In the 1950s, the word “staycation” hadn’t been invented, but families lived the definition. They stayed close to home for most vacations.

Destinations of any distance made for long, uncomfortable drives when an air-conditioned car was a rarity. And air travel was prohibitively expensive. Delta Airlines, for instance, advertised its Chicago-to-Miami flights as “millionaire dream vacations.”

The post-war baby boom was on. Cities built municipal pools. Public libraries beefed up summer reading programs. Neighbors gathered in backyards for potlucks and barbecues.

It’s easy to idealize the summer culture of the 1950s, forgetting society’s rampant sexism and racism. Many of those municipal pools, for instance, were segregated by race or gender or both.

But here we are approaching summer 2008. The predicted vacation-at-home trend is due to high gas and food prices and increased airline costs. Even the millionaires are griping about paying to check bags on their way to dreamland vacations.

This staycation trend might turn out to be more hype than reality, but its potential is worth exploring.

“I don’t see it as a bad thing at all that we do less globe-trotting and more neighborhood gathering,” said Kent Hoffman, a Spokane psychotherapist and parent-child bonding expert. “Necessity is the mother of shared community.”

If cheap summer staycations really take off, the community could benefit. Consider:

“Families will discover neighborhood parks, hiking trails and natural areas.

Upkeep of public parks and hiking trails takes money and volunteers. When it comes time to update parks or pay for community green space, citizens are more willing to spend money if they have used the parks and hiked in the open spaces. They are also more willing to volunteer to clean up these public spaces.

“Children will discover the joys of summer reading.

Many baby boomers hold dear the memories of walking to the nearest library, checking out a stack of books and reading on porches and under trees. Passing the tradition on to their children and grandchildren has been a hard sell in this era of televisions, computers and game boys. Limiting “screen time” feeds the imagination. This is the summer for heading to the library together – parents, grandparents and kids.

“Neighbors will finally meet their neighbors.

If people hang out in their backyards and walk and bike through their neighborhoods, then neighborly interaction will become more common. Knowing our neighbors is not just a social plus, it can save lives. People are more apt to worry about elderly neighbors during cold snaps, hot spells, natural disasters and other crises if they’ve gotten to know them before an emergency hits.

Will this staycation trend translate to societal utopia? Not likely. But it could be interesting – and fun – to stick around this summer and find out.