Holiday Vocabulary for the New Millennium – What’s in a Name?
Everyone is familiar with the word stay-cation, invented to describe staying at home instead of traveling during work vacations. It’s about mowing the lawn, feeding the cat, watching TV, ordering pizza… yawn… are we bored yet?
The genius who created this little hybrid word started a trend; one that is almost out of control today. New names are popping up like mushrooms for all kinds of specialized vacations. Let me update you.
For a man who occasionally feels the need to bond with friends, a Man-cation might just be the ticket. Fueled by testosterone, this is a vacation with hair on it. It could be golf, sport fishing, camping, some friendly gambling, good-natured banter, some banter, and other common activities at men’s gatherings.
Conversely, the ladies might be in the market for a ladies-only getaway…a Fem-cation, if you will. These are probably estrogen-fueled outputs of some kind…I wouldn’t know for sure…some things remain a total mystery to those of us who carry the Y chromosome.
How about a Nude-cation? A trip for the uninhibited, those who just can’t wait to strip it all off… leaving their bathing suits and modesty at home. Unfortunately, this all too often includes people who just don’t look very good naked anymore. One thing is for sure; however, the naked cations are a bonanza for sunscreen vendors and mosquitoes.
A Space-cation: Just visualize the fun and excitement… the countdown… liftoff… the weightlessness… the giddiness… the nausea… little globules of vomit floating around the command module. Seriously, this could be something as simple as a kids’ space camp; or, for the adults, official NASA-sponsored astronaut training at Cape Florida.
The vertex of the experience of space cations? If you have the required six or seven figure budget at your disposal, it’s a real journey into the darkness of outer space. (Hmmmm… I wonder if the standard 10% fee applies?)
Do you have clients with small children? How about a Kid-cation, something just for kids? It could be as simple as staying at a hotel or resort that caters to youth: indestructible wallpaper, Jell-O, mac and cheese, burgers and Coke at every meal, etc. This is a great way to go for families… but it’s best to avoid long trips in the minivan, especially if you’re allergic to the phrase “are we there yet?”
The best kids’ party, of course, is a six-day pass to Disney World…or a cruise on one of the Disney ships.
And yes, Virginia, there are childbearing vacations, very popular with those ready to start a family. Part fertility clinic, part luxury resort, these destinations provide the perfect romantic setting… including couples’ massages, special diets, magic potions, specific exercises, ointments, pagan rituals… whatever it takes to ensure that revelry will make a berry bee!
Then there’s that wildly popular getaway with Baby Boomers – Medical Travel – known today as Medi-cations. No prescription is needed. These little trips are all about traveling to other countries to seek treatment for whatever ails you… even if it’s excessive wrinkles or worn-out body parts where appearance and/or performance aren’t up to scratch.
How about a Luxura-cation? A trip for lovers of luxury, pampering, spa treatments, total indulgence… trips for those who believe that anything worth doing is worth overdoing. Upscale luxury provides endless opportunities for sensory overload.
Last but not least is the incredibly popular category, Educational Vacation or Education. It’s about learning, attending lectures, studying or going to school while traveling. This segment is experiencing exponential growth… especially in cruises… so much so that a future article will be dedicated exclusively to this category. (Holland America pioneered this field. HAL ships now have dedicated onboard facilities that offer exciting offerings, such as culinary arts taught by renowned master chefs.)
In closing, I highly recommend that you familiarize yourself with these terms, because… to put it bluntly, simply asking customers if they are ready for a “vacation” is from the last century. Why not show that you’re in step with the times by treating yourself to a bit of a name drop on your holiday? It won’t hurt and could help business.
Here they are again for your edification and review:
– stay-cation
– Man-cation
– Fem-cation
– bare cation
-Kid-cation
– space cation
– Medicine
– Childbearing Holidays (see also – Pregnancy)
– Luxura-cation
– Medication (Medical Tourism – not to be confused with trips to the Mediterranean)