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With all that flying, driving and excess towel washing at hotels, it used to be that travellers felt guilty about leaving a sizable ecological footprint while whooping it up on vacation. Now guilt comes from leaving footprints at all.

Consider Steve Jones, a radio programming executive in Halifax. He and his family are jetting off this summer for a trip of a lifetime to Croatia before cruising from Venice to Greece and Turkey. They're travelling with his father-in-law, Pepi Gini, who, at 71, is still spry enough to trek back to the homeland he left behind as a teenager and show his grandchildren around.

Yet although the vacation is one the family has been looking forward to for three years, Jones says he still feels more than a tinge of anxiety about letting some people in on his plans, particularly as the economy falters.

"You don't want to sound boastful at a time when people are cutting back. You don't want to look like that one person who just doesn't seem to care," he says.

Even brides are worried about what kind of guilt trip their friends and family could heap on them if their honeymoon plans seem a little too opulent.

"It's a whole new level of guilt," admits Jennifer Maguire, a senior-level vice-president at a marketing firm in New York who is in the final honeymoon planning stages for her summer wedding.

Her top pick? Hiking Machu Picchu in Peru, then spending a week ensconced in a luxury resort.

"But how can you do that without seeming obnoxious?" wonders Maguire, whose fiancé works for a hedge fund. "You don't want to seem ostentatious when you hear about people losing their jobs and you have friends sending their résumés around."

Of course, it's not only travel that has consumers sweating about looking unseemly for spending their cash. Since the financial meltdown last fall, media have gleefully reported on cases of "stealth wealth" in which the well-to-do (some would argue criminally so) asked for plain bags to carry home their Hermès attire. So considering the mood, it's no wonder trend spotters have zeroed in on a micro-trend: inconspicuous or stealth travel.

Put simply, tourists heading away for sun, culture or simple relaxation are feeling self-conscious about being able to afford travel when friends and family are struggling to pay the bills.

No wonder many are opting to either blend in with the locals while abroad or spring for isolated vacation properties where they can leave the doleful headlines behind, and escape familiar faces.

"Words like 'luxury' are quite taboo and over-the-top indulgence is gone. People want authenticity and value," says Liz Beatty of Caledon, Ont. The marketing director for HomesAway, a Toronto-based villa vacation company, recently travelled with her family to France's Dordogne region.

Still, she admits that she doesn't feel guilty in the least about spending around $10,000. "People thought I was crazy, but we're still basking in the glow of that vacation."

Industry experts agree. Ann Mack, the director of trend spotting for JWT, a New York-based trend-watching organization, says that in the toughest of times, vacations are as important, if not more than, ever. "I understand that people are hesitant to leave their desks for too long, especially when layoffs are happening around them," she says. "However, you need that time to rejuvenate and come back feeling brighter and better."

For those who do feel sheepish, one way to assuage the guilt over spending on travel is to book an all-inclusive vacation at some out-of-the-way resort, she says. Not only are you surrounded by people who have also shelled out $1,500 for a week of carefree sun and sand, but once that card number is logged, the wallet stays closed.

"Stay somewhere else and you're constantly doing the mental math," Mack says. "Whereas if it's all-inclusive, you don't necessarily have to be reminded that you're spending money."

Paid for in advance or not, the drive for a good deal is undoubtedly fuelling the industry. A recent Statistics Canada survey revealed that 67 per cent of Canadian hoteliers expected the number of room nights booked to be lower than they were in the first quarter of 2008, but Jason Sarracini, president of TargetVacations.ca in Toronto, says he has seen an upswing in cheaper online bookings recently.

"I can tell you that January was our largest month online ever for sales," says Sarracini, who booked a weekend at Miami's swishy Tides South Beach Hotel this month, and yes, told very few people that he would be there.

"You sort of feel guilty that, whether it be for two nights or seven, you can afford a property of that sort. Shouldn't you be worrying about a mortgage? Shouldn't you be worrying about your credit cards?"

Sure, Jones says, but it's also a good idea to live a little.

He himself fears that if he waits too long to take the dream trip to Europe, he may never get the opportunity back.

"There is no perfect time for anything, when you think about it," he says. "There's always an excuse to not do something. So you have to look for reasons to say, 'Yes! Let's seize the day!' "

Pack your bags

Fairmont Kenauk

at Le Château Montebello

How remote

Situated between Ottawa and Montreal, it may not seem secluded on the map, but the property sits inside 65,000 acres of pristine forests and lakes.

What you get

Kenauk offers secluded chalets with one to nine bedrooms.How much

Cabins from $279 a night.

How to book

Call 1-800-567-6845.

Nisbet Plantation

How remote

Fly into St. Kitts and hop a ferry to Nevis, a tiny Caribbean island that time seems to have forgotten.

What you get

A top-ranked intimate resort complete with beach, pool, treatments at the Palms Spa and afternoon tea or fine dining in the 1778 Great House.

How much

Rates from $395 a night.

How to book

Visit http://www.nisbetplantation.com or call 1-800-742-6008.

Club Med Bora Bora

How remote

Very. The resort is set in the bay of Faaopore on the south coast of the island of Bora Bora.

What you get

What Club Med does best -

a truly all-inclusive getaway.

How much

A seven-day all-inclusive holiday in May costs $2,430 (U.S.) for two people. Flights are extra.

How to book

Visit http://www.clubmed.ca or call

1-888-Web-Club.

Verana

How remote

There are no roads to this Mexican resort carved out of a hillside jungle, floating above the Bay of Banderas and nestled in the mountains of the Valle de la

Sierra Oriental.

What you get

Guests staying in one of the eight rustic but chic guest houses can indulge in an indoor-outdoor spa and enjoy local food.

How much

Rates from $320 (U.S.) a night.

How to book

Visit http://www.verana.com

or call 310-455-2425.