"Staycation" was shoved into our lexicons over the summer, as gas prices spiked and credit was squeezed. Now, with the cost of fuel well off its highest levels, the staycation has given way to yet a new flavor of the non-vacation variatoin: the "naycation". I still don't know why CNN can't just say: "The economy sucks, and nobody can afford to drop big cash on a trip. Or, if they can, they're too petrified to do so, because ... well ... the economy sucks." Instead, they are a bit more helpful, offering nine reasons why travel is likely to be down in 2009.

Highlights:

1. The "economy stinks" (CNN lacks my edge)
2. Staycations were boring
3. The deals weren't good enough
4. We're looking ahead to 2010

Now, there are a few others, such as "we're tired of being lied to." The big one here is the price of jet fuel, which has dropped from more than $140 a barrel in August to below $50 in November. C'mon guys, why are you still spanking us with surcharges?

Even with all these other reasons, it all comes back to a precarious economy in 2009. Remember that the major layoffs of 2008, in many cases, won't be felt until 2009, as severance packages run their courses. People with jobs are petrified, and would rather stick a few thousand dollars in the bank than in the pocket of a European hotelier.

[Via Christopher Elliott (not the one who played Cabin Boy) on CNN.com]

Filed under: Business, Airlines, Budget Travel, News