Top 10 Vacation Catchphrases of the Decade

Dec. 21, 2009— -- As the decade comes to a close, it is a good time to look at an incredible 10 years in travel, dominated by the growth of the Internet search, mega-cruise ships and add-on fees everywhere, especially the airlines.

The folks at Cheapflights.com have reviewed how our travel vocabulary has changed this decade, and in fact completely new words have entered our vernacular as a result of innovations in the travel industry. The most common, and recent, is probably "staycations" -- those recession-era trips close to home.

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Melanie Nayer, senior site editor for Cheapflights.com, puts the Internet up there with the top changes of the decade, although there is no phrase on the list to reflect it.

"The online space has really made it easier for people to travel. Now you can book online, search for your prices online and your flights online," Nayer said.

Her favorite new travel term?

"I thought the 'procreation vacation' was hilarious," Nayer said. "I think it's great."

She said hotels and airlines generally came up with most of these terms because they come up with creative ideas to help generate sales.

"A vacation is a vacation, right? So if you want to put a name to it and that gets you excited about it, go for it," Nayer said.

Next 10 Years of Travel

Looking forward to the next 10 years, she said we will see several innovations, including the introduction of space travel and Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, which originally was aimed at making flights "a more luxurious ride for economy" passengers. The plane is designed to have better air pressure and humidity because of its composite construction. Whether or not that luxurious ride will materialize, she added, remains to be seen.

"The trend of fees will also probably continue although nobody is quite sure how," Nayer said. "I think what people need to realize is that airline tickets are at an all-time low. It's those additional things that add up. Even though airlines are charging for in-flight meal or drinks or what have you, it's still less than what you paid 10, 15 years ago for the overall ticket."

Below is the Cheapflights.com list of the 10 new travel phrases of the decade:

Staycation: A vacation that is spent at or near one's home enjoying all that your local neighborhood offers. This can include day trips to area attractions. The combination of high gas prices and the recession made this a popular term in the last two years as people looked to escape but couldn't afford a traditional vacation.

Babymoon: The period before a baby is born or a couple gets pregnant. It's sort of like a second honeymoon. The couple knows that after the baby is born they will not get to do the same things due to the responsibility of having a baby.

Mancation: A vacation where males engage in guy activities such as sports, camping or gambling with their only male friends. No wives or girlfriends allowed.

Procreation Vacation: This one is pretty self-explanatory -- a trip with a romantic setting with other related amenities. And hey, it never hurts to throw in a "mile-high club" reference or two in the sales pitch, especially for those airlines offering premium customers private bedroom suites in the plane.

Vacations for Couples or the Whole Family

Ex-cation: Just proving that the travel industry will think of anything to market a vacation, enter the ex-cation, a trip taken to forget about a recent break-up.

Spacecation: With Virgin Galactic promising trips to outer space this phrase could catch on in the next decade.

Nacation: A play on the words naked and vacation. We'll just leave it at that.

Kidcation: Family vacations that focus on the kids. It could be a trip to an amusement park or something else centered around the kids.

Girlfriend Getaway: A girls-only trip. The counterpart to the mancation, but with totally different activities.

Rejuvenation Vacation: A stress-free time out from the challenges of everyday life. The best example is a trip to a beach where there is no Internet or Blackberry service.