With warmer weather rolling in, now’s the time to start figuring out your summer travel plans. We wondered if Canadian travellers would be staying closer to home this season considering the Canadian dollar isn’t as strong as it once was. By diving into our data, we found — surprisingly — that the destinations seeing the biggest increase in searches for 2017 summer travel all require a passport. So at least for now, Canadians are not letting a low loonie cramp their travel style.
Top 10 Trending Summer Destinations for Canadian Travellers
- Lisbon, Portugal – 126% increase in searches
- San Jose, Costa Rica – 83% increase in searches
- Lima, Peru – 79% increase in searches
- Athens, Greece – 75% increase in searches
- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – 57% increase in searches
- Denpasar, Indonesia – 57% increase in searches
- Barcelona, Spain – 52% increase in searches
- Amsterdam, Netherlands – 52% increase in searches
- Seattle, Washington – 50% increase in searches
- New York, NY – 49% increase in searches
Based on what’s trending, it’s clear that Canadians are torn in their travel. On one hand, Europe is still the place to be. Even with a less favorable exchange rate, Canadians are still looking across the pond for their summer getaways. However, wallet-friendly destinations are also shining through. For Canadian travellers trying not to break the bank, several trending destinations — like Ho Chi Minh City, Lima and San Jose — offer cheaper per diem costs and have seen sizeable drops in airfare when compared with last year.
Still trying to decide on your summer travel plans? We have a few tips for our northern neighbors:
- For Canadians looking for the best deal: check out KAYAK’s redesigned Explore tool. Just put in how much you want to spend on airfare and we’ll show you the places you can fly to on your budget.
- Cheapest time to travel? Our data shows the least expensive time to travel this summer is the week of August 28. But consider booking your flight now to score the best deals.
- For budget-savvy travellers who are willing to roll the dice: You can often find a hotel deal by waiting until the very last minute to book. (Just don’t try this on busy holiday weekends or in a city with limited inventory.)
Whether you’re planning a globe-trotting trek or a domestic getaway, we’ll get you the information you need. Start your travel search at KAYAK.
Methodology:
KAYAK pulled internal data based on coach, roundtrip flights with Canadian origin cities. Searches were pulled between January 1, 2016 and April 5, 2016 for travel dates between May 1, 2016 and September 4, 2016. To compare YOY search findings, KAYAK also pulled data for those searching for travel between January 1, 2017 and April 5, 2017 with dates of travel falling between May 1, 2017 and September 4, 2017.
Header Image Attribution: ESB Professional / Shutterstock.com
