When times get tough, people make up words. The 1970s popularized “stagflation.” The turn of the millennium brought the “dot-com” boom, then bust.

And now there’s the summer “staycation.”

Capturing both America’s battle with gas prices and its thirst for summer relaxation, the word blends the less appealing “stay” — as in the car’s gas tank is on empty and the airlines want $15 to check a duffle, $50 for leg room, $10 for a sandwich and another $5 for the headset — with that much needed “vacation.”

It’s a rosy way of saying the economy is nasty. And perhaps that’s why retailers and the local tourism industry are fond of the staycation.

Wal-Mart’s “destination backyard” campaign is all about staying home and enjoying a new patio set. And in La Conner, hotels, inns and bed and breakfasts are looking to locals, aware that high gas prices could keep more distant travelers away.

Then there’s the variant, where people enjoy what they already have: a garden, friends and family or a nearby park — July is National Park and Recreation Month after all.

Regardless of the staycation style, more people are keeping close to home this summer.

Fewer travelers took to the road for the 2008 Memorial Day weekend than in 2007, according to AAA.

The association also projects fewer Americans will travel 50 or more miles away from home during the Fourth of July weekend, with a 1.2 percent decrease in automobile travel and a 2.3 percent decrease in air travel from a year ago.

“Clearly gas prices are continuing to take a toll on travelers’ budgets,” AAA spokesperson Janet Ray said in a written statement.

On average, gas is $4.34 a gallon in Washington, according to AAA. Last month it was 31 cents less a gallon, and last year it was $1.23 less.

Airfare also has jumped 13 percent from last year’s Fourth of July weekend prices.

Shelly Davis, who owns the Queen of the Valley Inn in La Conner, likes the staycation concept, even if she’s not crazy about the term.

“Stupid word, great idea, I say,” Davis said.

She’s giving $50 gas cards to guests who stay three or more consecutive nights. And now other local restaurants, shops and inns are offering incentives to so-called “staycationers.”

“Right here in Skagit County, Whatcom County, Island County, I think that is really who the staycation is for — people who live close by who have not thought of staying in La Conner,” Davis said. “So many people are changing their vacation plans, not driving so far. They really need to see La Conner.”

This year she’s hosted guests from Big Lake, Bellingham, Arlington, Marysville and other nearby locales.

Cassie Forsell, a high school teacher from Arlington, has already stayed at the Queen of the Valley Inn twice this year. And she has joked about spending a night in each of the inn’s six rooms by the time school starts this fall.

“It is just so pretty here. I do not see what would be the point of going on a plane ride,” said Forsell, who takes a short overnight or day trip about every other month. “The point really is to take me away from my standard routine. When I do that I feel fresher at work.”

For Davis, taking a personal staycation meant leaving La Conner. So she went to Conway.

“It was just for 24 hours, but it was absolutely the best tonic to get away from our own little house,” Davis said of the trip to her in-laws’ farm, which included stops at Rexville Grocery and Snow Goose Produce.

Jean Cain of Clear Lake did not travel much further on a recent weekend.

“My friends will go like five hours, and it is like why?” Cain said at her campsite at Washington Park in Anacortes.

Her husband Dave Cain said their truck gets 12 miles per gallon when pulling their camp trailer. But staying local is not so much about saving gas, he said. They just do not see the point of driving hours on the road when there are nice parks so close to home.

But the couple did make another decision based on fuel prices: They sold the 25-foot Bayliner they used to take to the San Juans.

“I miss boating definitely,” Dave Cain said. “It’s just not economical.”

Instead, the Cains planned to spend their Saturday biking the Tommy Thompson Parkway in Anacortes, going to the La Conner Summer Street Fair and then coming back to Washington Park, where they are staying with their three small dogs.

Local outings are certainly nothing new — the Cains have been taking similar trips for years — but statistics showing declines in holiday driving and air travel are drastic enough that the travel industry is now taking notice, and trying to capitalize.

The popular Fodor’s travel guide company, like Davis and her Queen of the Valley Inn, banks on people not staying at home.

So the company also pounced on the staycation, trying to dress up the nongetaway. But the result is probably not a money saver.

“The Savor Seattle package celebrates the city’s food scene and includes a stay in a deluxe room with a separate sitting area, large bath, and great views of the Seattle skyline,” states a Fodor’s article about staycations.

The $499-per-night package includes a four-course dinner at a restaurant known for celebrity sightings, Fodor’s reported.

Major retailers are looking to flip the “staying at home to save money” trend as well. Just about every store with a housewares department is well-stocked with lawn chairs and grills — just about everything shoppers need for a comfortable “staycation.”

Elliott Wilson can be reached at 360-416-2147 or at .