UPDATE – August 21, 2009: Looks like Rupert Murdoch has sic’d [sic] microtrend blogger Mark Penn from the Wall Street Journal on the glamping trend, a full month-and-a-half after Inside Sonoma called out glamping and all it’s neologism cousins. Got that WSJ? Inside Sonoma was here first! What’s next- you want us to start running the same editorial every December 24? Ha!
The travel industry abuses the English language, more so than lawyers, singer-songwriters and Freshman comp students.
We are constantly making up new words by combining old words to either:
- Promote something as new when it may not be entirely new
- See number 1
Some recent examples include:
“Glamping” to denote glamour and camping. That is, the experience of camping and all it’s attendant glories like fresh air and stunning scenery, without the drawbacks of sleeping on rocks and being eaten by bears. Glampers sleep in artisan-crafted tents upon biodynamically grown cotton mattresses.
“Gaycation” which would be the combination of “gay” and” vacation” where gay people go on vacation. There are also “Gayby Boomers” which would be persons who are attracted to persons of the same gender, who happen to be born between 1946 and 1960. Sometimes these travelers live in “gayborhoods.” All of these words have been used in a PowerPoint before.
It shouldn’t be a shock that the travel industry is rife with new words. Travel, after all, is about trying new things, and English is a well-traveled language. Together, they are a potent force.
Linguists call these coinages “portmanteau words” from Lewis Carrol’s Through the Looking Glass where words like “slithy” in the poem “Jabberwocky” are explained to be two words joined together, much like a portmanteau is two words joined together in French, and means — and here we go back to travel — a kind of suitcase. Quod ergo demonstratum – travel likes new words. Also, travel being travel, we prefer the word portmanteau instead of neologism, because you can charge 15% more for anything French.
(“The bathroom is en suite, the breakfast is a la carte and with your mini-bar tab, I have carte blanche. Thanks for visiting!”)
Most travel portmanteau are readily applicable to “BoBos,” who are defined as well-educated, outward-looking, unique seekers of authenticity who like exquisite, expensive coffee.
More travel portmanteaux:
Motel: The combination of hotel and motor, so one could drive right up the door of your room. We’ll live a light on for you. Sonoma County has lots of nifty motels, and one of our favorite Thai restaurants and local secrets is called “Motel Thai” by locals.
Staycation: The unholy coupling of “stay” and “vacation” yields the concept of taking a holiday in your own backyard. Unless you like dodging pet doo-doo and trying to relax while staring at your roof that needs to be fixed, I’d recommend a trip to Sonoma County instead. This is not to be confused with The Daily Show’s “Holistay,” mainly because Viacom keeps sending me cease and desist letters when I type it.
Oblication: I would like to think I made this one up, though it is possible that like the wheel and drive-through-church, more than one person thought of this at around the same time. An oblication is when you use your vacation to visit family, which is an obligation. I’ve spent more money on oblications in the past five years than I have on vacations ever. My advice? Hold the family reunion here in Sonoma County, rent a villa or some rooms along the River. Pencil in some time with the in-laws or cousins over breakfast, and then go out and have some fun on your own.
Mancation: Oh yes- got it here. Men, who are about 50% of the population, who go on vacation together. Playing golf, smoking cigars, arguing about NASCAR – mancation.
Spacation: Most mancationers wouldn’t be caught dead on a spacation, mainly because it is hard to argue about NASCAR and smoke cigars when you are smothered in goat’s milk and lavender infusions and stacked under a bunch of hot rocks. Spacationers travel and use the word “spa” as a verb.
That’s the incomplete list. Add your own in the comments section…
(Except for you Safire! We’re blocking your IP address, so quit signing on as George Will. We’ll only fall for that so many times.)