Finder’s Travel Index

Is the impact of the pandemic on travel finally coming to an end? Based on Canadian’s travel plans seen in Finder’s travel index report, it would certainly seem to be. After years of dampened demand, the sunny days are inspiring 1 in 3 Canadians (35%) to plan summer trips.

We asked Canadians if they were planning to travel during the months of June, July and August. It turns out nearly 11 million Canadians are planning trips this summer. Nearly 4 million more than were planning to travel when we asked a similar question last summer!

While 35% of Canadians said they will be travelling, would these trips be home, abroad or both?

While a quarter of Canadians (25%) said they were only planning on travelling within Canada. Another 5% said they were just planning on travelling internationally. Finally, there is the lucky group of Canadians (5%) who plan to travel both domestically and abroad this summer.

Men more likely to travel

When it comes to gender, men are planning to travel more than women this summer. In fact, 8% more men than women.

When you break it down, men are equally as likely (4% more likely) to travel abroad (13% of men vs. 9% of women) as those just planning to travel within Canada this summer (27% of men vs 23% for women).

Millennials and Gen Z travelling more this summer

Younger Canadians are most eager to hit the road or board a plane. The summer of 2022 is clearly the time to enjoy and explore after year’s of travel restrictions.

Travel Index: Key findings by generation;

• Young Canadians aged 25 – 44 are 4% more likely to travel (39%) compared to the average 35%
• Most Gen X’ers (aged 45 – 54) and Canadian seniors (65+) are planning to stay home for summer. With just 30% planning to travel in each age group
• While Canada’s youngest adults (aged 18 – 24) are about average in their plans to travel in general, they are most likely to be travelling abroad at 14% (national average 10%)

Travel interest by province/region

Where you live in Canada has some influence on how likely you are to travel this summer. Check out the insights below to see how your province ranks.

Travel Index: Key findings by province/region;

• Quebecers are least likely to travel in general at just 27%
• Ontarians, British Columbians and Albertans most likely to travel Manitobans are twice as likely to travel abroad at 20%, as compared to the national average of 10%
• Atlantic Canadians and Saskatchewanians most likely to just explore Canada at 30% and 31% respectively
• Atlantic Canadians least likely to travel abroad at just 6%

4 Travel Tips to Help Cut Stress and Costs This Summer

Given the ongoing uncertainty around Covid, skyrocketing gas prices, and massive airport delays, Canadian travellers will need to be savvy planners to enjoy stress-free and wallet-friendly summer vacations this year. To help, here are four tips to help cut costs and alleviate stress:

• Dive Into Deals — All travel related industries took a big hit during the pandemic restrictions. Any companies that did survive are now back in full-force trying to attract your business. Use this to your advantage. Shop for online deals, check out forums and community travel pages and review comparison sites, like Finder, to find deep discounts on all things travel-related.
• Cash-in Points — Inflation is really taking a bite out of everyone’s budget and the longer it persists, the more it eats into your purchasing power. Consider cashing in your reward points or other customer appreciation bonuses. By using these rewards to offset the cost of the trip, today, you save on travel costs and maximize their cash value.
• Use Apps to Save on Fuel Costs — Gas prices keep going up, so it makes sense to do a bit of math before hitting the road. Use an online tool to calculate the cost of your road trip and then use apps, like Gasbuddy, to help you find the best deals at the pump.
• Check Covid testing requirements — Covid-19 safety measures, like mandatory masking and testing, are constantly evolving, so it’s important to stay current. If travelling internationally be sure to download and update the ArriveCan app before your trip so you can stay up to date on what is required by the government.

Methodology

• Methodology

  The findings of the Finder’s Travel Index survey are based on an online Google survey conducted in May 2022, where 1,206 Canadian adults (18+) were asked about their opinions on what they would look for in a new home. The estimated margin of error for the survey is +/-3.0%.

  Certain regions or demographic groups were omitted from more specific analysis due to a lack of statistically significant responses.

• Previous Travel Index Report - Global and Local

  Travel was hit hard by the pandemic but as the pandemic begins to enter the rearview mirror, will there be an explosion of people wanting to travel? Finder’s Travel Index tracks travel sentiment in various countries, so far surveying 281,096 Internet users. The June 2022 results will be the last time that this index is run.

