Mancation

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Mancation is a word used to refer to a male-only vacation, or “when normal males engage in ‘guy’ activities that involve sports, camping, gambling, chasing women and most of all drinking amongst their all and only male friends. No wives, mistresses or girlfriends allowed. Done in order to get in touch with their male-primal roots.”

The word is not trademarked, but is believed to have been coined in 2002 when Larry Meadows started using it to refer to his yearly vacation with his male friends. At a wedding reception, his wife suggested to Larry and Bill Holycross that they should go on a golfing vacation. Larry looked at Bill and said “mancation.” The term “stuck” and spread throughout the nation.[1]

During the summer of 2006, the word grew quite popular as actor Vince Vaughn used it in the romantic comedy “The Break-Up,” stating: “I’m excited. I look at it like I’m on a mancation.” [2]

Another slang term associated with these getaways for groups of men is “mancursion.” [3]

[edit] Travel Industry Trend

The concept of a gender specific trip has “been around since the first caveman took his club and went hunting with the others in the tribe.”[4] Yet, mancation has become a buzzword in the travel business lately. Tapping into the success of marketing all-girls getaway packages, hotels and resorts have started featuring all-male bonding vacation packages that include everything from poker, to extreme sports, to spa treatments.[5] Golfing is the most popular activity for all-male vacation groups,[3] but destinations have developed unique programs to accommodate the growing trend. The latest mancation packages offer spiritual healing, culinary instruction, yoga, and sexual reawakening.[5]

In promoting mancations, some organizers “have discovered that men tend to create ‘micro affinity groups’ in childhood, college, or grad school, and that the groups often take trips together.” [6] According to one online survey,[1]about 34% of male respondents take at least one mancation every year. It is estimated that about 20 million American men go on mancations every year and collectively spend between $10 billion to $12 billion during these excursions. [4] The majority of these men are married and between the ages of thirty to fifty-five years old. [5]

During the summer of 2006, half of the Fairmont Hotel chain’s 50 properties in the United States created Mancation packages. For example, the Fairmont Chicago Mancation package consists of a three-course steak dinner, a cocktail seminar, whiskey tasting, cigars, and poker. [2]


[edit] Movie

As of April 2007, New Line Cinema and Benderspink have agreed to produce a comedy written by Jared Bush entitled Mancation. The movie will follow a man who believes his younger brother’s manhood has been robbed by marriage. In an attempt to regain this manhood, he takes his little brother on a “testerone-filled ‘mancation.’” [7]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Watkins, Michael. “It's a guy thing Brotherhood, bonding and a little bit of business take place on ‘mancations’”, Omaha World-Herald, May 6, 2007.
  2. ^ a b Pellizzari, Chris. “MEN ON VACATION; Hotels and resorts are now offering guys the perfect mancations”, Chicago Tribune, Oct. 5, 2006.
  3. ^ a b Shattuck, Harry. “Hang out with your buds on men-only ‘mancation’”, The Houston Chronicle, Jan. 21, 2007.
  4. ^ a b Clark, Jayne. “Need to get away? Make it a guy thing; Male bonding goes to the next level: ‘Mancations’”, USA Today, Dec. 29. 2006.
  5. ^ a b c Morago, Greg. “BOYS GONE WILD; TIME OFF NO LONGER A TIMEOUT FOR FUN-LOVING GUYS”, Hartford Courant, Dec. 31, 2006.
  6. ^ Lebovits, Susan Chaityn. “Fly a MiG? Swim with sharks? They're In!”, The Boston Globe, Feb. 27, 2007.
  7. ^ McNary, Dave. "New Line, Bush take a 'Mancation'”, Daily Variety, April 18, 2007.