Airfare Prices Summer 2010

airfare prices summer 2010
[mage lang="en" source="flickr"]airfare prices summer 2010[/mage]

Weekend Warriors: Making the Most of Staycations

The fad term staycation began cropping up when a sudden jump in gasoline and airfare prices combined with a dip in the economy to re-invigorate people’s interest in staying home.

A combination of stay and vacation, staycations are emblematic of the new desire to scale back and enjoy more simple pleasures. Like “real” vacations, staycations are scheduled fun: no chores, start and end dates, even pictures and videos. People go to local museums, restaurants, and other tourist attractions, treating their home turf like something new to explore.

The peak for staycations was 2008, when over half of Americans canceled all travel plans and stuck close to home, but even in 2009 and going in to 2010, as many as 60% of people are planning on spending at least part of their days off at home to save on travel, with a modest 10% forgoing vacations altogether, according to major travel sites like Kayak and Expedia.

If your home is going to become your vacation spot, then it doesn’t hurt to put effort into making it as relaxing and comfortable as possible.

Plan for Comfort in Any Season

Most staycation activities are going to be outdoors to escape from the TV, phone, and computer. The focus for staycation preparations is on the yard, and that’s where retractable awnings play an important supporting role in your vacation.

In summer, retractable awnings provide shade, which does a lot to moderate high temperatures. Traditional lateral arm awnings extend high and wide over an area (as far as 20′ out projection and 40′ wide in one piece), which provides a terrific amount of shade. The area underneath a retractable awning can be as much as 20 degrees cooler than the direct sun – cooler temps make it more pleasant to spend a lazy afternoon reading in a hammock.

There is more than one type of awning, though. Vertical drop awnings come down vertically from a support, like a deck or gazebo ceiling. Vertical drop awnings protect from bugs, dust, pollen, debris like leaves, winds, and light snow. (An add-on to vertical drop awnings – Rain&Wind&Bugzip® —seals the awnings to create an area that can be heated in the winter and air conditioned in the summer.) Vertical drop awnings make for quick and easy enclosures that can be pulled up easily so they don’t impinge on the openness of the space.

What’s nifty about retractable awnings is that they offer more than just summer protection. By offering a bit of shelter above or beside an area outside, they can help make even brisk winter days more comfortable. For example, they help capture the warmth from porch braziers to keep sitting outside a little cozy.

Some of the latest retractable awning designs even incorporate festive features like strings of lights and integrated MP3 players and speakers. Those party features move retractable awnings beyond being a piece of furniture to being a focal point of the yard. It’s the extras like that that pay off during extended staycations (and make even an ordinary weekend more fun).

Play in the Shade

People are more likely to get sunburned in snowy Idaho in winter than sunbathing in Florida. The moral of the story is that there is no time of year when you’re completely safe from sun damage.

Debates have been brewing in recent years about whether sun block is actually an effective protective measure for preventing sun damage, because it doesn’t fully protect against UV rays. This is another attractive point about retractable awnings – solution-dyed acrylic fabrics (the most popular and durable option) are actually endorsed by the American Skin Cancer Association for offering effective protection from UV radiation.

In summer or winter, retractable awnings protect against the most damaging aspects of the sun:

  • Glare and brightness

  • UV radiation

  • Heat (believe it or not, a problem even in winter)

Retractable Awnings Made Easy

An array of accessories make opening and closing retractable awnings simple, like remote controls, indoor switches, and timers. Sun sensors take user-defined light levels to open or close according to the brightness of the day; rain sensors may stay open in a light mist and close as soon as the rain is heavy enough to weigh down the fabric, while they can be used to automatically drop vertical drop awnings to keep decks or gazebos dry. Wind sensors can close awnings when the wind speed is too high and then check wind speeds periodically so they can automatically re-open as soon as it calms down.

A handful of accessories and a few well-placed retractable awnings can be the first step toward transforming a simple day at home into a vacation.

Access VN-USA (Excerpt) : Bonjour Vietnam – Professor Quyên Di (English subtitle)