With June in bloom and school out until September, now is the time to pack up the suitcases for summer vacation. Perhaps a holiday across several time zones, or a little closer to home -- as in your living room.
In a sign of the depressed economy, or plain depressing times we live in, comes the latest pop culture catch phrase: staycation. I'm not sure who is credited with coining this word (perhaps Al Gore) but it's already slipped into mainstream vernacular. I'm also sure some industrious lad or lass snatched up the online rights to www.staycation.com and sold it to Google.
Although you won't find it in a hardbound dictionary, the definition of "staycation" is a vacation spent close to home. As in "I spent part of staycation mailing 'wish you were here' postcards from my basement." I'm not sure if "staycation" has reached lexicon status, but unfortunately, like gas north of $4 a gallon, it could be here to stay.
The idea behind a staycation is to visit, or revisit overlooked offerings in your proverbial backyard. However, some people barely go beyond their back door. My neighbor mentioned he spent his staycation building a swing set for his daughter.
I'm contemplating an all-expenses-paid-for-already trip out to the garage for my summer staycation.
Obviously a too close to home vacation plan reflects a consumer confidence that hit a 15-year low in May. Staycationers might keep the airline industry grounded, but they present an economic opportunity for others:
-- Temporary work agencies bring unemployed actors into your living room to perform scenes from summer blockbusters for less than a tub of movie theater popcorn. Butter and Jean-Claude Van Damme cost extra.
-- Life coaches come to your house to sort out "mommy" issues and hallway closets.
-- Reality TV producers roll out new shows like "Survivor: The Patterson's Family Room" and "Biggest Losers: The Patterson's Family Room."
Of course you know someone has already printed off "My Family Went on Staycation and All I Got Was This Lousy T-shirt From My Own Bedroom!" T-shirts.
Seemingly gone are the days of the Griswolds loading up the Wagon Queen Family Truckster and driving cross-country to find Walley World closed for maintenance. My fear is that a generation of staycation kids will never get a chance to torment their parents with "Are we there yet?" Nor will they cross that invisible line seperating siblings in the backseat of a Buick.
When driving the land barge to the mall is considered an exotic port of call, the idea of staycations seem, well, here to stay. Perhaps I'll pitch a tent for a few days of family staycation. Who knows, I might send some 'wish you were here' postcards from the backyard.
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