This summer’s hot vacation spot might be an unlikely one — your own backyard.

With the high cost of airline tickets and gasoline, so-called “staycations” have gained popularity this year. People are visiting nearby cities or local landmarks for a few days instead of traveling to Florida or Europe for weeks at a time.

“There’s evidence that people are staying close to home and looking for three- or four-day vacations,” said Jan Kostner, Illinois Bureau of Tourism deputy director.

Kostner said the Bureau’s Web site has received 20 percent more inquiries this summer than it did a year ago. Midwest residents have flocked to close-by vacation spots in Illinois such as Galena, Utica, Springfield and downtown Chicago.

The way people are getting to these places has changed, too. Kostner said some residents are riding the train instead of driving.

“Amtrak has some great deals, and ridership is up,” she said.

Traveling without a car is feasible for people visiting cities such as Springfield, where most landmarks are within walking distance of hotels, Kostner said.

Fred Teichen owns Carlson Wagonlit Travel in Western Springs. He is still booking the typical week-long vacations and cruises, but he’s come across customers who are interested in vacationing closer to home this summer. These customers have booked trips to Midwest resorts in Wisconsin and Michigan or have opted for the travel agency’s Chicago vacation packages.

John Rainey said business at the William Tell Holiday Inn in Countryside — where he works as general manager — is up 5 percent. The inn is near the start of historic Route 66 and has always been a destination for travelers from the Midwest. Rainey said his guests often take the train into Chicago, but this summer, they seem to be more interested in the local area than in years past.

While some residents are cutting down the distance they travel this summer, some aren’t traveling at all. Instead, they’re using their vacation money to transform their own backyards into personal get-away spots.

“People are investing in landscaping instead of taking frivolous vacations,” said Jeff Swano said, owner of Dig Right In Landscaping in Brookfield.

In past years, Swano said his company received few sales calls in August because many families were on vacation.

“There would be tumbleweeds blowing through the warehouse,” he said.
But this month has been different. Swano said his customers seem to be staying home and sprucing up their yards instead of traveling.

Jim Luurs said sales at his store, Luurs Garden and Flower Shoppe in Hillside, usually jump when travel decreases, such as after 9/11 when people where afraid to fly. He said overall business has been down this year, but sales increased in July when more shurbs and trees were bought than usual.

Kit Ketchmark, owner of Ketchmark Landscaping and Brickpaving in Brookfield, has observed similar trends.

“People are finding the investment they’re making in landscaping is giving them a bigger return now than going on a vacation,” he said, noting his sales are up 5 or 10 percent.

Ketchmark said the majority of his sales this summer have come from patio installations, which have increased 15 percent from last year. He said customers are choosing to employ his renovation landscaping services because they’ve been forced to alter their plans, given the current economic climate.

“Instead of buying a new house and starting all over,” Ketchmark said, “people are adding to what they already have.”

Whether people are traveling to destinations closer to home or retreating to their backyards, the need to get away remains.

“There is a growing number of people wanting to take vacations,” Kostner said. “That has not changed.”