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No, really, this is just as fun as going to Hawaii. The staycation appears to be here to stay.
The nation’s long-running economic doldrums have helped one frugal trend to thrive: the staycation.
About 24 percent of American workers are considering a staycation this year to save money and another 11 percent will definitely take one, according to a quarterly survey conducted by Principal Financial Group.
That’s about the same as last year.
The staycation – otherwise known as staying at home and working really hard at pretending it’s just as great as being in Hawaii, Europe or even Grandma's house in the country – first emerged as a trend when the economy started slowing about five years ago. It’s a chance to be a tourist in your own hometown and explore the local haunts or relax in the backyard while saving money on hotels and travel expenses.
Although the staycation has endured, the survey did reveal some evidence that Americans are feeling a little less nervous about money this summer than in past years.
About 13 percent of those surveyed said they had drastically altered their vacation plans to save money, down from 16 percent from last year.
Another 20 percent said they had slightly altered their plans, and 40 percent hadn’t changed their plans at all to save money. Those results are about the same as the previous four years.
Still, only 5 percent said they’d altered their plans to spend more money. In addition, 21 percent weren’t planning to take a summer vacation at all.
The survey of 1,135 U.S. workers was conducted in late April and early May as part of the Principal Financial Well-Being Index.
The most common fears affecting people’s summer vacation plans were rising fuel prices and not having enough money. About one fourth of respondents also cited loss of a job, the price of airfare or being busy at work.
Other research also has shown that fuel prices have been a key issue in keeping people from booking a summer vacation. In Marchthe U.S. Travel Association found that 54 percent of Americans said increasing gas prices would impact their summer vacation plans. In addition, 43 percent said there plans would be affected if airfares went up because of high fuel prices.
The good news: Gas prices have recently been falling in some places. The bad news: Some say it's because of fears the global economy is getting weaker.
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Just 2 months ago the predictions were gas hitting 5 dollars per gallon.
It is approaching $3.25 here in the Northeast.
Some parts where i live, it's already below that
Could have fooled me! I've seen more new pickups that any other time before!
Wow! ONLY $3.25 a gallon? Whoopdee doo.
When was this story written? Gas prices have been going DOWN in my area for the last two months.
No worries, soon gas will be $1 and most of you won't have a job. Google for DEFLATIONARY CRASH to understand why. Then you can take all the vacation you want!
It's only $3.12 here. I say "only" like that's cheap. ha! that's in the south.
wow it is 3.85 here in IN.
Here is CA It's $4.29.
Indy ought to be ashame of themselves for gouching their own residents like that. You're almost equal to cali.
Yes, it is always high here. We have a lot of gas tax.
It's $3.85 in Detroit, too--at the cheaper stations, and it's a bit lower in price than it was earlier this year.
diesel fuel still cost $ 3.75 to 3.85 per gallon in fla. In the rest of the country, it even cost more. RV parks and camp grounds have raised prices as well. Motel rates are off the wall even at the flea bag motels. ( run by rag heads) it has gotten to the point that only the rich and shameless can take vacations. people in with the government jobs, sence they can go on your dime. state parks are even raising prices for over nite stays or not allowing it anymore.
Taking the kids out to see their own country is just to expensive anymore. families traveling together across America is quickly going to the wayside. It is becoming totally unaffordable. If you want to see America, you will have to become a cross country truck driver. that way you can see this country as it passes by your window, but you won't have time to stop and actually see it and experience it. This country has so much to see and yet we do not have the income today to travel with families and get to know this great land we live in. I am 66 years old and have not even seen 10 states in this country. WHAT A SHAME>
Family summer vacations were a phenomena of the Middle Class. The trend away from taking them is in keeping with the disappearance of the Middle Class, as we have known it for the 60 years prior to the 2008 Great Recession. I don't see this trend reversing any more than I see any other negative trend that spells the end of the cultural and economic phenomena known as the Middle Class. It's not just a matter of gas price. Moreover, the forces at work on dismantling the Middle Class are global and have been in play for a long time and cannot be reversed. While I admire the Democrats and Obama's goals to preserve the Middle Class, I believe that they are wasting their time.
