Call this the summer of the retro-vacation.

Just as in the 1950s, Americans are choosing to pack the cooler, the kids, and Fido in the family car and hit the road rather than take a pricey jaunt to a big city, either here or in Italy.

But while tourist travel is up 2 percent nationally so far this summer, revenues are down almost 10 percent.

Vacationers like the Jeronimos from Wilsonville, Ore., are keeping a tight hold on their pocketbooks. They chose to drive their RV, and when they want a warm bed, they stay with family or friends or hunt for a bargain at a hotel.

Such Ozzie-and-Harriet-type choices are having far-reaching effects. RV parks, like the Water's Edge in Cascade, Idaho, are so packed that they've had to turn people away. But because of a drop in foreign tourists, many national parks have room to spare. And at San Francisco's luxurious Sir Francis Drake Hotel, business is so bad that doorman Tom Sweeney has offered to cut back his hours so other people won't have to be laid off.

This revival of the family vacation can be traced back to Wall Street's woes, terror fears, and a renewed desire to be with loved ones after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. While Massachusetts's tourism chief Paul Sacco hopes the economy bucks up significantly, and soon, he also doesn't want the renewed family spirit to dissipate. "People are choosing to do things that bond family and friends together – like throwing a picnic blanket down at Tanglewood or hiking in the Berkshires," he says. "I hope those values all stay with us, because that's what we're all here for."

The shift to the more low-key family trips is especially evident in New York City. The Big Apple had become quite accustomed to entertaining lavish-spending international tourists who stayed for about a week. By 2000, they'd pushed hotel occupancy rates up over 85 percent and the average price to $237 per night.

Last summer, even before Sept. 11, the recession was already taking its toll. Occupancy rates slipped to 80 percent, and prices dropped 15 percent. That trend has accelerated this summer – even though an estimated 300,000 more tourists are packing the boats to Ellis Island and meandering up Fifth Avenue. Put another way: More American families are coming, but they're staying for shorter periods of time.

"We've seen a surge in patriotic tourism," says Cristyne Nicholas, president and CEO of NYC & Company, the city's tourism bureau. "People want to come to New York to be supportive after Sept. 11, and we're seeing more family travelers."

The Jeronimos parked their RV outside the city and took a bus in. They're staying three days and got a great rate at a good midtown hotel. They're paying only $120 a night – which is about the cost of dinner for two at a finer restaurant in New York.

The Jeronimos came because they wanted their kids to experience New York, from its bagels and delis to the Empire State Building, as well as ground zero.

"That was part of it – not the main reason we came, but being here, we have to see it," says Michael Jeronimo. "There are so many memories associated with it."

The patriotism and family factors are also affecting travel plans in other ways as well. The Travel Industry Association says 48 percent of vacationers this summer will head to historic sites like Mount Rushmore. That's up from 42 percent last year. In addition, 37 percent plan to go to a family reunion, up from 25 percent last year.

Such reunions are packing the rooms at the Driftwood Inn, perched on the rocky shore on Bailey Island in Maine. While things were a bit slow in June and July compared with last year, the Driftwood's Alice Burpee says August is fully booked, thanks to family get-togethers – many of which were planned at the last minute.

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