Stay-cations Trending In Idaho

Temperatures are rising, the school year is close to wrapping up and a lot of us are pulling out our checkbooks to budget for the much-anticipated family vacation.

When the recession hit in 2008, Americans seemed to change the way they travel by opting for much cheaper stay-cations, as opposed to expensive flights elsewhere.

It’s the new way of vacationing and sightseeing at home, sometimes without even booking a hotel.

Thousands of people are finding out you don’t have to break your budget to find incredible destinations in Idaho and Wyoming.

We look forward to summer vacations all year long and remember them for the rest of our lives.

But, can we really find that relaxing yet fun-filled experience at home?

A lot of Idahoans are filling up their cars and saying, “Yes, you can!”

“A short road trip? I’d take a short road trip any day, or even a long road trip, if I could avoid flying,” said traveler Bill Johnson.

According to AAA spokesman Dave Carlson out of Boise, in 2011, even though gas prices rose from 60 cents to 70 cents from the year before, six out of ten drivers were not deterred by the high fuel costs and chose to go on road trips.

The other four out of 10 drivers economized their travel plans by sticking close to home, or in other words, enjoying stay-cations.

Carlson said travel patterns are staying fairly close to home.

“Lots of people are going to the national parks. I suspect that will continue again this year as well,” said Carlson.

Gas prices may have finally broken even.

“It appears gas prices rose early, settled early and will remain high. We’re probably not far from where we were a year ago,” said Carlson.

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AAA will announce its 2012 summer travel projections Memorial Day weekend, which will fall on May 28.