Gas prices aren't the only factor here- how about being jobless to boot! With no income flow it's hard to fill the tank let alone have a vacation... or even a staycation!
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Price of gasoline has been dropping for a while now. That is probably not the main reason people are staying home. They are probably afraid of what may be coming with jobs and the economy and are just being frugal.
Energy Cartel GREED, pure and simple.
See how these little minds hold on to their exorbitant profits.
Fuel is way over priced, and ruining the world economy.
It's a shame that D.C. caters to these Elitists at Middle Class expense. JMJ
We can vote them all out in November. Even with all new people in thier
how bad can it be????
I have been keeping trck on what we were paying for gas back in 2009. With oil at $97.63 per barrel, we are paying here $3.69 per gallon regular unleaded. Back in 2009, It was $2.29 with oil at what it is now!! WTF!!!!! GREED!!!! Thats all it is GREED!!!
BigBoy
If it was greed the price of gas would be $10.00 per gallon.
Put your BigBoy pants on and Grow up.
The middle class dude is tapped out !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vacations are not just about the middle class, don't know where that came from. Maybe the TYPE of vacation is tied to the middle class? I'm 47, and remember years we took no vacation/had a staycation because money was tight. Other years we camped, or went to local state parks in cabins, etc... For many years now we have gone to beaches on the East Coast ( a few years at Rehoboth Beach Del, last 15 at Stone Harbor NJ ). Still, to keep costs low, we go off peak, we put two families ( at least ) in a house, take food to cook instead of eating out, etc... My wife's family, however, has the entitlement attitude: no matter what the money was like they HAD to have a nice vacation, which meant a destination vacation, and eating out. Glad I finally broke the wife of that attitude. Anyhow, about the classes: I had friends and family who were poor, they would still take a week vacation in summer, but it was the highlight of their year; and it typically was camping out in the forest or going to a relative's out of state. In the past 20-25 years society/media have sold us on the idea that every vacation has to be Disney or disney like, has to be memorable, has to be extravagant. Vacation to me means I am off work! Whether I stay home and relax or catch up on chores; go see some local things, or head to the beach - it doesn't matter as long as I'm not working.
I feel for those who are not working, I know that they are not "on vacation" and probably cannot do one. But everyone else, it's a matter of priorities and attitude. don't have to do Disney or Hawaii, just be with family and friends!
The Upper Class don't take vacations subject to the whim of gasoline prices. The article attempts to capture the nostalgia of middle class vacations where the family loaded up the station wagon (in Romney's case with the dog strapped to the roof) and drove to the mountains or the beach using Dad's two-week vacation. The rich don't travel that way.
Or in obamas case having a dog bbq when they got to their destination.
Whatever. I truly doubt over the years you said to yourself, "We are having a staycation!" Just because everyone else uses crappy made-up words to sound cute doesn't mean you have to.
@ pittsburghboy......agree with what you say, but going to the Jersey Shore and even taking all the steps that you hit on to save money, it is still not a cheap proposition. There are so many things that just nickel & dime you to death there. Especially, with the kids. You have to buy them something from the boardwalk. eg: a slice, a custard, fudge, you see where i'm going. Then they hit you for beach badges. (that's a bunch of BS to begin with) I have been to beaches in FLA & CA that were BEAUTIFUL with showers at every corner with no beach badge BS. EVERYTHING seems to be expensive now as soon as you walk out the door. Right from the word "go". AND gas, c'mon folks! If it was $2.50 a gallon, it would still be TOO much. The profits the oil companies take in are obscene. I can afford a vacation (i'm single & working) but i can not find the time to leave work that long. I am basically a one man team even though i work with about 50 other people. Nothing is easy anymore in life it seems, except worrying about what will be. Happy Summer everybody.
