Megan and Keith Licursi had eagerly been looking forward to their annual spring vacation: a road trip to see family and bask in the sunshine of Orlando, Florida.
But with petrol prices nudging $4 (Dh15) a gallon and recession fears feeding consumer uncertainty, the couple decided to stay home.
Off-the-road plans
So have some of their neighbours. The tight-knit group of friends, twenty- and thirtysomethings, say they are spending less time on the road in their petrol-guzzling SUVs or minivans — big enough to haul kids, toys and diapers, and coolers filled with juice drinks and snacks.
Recently, the Licursis and their friends gathered to map out ways to be on vacation without spending much: Monthly “BBQ trips'' in their backyards? A rotating “spa day'' at girlfriends' houses? Carpooling to museums or outlet malls?
“It's not that we don't want to go on vacation,'' said Megan Licursi, 30, who runs a small public relations firm. “We just have to be smarter about how we relax.''
This suburban crew on the southern edge of Ohio is far from alone in taking such a belt-tightening approach to down time.
Travel trendwatchers say they are seeing a rise in the number of Americans opting for stay-at-home vacations, or “staycations''.
People are cancelling travel, postponing it for later or opting to take fewer, shorter trips.
When they do hit the road, vacationers tend to be far more frugal with their travel dollars, said Peter Yesawich, chairman and chief executive of Ypartnership, an Orlando-based travel marketing company.
“To Americans, vacations are still considered a birthright,'' Yesawich said. “People are trading down, not out.''
For some families, it's a matter of figuring out which trip is necessary and which is a whim that doesn't fit into the budget.
For others, financial concerns mean changing warm-weather traditions altogether.
For more than two decades, Barry Bash has spent two weeks of his summer vacation camping with friends in Pennsylvania.
He also drives to visit friends in Detroit — a 2,000-mile round trip from his home in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
“My 1992 GMC Suburban gets nine miles to the gallon when fully loaded. It would cost over $700 (Dh2,571) in fuel, round-trip, to go to Detroit,'' said Bash, 46, who runs an online historical toys and collectibles shop. “The camping trip I can't miss. Detroit will have to wait.''
The impact of the increased cost of petrol is cited by many as a key reason for scaling back.
The travel price index of the Travel Industry Association, a Washington-based trade group, showed that, in February, petrol prices jumped nearly 33 per cent from a year earlier while air fare increased 7.6 per cent and lodging was up by 3.4 per cent.
Economic adjustments
All this led the Licursis and their neighbours to brainstorm at-home vacation ideas.
All have made adjustments to their daily lives to deal with the new economic reality and the jolt the rising cost of petrol has had on their routines.
Jennifer Lowry, 34, a stay-at-home mum, used to spend less than $40 (Dh147) to fill up her Explorer. Now it takes $60 (Dh220) and that barely covers a week's worth of running errands.
Eric and Tara Brock own a Ford F250 pickup truck with dual tanks. Recently, it cost $95 (Dh349) to fill it up. But now the cost hovers around $150 (Dh551).
A few years ago, the Licursis bought a boat, called The Domino Effect, to fish and camp at local lakes. The Brocks, too, bought a 25-foot cruiser.
“We bought the truck to tow our boat,'' said Tara Brock, 27, an occupational therapist. “Think petrol is expensive for the truck? It's nothing compared to the boat.''
The boats became a primary source of outdoor fun for these neighbours. The families would spend lazy summer days cruising along the lakes and rivers, and star-lit evenings grilling their catch of the day at campgrounds.
But as petrol prices rose, the Licursis and Brocks realised the summer outings were taking a huge bite out of their budget: One day on the boat translated into hundreds of dollars in fuel costs.
“Petrol at the marinas is typically around $1 (Dh3.67) more on the water than it is on the streets and in the neighbourhood,'' said Keith Licursi, 31, who works for a financial investment firm. To save money, the two couples scaled back their plans.
Scaling down
The Brocks decided to sell their boat and the truck that used to pull it. The Licursis recently moved theirs to a new marina 15 minutes from their home, rather than an hour away.
They decided to fill up portable petrol cans in town to cut the cost of marina petrol.
And when they're actually on the water, they will spend more time anchored near a marina than eating up petrol exploring.
“It'll be ‘floating' cruises,'' said Eric Brock, 34.
The Brocks recently bought a house in a suburb of Cincinnati. They now live about ten miles from their friends. “It's right off the bus line,'' Eric said.
Creations
Staycations, mancations, babymoons ... here's a list of stupidcations — that is, a themed trip and the requisite cute thing to call it.
Altarcations: Trips taken for the express purpose of being in weddings
Oblication: A trip to visit relatives you don't really want to visit.
Elderhostiles: Finally, a name for all those trips angry senior couples take.
Foreclojourney: How disgraced CEOs of subprime lenders may well escape responsibility.
Vacajuns: Louisiana weekends that skimp on neither gumbo nor zydeco are.
Whine country tour: When the 4-year-old continually asks, “Are we there yet?''
Fakation: You get the grandparents to watch the kids, lie and tell everyone you're leaving town, then luxuriate in your holiday.
Cellabreaktion: A trip on which nobody brings a cellphone.
Pill Grim Age: Visiting a place solely for the cheap prescription drugs?
