You don’t need us to tell you that airfares are crazy high, hotels in major metropolitan areas are expensive as ever and gas prices continue to soar like parasails over the tropical blue waters you’d hoped to visit this summer. While the state of travel in Summer ‘08 has led some to declare a rash of “staycations,” let me be the first to squash that idea. Sure, holing up at home for a week and watching Rock of Love reruns sounds great while you’re toiling away at work. But I dare you to try it. By day three, it’s likely you’ll be doing laundry, cleaning out some long-forgotten container of stuff underneath your bathroom sink and wistfully wondering what the chaps back at the office are up to. Sigh.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. You know the old truism that what you’re looking for is often staring you right in the face? Well, consider that your new philosophy for summer ‘08. This year, we think the secret to a great summer vacation is right in front of you. It’s high time to go regional and dive into all those close-to-home attractions that you’ve likely overlooked in recent years, passed by on your way to major tourist destination cities or flown over on your way outside the country.

In the coming days, we’ll be rounding up some of Kayak’s favorite regional gems, budget-friendly cities and far-out festivals to help you find summer fun. So stay tuned for a slew of great, affordable summer vacation ideas.

Does your town harbor regional gems, intriguing festivals or hidden hot spots? Leave a comment and tell us about them. Or get in touch directly with me at lsanders (at) kayak (dot) com.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 16th, 2008 at 7:16 pm and is filed under Deals, Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.