I don't think that an annual vacation no matter what is about entitlement. Growing up we took a vacation every summer. Never anything fancy, usually a week at the beach or in the mountains, but always a location that we drove to. Even the one year that my dad was out of work for a few months, we still went. Like my mom always said, my dad works so hard all year, the least he deserves is a week off to do nothing.
My husbands family on the other hand is the exact opposite. Growing up they took a vacation once or twice. I've broken him of that habit mighty quickly. We take at least 1 or 2 week long trips a year, and another 1 or 2 weekend getaways.
Fuel cost has the least impact on vacations for us, what hurts is the cost of eating out three meals and the hotel expense. With a family of five we can only afford to take an 'expensive' traveling vacation every other year. Both my wife and I have money deducted from our checks to fund the 'real' vacations. Otherwise, it is stay local and visit the amusement parks, camping and one day site seeing trips.
In the end, it is all about spending quality time with the family and this can be done at home in the backyard as well!
My family of five got around a lot of that extra cost. We very rarely stay in hotels anymore. For several years now, we've rented houses, cabins or condos for the week. It's usually cheaper, cleaner, we have more room, more privacy, more comfort and we cook and eat most of our meals at the house. We also usually get more of a flavor of what the area we're in is really like. In a couple of weeks we'll be in a house near Vegas that sleeps 10 and has a built in pool. Cost is about $150/night. There are a lot of websites out there for this - check it out.
You've probably also run into one of my pet peeves that most hotel rooms can only accommodate up to four people and they usually want me to buy an extra room.
I live on Maui so why the hell would I want to go anywhere else.
"Hi, I'm Didi Ah-Yo and away we go with another great deal from Creative Holidays!" How would Didi Ah-Yo (1949-2004) and Creative Holidays even exist if people in Hawaii didn't want to visit other places on Earth?
They report crap like this like it a shock or surprise that most people in America are affected by high gas prices! So long to the American dream! What a joke!
And Obozo is the head clown.
Wasn't it just a couple of weeks ago that MSNBC had an article here saying more people were taking vacations this year because the average fuel was "only" $3.75 per gallon?
The Obama Family feels your pain.... as they jet off to yet another multimillion dollar vacation on the taxpayers dime.
Oh really? A "multimillion dollar" vacation? Obama has been to his home only twice since taking office, and only one of those was an overnight stay. How many times did Bush visit and stay in Crawford Texas?
The man is entitled to take vacations away from the WH... as far as multimillion dollar ones, I think your math is way off.
So what is your calculation for 3 jumbo jets and an armored column for a night in NYC?
As far as 6 vacations a year,well it's good if you can get it I guess.
So if Bush did it,it's wrong but Obama deserves it,I got ya'.
Yeah I guess he should just stay home 24/7 - that is sure to lower your taxes, about 1/500th of a cent, if you even pay at all.
Fuel prices are down from what they were last summer. If more people stay home, it's because consumer optimism is at a low.... Some people are squirreling away cash for emergencies.
gasoline prices were higher four years ago (June-July 2008, the Bush years)
Was this story written last year and just kept on the hard drive until now???
I see the crude oil prices in a huge freefall, yet I see the price of gas go UP! Now, how do those bastards justify that??? Must be that NEW math I've been hearing about!
The free market profit motive. Here is how you get them back--next car you buy, get one that is more fuel efficient. Get your congressmen to push for more car fuel efficiency. Drive less--I just started using a bike after 40 years to do my errands within 2 miles from my house. The issues is not what is the price of a gallon of gas, but what % of your income goes to gas. Strive to make it a lower percentage.
Also, drilling for more oil is not the answer. New oil sources in many countries only make sense to get at $100 per barrel. At lower prices the cost of getting the oil out is not justified. Gingrich's $2.00 a gallon oil is in Saudi Arabia, because all you have to do is stick your finger in the sand and out it comes. But those days are over. Get used to higher gas prices and just change how you use it.