Staycation“Vacation: Two weeks on the sunny sands – and the rest of the year on the financial rocks.” – Sam Ewing

Last week, I asked Queercents readers what their tipping point was with gasoline prices… some said $3.50 per gallon while others indicated $5.00. Point being, people are rethinking how much time they spend in the car.

They’re also rethinking where they’re vacationing this summer. Many are staying home. Or taking a staycation instead of a vacation. Andy Wibbels didn’t coin the phrase, but he pointed readers to this article that did: Staycations: Alternative to pricey, stressful travel:

AAA Vice President Mark Brown says the slowing economy and high fuel prices “have pushed some Americans to what we call the traveling tipping point. It’s clear that a small number of us may choose to stay home … and relax with friends and family rather than take a vacation.”

Gas prices appear to “have nowhere to go but up, and consumers and airlines in the United States are being dragged along for a very uncomfortable ride,” Brown said.

Economics aside, “staying at home for a vacation can be enormously restorative and transformative and fits much, much better into a lot of people’s schedules and logistics,” said Kristie McLean, a life coach in Seattle, Washington.

So what’s the secret to making a staycation a success? Making plans. Otherwise, the experts warn that it’s tough to avoid sloth mode. Plus, staying home means it’s easy to stay plugged into work:

Being close to home probably means you’ll have e-mail access and you’re physically close to work. But just because you can check your e-mail or scroll through your BlackBerry doesn’t mean you should.

So if you really need a get-a-way to unplug, then check out these Queercents suggestions: