“Forget the downturn and opt for mini-moon”. Yes, it means a shortened honeymoon. Groan. I groan because I have just had one which told me I should be taking a staycation (holiday at home), another telling me I should be opting for a nano-break (one night holiday), a third imploring me that gap yearlings (shortened gap years) were the way ahead.

I’ve been asked this morning if I ‘m a recessionista (please, spare me), a spafarist  (combining your annual spa and safari trips into one  – a real tightening-the-belt move that one), an ecocruiser (green-friendly cruising – is there such a thing?).

The one which irked me most was the econocation (this moronic missive was from an American pr). I assume is is about holidays on a budget, but I don’t know becasue I went straight inot the bin, along with the rest of the day’s batch of cost-cutting travel nonsense.

As other people struggle to make ends meet, there are whole clusters of  marketing people lying back on leather beanbags, drinking skinny mocho-choca-lattes in uber-cool minimalist offices dreaming up ever more ridiculous variations on the traditional holiday, trip or break.

Michael Kerr, recently railed against  the neigh-cation (horse riding breaks took first prize) – I coudn’t agree more.

I am all for travel companies seeking ways to keep us the British travelling surfing the downturn but can it not be in proper English, innit?