Majority of Canadians ready to travel this summer: survey

With the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic having eased over the past several months, a large majority of Canadians are ready for a vacation, according to a new survey.

The “road trip” survey, which was conducted by Ipsos for Toyota Canada, reported that 77 per cent of Canadians are ready to or likely to travel outside of their municipality, as 43 per cent of those who responded ready to leave their home province and 24 per cent ready to travel abroad.

It also found that 33 per cent of Canadians with access to a vehicle are ready to drive at least seven hours as part of a road trip while 31 per cent are willing to sit in their cars for at least four hours.

“Over the last few years, many Canadians told us that spending time in nature was the primary goal of their summer road trips,” said Stephen Beatty, vice president, corporate, at Toyota Canada.

4:56 Tips on renting a car this summer amid shortages

“By contrast, there’s much more buzz in the air this year as people are excited to take road trips to reconnect with their wider circles of family and friends, and to once again enjoy larger-scale summer events like concerts, festivals and sporting events.”

Among the reasons respondents were looking to hit the road are seeing family or friends (56 per cent), overnight stays (52 per cent), hitting a beach (34 per cent) or a national or provincial park (31 per cent).

The survey also found that more 39 per cent of Canadians are looking to use more vacation time this summer than they did in 2021.

The survey, which spoke with 2,000 people from across the country in March, found that around 53 per cent of Canadians’ summer travel plans will be influenced by rising gas prices.

It noted that there was a growing interest in hybrid or electric vehicles as 54 per cent of those who responded said they would feel better about hitting the road in these types of vehicles.

In B.C., 12 per cent of those who responded say they plan to drive anywhere from 11 to 24 hours to reach their vacation destination while 49 per cent of Atlantic Canadians will leave their home province for a road trip.

Meanwhile, 40 per cent of those who live in the Prairies will get out their tents and trailers to go camping this summer.

In Ontario, 28 per cent of respondents say they will get out of Canada for a vacation.