We have already covered the frugal vacationer's plight this summer, as many families will embark on staycations.

Our own Tracy Coenen has shared some great ideas for planning your staycation. Despite the fact that you can make the best of a staycation to explore your hometown, John Hodgman explains what it means to go on a staycation or as he calls it a "holistay." You may know John better for his character "PC," in the Apple ads currently in heavy rotation on TV.

This clip is wonderfully hilarious and brings up an interesting point about positive spin that media in general is giving to the staycation. I suppose the staycation could be a sign that people aren't financing their travel on credit cards.

Me? I'll call a staycation what it is, a bummer! You can watch the embedded clip and surf the web all day during your staycation, but how would that differ from work? Actually, I take it back: Staycations are awesome, especially when you consider that next year due to a failing economy you'll be taking a workcation. You heard it here first.

If you've decided to stay home this holiday weekend, you are not alone. Don't feel bad that you're not planning your annual Memorial Day getaway to the beach. Many people, a majority as a matter of fact, have decided that driving several hours to a weekend getaway is not in the best interest of their wallet.

As a traffic reporter by day, I witnessed a crazy phenomenon this past Friday-before-Memorial-Day. Afternoon rush hour, with no, rush. I couldn't believe it. In my four years in traffic, never have I seen major roadways that lead to shore destinations, so empty. Especially on a weekend where nothing but sunny skies were forecast. I continued through the rush hour watching as traffic patterns in the area thinned out even more, all the while shaking my head in disbelief and saying, "Where the heck is everyone?" By 6pm, when traffic cameras facing shore bound tolls were usually jam packed with sparkly red rear lights, all I saw were motorists pausing briefly to coast through the fast pass lanes. I thought I may have jumped the gun when I turned to my co-workers and said, "Oh man, this has got to be 'cause of the gas prices." But I wasn't wrong.

I looked up at the monitors to see that one of the news stations was reporting exactly my theory. Apparently, 60% of polled Americans report they will be opting to stay closer to home instead of driving to holiday destinations. That's 360,000 less travelers all choosing backyards over beaches.

With gas prices up sixty seven cents from last year, airfare up 8%, hotels up 9%, and rental car rates up a whopping 45%, more people this year are inclined to stay in town rather than venture out onto America's roadways.

And with supermarket prices for cookout supplies getting more expensive at the same time, filling our stomachs looks a lot better than filling our gas tanks.