There's a subgenre of tourism. The tacky name, invented by marketers to create a buzz, or to create demand for some sort of niche travel that no one really considered a niche before.
There was the mancation. Then the procreation vacation. And now: the staycation.
“Staycations” are just “trips” which locals take to resorts in their own area, thereby avoiding travel, or even much of a change of scenery. “In-town vacation” was what this used to be called, no? But “staycation” just sucks as a name.
Sure, it's friendlier on the environment to skip the carbon-guzzling travel side of the equation, and not everyone is game for a vacation that involves staying on a hotel’s compound. But few people live close enough to a real destination to make this worth their while.
Will this trend take off? Maybe, but I hope the name doesn't.
Update: “Staycation” is already in the Urban Dictionary! Since 2006, no less! Crikey.
译文:
2008年之禁语：“宅度假”
确实是有这么一类旅游的模式。这个有点俗气的名字是由那些商人提出的，他们只想发出一个讯息， 或者应该说他们先于他人表现出了对于利基旅行的觅寻。
曾经确实有过专属于男性的旅游模式。随后接踵而来的是孕妇之旅。那么今天呢：“宅度假”。
其实，“宅度假”就是一种范围局限于个人私有空间内的“旅行”，因此，避免了真正意义上旅行的周折，甚至是对于周围景致变迁的不习惯。“市内假期”不就是“宅度假”的前身么？但是“宅度假”现在还只是处在起步阶段。
当然，在这样的环境下，我们可以逃离似乎公式化了的酒会式的旅行，而且并不是人人都喜欢这种酒店聚会式的度假模式。但是，只有极少部分的人能够在生活中尽可能的达到这样的目的，以至于难以理解“宅度假”这样的旅游方式的价值。
这样的趋势会有所减弱吗？也许吧，但是我希望“宅度假”能找到它的栖息之所。
更新注释：“宅度假”这一词已在2006年被列入了城市字典里！绝对不夸张的哦。