…so, if the economy is doing so well then how come I can’t afford to go on a summer vacation? A recent survey from Bankrate.com found that nearly half of Americans won’t be going away on vacation this summer because they just can’t afford it. That was the top reason given by 50 percent of people who said they won’t be taking a summer vacation getaway. Makes me wonder if that was the reason that when I was a kid our family never took a vacation getaway. They only summer vacation we ever had was an hour drive from Weirton, W.Va. to Wilkinsburg Pa. to stay with my aunt and uncle for a week. If we were good it would be a 2-week adventure. When our kids were young we would always plan a trip to Va. Beach but they’re gone and moved away and the wife and I have found stay-cations aren’t that bad. The beers cheap, the bed is a lot more comfortable and while hearing the roar of the ocean lapping up on the beach is relaxing on a summer night I’ll bet I can download the sound effect from somewhere. The one thing I don’t miss about the family vacation was the drive to the beach but we did find the best time to travel was in the middle of the night. Traffic was much lighter, the traffic cones were a little easier to deal with as you were being led into a single lane and best of all the kids were asleep so you didn’t have to deal with “are we there yet?”