euphemistically call a "staycation." Probably a "just shoot me now vacation."
Consider this cheaper alternative: Camping or staying at a cabin closer to home, say somewhere here in North Carolina or Virginia, or at least make a day trip out of it. Lots of great places to explore. Fox 8 put together a pretty cool interactive map highlighting some road trip hot spots.
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