  Interest in travel among Canadians is on the rise compared to last quarter. Finder’s May 2022 Travel Index reveals that 19.1% of Canadians say they plan to travel in the next three months, up from 16.5% in February 2022.

  • % of travellers overall
  • % of travellers by month

  Domestic

  Interest in domestic travel is rising compared to the previous survey, with Canadians planning a vacation in the coming three months going from 10.1% when asked during the February survey and now sits at 13.3% following the results of the May survey.

  International

  In May, 7.5% of Canadian adults said they have plans to travel abroad in the coming three months, down from 8.5% when asked in February.

  More Canadian men than women plan to travel

  More Canadian men than women say they plan to travel in the coming three months, with 22% of men saying they plan to travel compared to 18.4% of women.

  • Overall
  • Domestic travel
  • International travel

  Men domestic travel

  Women domestic travel

  Men international travel

  Women international travel

  How the rest of the world compares to Canada

  The results from the survey conducted in May 2022 show that 44.5% of Indians surveyed said they will travel either domestically or internationally in June, July or August. This is down from the 46.1% who said they had travel plans in the three months (March, April and May) following the February 2022 survey. When asked in November 2021, 38.8% of Indians said they had travel plans.

  Singaporeans also have an appetite for travel, with 42% saying they have travel plans in the coming three months. When asked in February, 40.1% said they were travelling in the coming three months and 31.2% when asked in November.

  A great number of Irish people are also planning a trip in the coming three months, with 32.3% saying they plan to travel in the coming three months, compared to 28.2% in February and 33.7% in November.

  At the other end of the spectrum are Australians who have the lowest number of people planning trips, with only 16.3% planning travel in the coming June, July or August, following 15.6% in February and 20.5% in November.

  • Data table

  % of men and women planning travel in the next three months

  As far as the sexes go, the highest percentage of men planning travel in the coming three months is in India (49.8%), with the highest percentage of women booking travel also in India (36.3%).

  Domestic travel in the next three months

  Many Indians have plans to see their homeland, with 33.9% of residents saying they plan to travel in the coming three months following the February 2022 survey, down from the 36.2% who said the same in our February survey.

  • Data table

  Domestic travel is the top choice for respondents in all countries, with the exception of Ireland where 16% of those surveyed said they had upcoming domestic travel plans compared to 21% heading abroad.

  International travel in the next three months

  Irish people lead the way as far as international travel is concerned, with 21.3% saying they plan to travel abroad, followed by Singaporeans (19.1%) and Indians (16.7%).

  • Data table

  International travel still lags across the board with most countries with only an average of 11.4% planning trips abroad compared to an average of 18.6% saying they'll be travelling domestically.

  • Methodology

    Finder's Travel Index is an ongoing survey, which has so far gathered responses from 281,096 people using Google Surveys. The survey originally ran in 19 countries, which was cut to 12 in June 2021. The frequency of the survey also changed in 2022, moving from a monthly cadence in 2021 to a quarterly survey (Q1 = Jan, Feb and March, Q2 = April, May and June, etc), with the first survey run being conducted in February 2022.

    • The survey for Australia was nationally representative
    • The survey for New Zealand was convenience sampling
    • The survey for Canada was nationally representative
    • The survey for Ireland was convenience sampling
    • The survey for Singapore was convenience sampling
    • The survey for Hong Kong was convenience sampling
    • The survey for South Africa was convenience sampling
    • The survey for India was convenience sampling
    • The survey for the UK was nationally representative
    • The survey for the US was nationally representative
    • The survey for the Philippines was convenience sampling
    • The survey for Malaysia was convenience sampling
    • Discontinued: The survey for France was nationally representative
    • Discontinued: The survey for Italy was convenience sampling
    • Discontinued: The survey for Brazil was nationally representative
    • Discontinued: The survey for Russia was convenience sampling
    • Discontinued: The survey for Germany was nationally representative
    • Discontinued: The survey for the Netherlands was convenience sampling
    • Discontinued: The survey for Spain was nationally representative

  Image: Getty