Perhaps the hardest thing about leaving to town to take a well deserved vacation is the accelerated rate at which greenbacks take a one way trip of their own, from the inside of your wallet out into the world. Vacations, while relaxing during their actual duration, can lead to even bigger headaches upon your return home than the ones you sought to escape at the onset of your travels. Then again, without a break from the day to day monotony that defines the common work experience, how is anyone expected to maintain his or her sanity?It seems as if, in this time of cutbacks and penny-pinching, the first to be struck from household budgets across the country is vacation time. This is unfortunate as, in many cases, well timed time-off can actually lead to increased productivity, not to mention an overall happier environment both at home and in the workplace. Of course, balancing the need to regulate spending and find satisfactory accommodations can prove to be a challenge. Consider the amount spent just getting to your vacation destination. Flights cost an arm and a leg and with gas prices settling in north of 2.50 a gallon, you might as well be fueling your own jet airliner. Fortunately, there may be a plausible compromise in the form of a popular recession trend, growing in number among all travelers from spring breakers to family vacationers. Instead of full blown “va-cation,” try a “stay-cation.”Simply book a room at a nice hotel in town and stay the week as if you were millions of miles away from home. With no need to worry about airlines, travel agents, car rental or taxi, much less the general hassle of long distance travel (i.e. security, jetlag, etc), a staycation provides a worry-free break from reality for less than half the cost. And with all the money you will be saving by axing the trip there and back, you can actually afford to live a little during your time not-so-far-away from