TankAway - a concept for UK travel writers and tourism organisations?

I've started noticing (probably years after the event!) a new concept creeping into the travel pages of the local press in the USA - the 'one tank (of gas) trip'.

I haven't found a definition yet - Are we talking one tank there & back? What's the average mileage of an American car these days, and the average petrol tank capacity? - but the concept seems pretty straight-forward: travel features and promotions about destinations roughly within 100-200 miles of home.

It feels very much like a sign of the times. In a post-Fannie Mae/Freddie Mack/Lehman Bros induced recession, Americans, like us, are looking for economic breaks nearer to home.

So, for all those travel writer colleagues in the BGTW and on Twitter who have recently railed against the over-used "staycation"... how do you feel about promoting TankAways?

...Responsible/green travel issues not withstanding!