Scott Horowitz relaxes by the water during vacations. Most of his family's trips are to the beach resorts where he may ``hang out'' or Jet Ski. And for 17 years, the Southwest Ranches resident has opted to take his vacations in Florida.

``It saves a lot of money,'' Horowitz, 42, said. ``You do not have to pay for airfare, generally you get local resident discounts, and when the trip is over, it is a quick ride home instead of having to deal with an entire day traveling and becoming stressed out.''

Horowitz is just one example of a growing number of people choosing to take staycations instead of costly trips to more-distant destinations. Staycations are vacations spent at home or nearby.

Because of the recession, staycations are becoming more popular, said Gregg Laskoski, AAA Auto Club South managing director of public relations.

``A lot more people are trying to be more budget conscious,'' he said.

Lois Backon, vice president of Families and Work Institute, said there are two primary reasons people go on staycations. ``One is because of the cost of travel these days. Another is that people are nervous about leaving the work place for too long, and it is stressful.''

Thirty-seven percent of people are going on vacations shorter than a week, and most of them are staycations, Backon said.

``Forty-three percent of people away for a week feel overwhelmed with work and begin to question if the vacation was worth it,'' she said. ``This is why shorter vacations and staycations are becoming more popular.''

They're particularly popular in Florida, which has ``all the beach resorts and attractions,'' Laskoski said.

Among Horowitz's favorite Florida vacation spots are Naples, the Florida Keys and Marco Island.

``Florida is a vacation state,'' said Horowitz, who has been on more than 20 staycations. ``People travel here for their vacations and I live here. I am missing the chance to explore different parts of the world, but I get to explore different parts of the area where I live.''

Laskoski said that there are benefits to traveling in Florida. ``There is a tremendous opportunity to discover things in one's own backyard that one may not have been aware of,'' he said. ``The idea that you have to travel large distances is erroneous.''

The economy will determine whether the trend will continue now that the summer travel season is over, Laskoski said.

``If the economy strengthens, people will revert back to the leisure travel patterns we have seen in the past,'' he said. ``If it worsens, more people will go on staycations.''

The most important part of a vacation is not where it is but who it is with, said Laskoski.

``As long as you enjoy leisure time with family and friends, the specific location is incidental,'' he said. ``You can have a terrific vacation without traveling very far.''

Claire Aronson, a senior at Cypress Bay High School in Weston, wrote this article while participating in Northwestern University's National High School Institute for Journalism summer program.

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