$4 gas price revolt: Who will make money if travelers stay close to home this weekend and summer?

Americans are in revolt against soaring gasoline prices, and somebody has to be making money off our collective decisions to curb our auto and air travels and stay close to home over Memorial Day weekend and this summer.

$4 gas is changing our driving, recreating and vacationing habits. The unintended consequences are still big unknowns for consumers and investors alike. Stock pickers, stock researchers and executives around the world are trying to figure out how high gasoline prices will change our buying habits beyond causing us to drive and travel less.

Some initial thoughts:

If I can’t drive 200 miles to go fishing and hiking or to visit Aunt Hillary, what can I do for entertainment? Maybe I may not take those trips because I’ve spent all my money on gas. So I have no money to spend. But let’s assume there’s some unspent travel money in the piggy bank.

1. Go to a minor league or major league base ball game.
2. Go to the mall.
3. Go out to eat at a fancy steak house.
4. Shop online.
5. Buy a more fuel efficient car, even if it makes no economic sense.
6. Work out at the health club.
7. Buy a bike or two.
8. Fire up the backyard grill.
9. Buy some new patio furniture.
10. Fix things.
11. Buy a new computer or cell phone.
12. Read a book?
13. Buy some magazines?
14. Replace a stinky, polluting fuel inefficient gas mower with an electric one.
15. Get the car tuned to make it more efficient?
16. Find a job closer to home to reduce commuting time?
17. Sell something on Craig’s list or eBay.
18. Play video games.
19. Tweet on Twitter or get on some message board or social networking site.
20. Blog.

Now, the trick is to figure out which stocks will benefit from a stay-at-home, cabin feverish world.

P.S. Is a baby boom only 9 months away? Think baby stocks.

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