Even if you don't stay in your city per se, there's probably a bunch of fun stuff in the general area to check out. I live in Tucson, AZ... last weekend, we roadtripped down to Mexico for some haggle-shopping... this past weekend, I drove to San Diego... both hella inexpensive options and still LOTS of fun.

I think many people take advantage of what's in their own backyard, literally.

I wouldn't stay in my own city, but I wouldn't travel as far. Instead of going to a city I would never get to go to, I would opt for something more local but its still getting away from what you know.

I think when you actually play tourist in your own city you can see your world through different eyes. You can relax around the art there for you to see - take time to study it as opposed to rushing through a museum. I'm nerdy enough to enjoy an occasional walking tour through a local historic district.

I wouldn't mind staying in my own city, but I also have been visiting friends and family that live in great locations. Cuts out hotel and car rental, but still is the chance to be AWAY

I don't think it makes up for going faraway, but it definitely is nice to see what your neighboring areas have to offer. I live in the Bay Area so there is always something to look for to do.

I think that being a tourist in my own city would be fun. There are a lot of tourist-y things I haven't seen and there are some really high class hotels that I'd love to stay in. I pretty much just go back and forth between home and school and the grocery store, so there's a lot left for me to experience.

Nah. I do fun things in Philly all the time, I want to get away from Philly for my vacatin.

if you search hard enough you can sometimes find a diamond in the rough..something you didn't know that was there, or forgotten. but it is nice to actually go away too.

It's a nice option, but never feels comparable to a trip to a new, exciting city.

I live in Europe and I have to admit that my holiday feeling comes when I'm in a place where people speak a different language. Feels really away like that (although sometimes it's only 3 hours away). But now I'm just moving to a big city where tourists actually come here, so being a tourist in my own city might also work .

i've lived in the same city since i was born so i have to go to some place different for it to be called a vacation.

While this may be an alternative for funds-strapped spenders, I think the lure of vacationing in a completely different place is largely psychological. That is, it provides a mental escape from all of the headaches one is taking a vacation to get away from. Thus, vacationing in one's own locale may be a viable alternative to not taking a vacation at all, but vacationers may still find themselves plagued by work or daily stresses.