by Natasha Lair
Last updated: 4:25 PM ET, Mon November 9, 2026
Nearly three-quarters of Canadian travellers say they desperately need a vacation, but financial pressures and global uncertainty are influencing winter travel plans, according to a new survey from Allianz Global Assistance Canada.
The winter edition of the Allianz Global Travel Confidence Index found that 72% of Canadian travellers say they desperately need a vacation, yet only 41% of Canadians overall are planning a winter getaway.
Cost remains the biggest obstacle. Among Canadians who aren't planning to travel, 66% said they either don't have the money or don't want to spend it, while 30% said travel has become too expensive.
For those planning to get away, the average anticipated winter vacation spend is $2,592 per person, although budgets vary significantly by generation.
Gen Z travellers expect to spend the least, averaging $1,790, while Baby Boomers anticipate spending $4,306 per person.
Nearly two-thirds (63%) of Canadian travellers said they are cutting back on non-essential spending to afford a vacation, while 50% are scaling back their travel plans rather than cancelling them altogether.
“Canadians are telling us that travel matters to them, even when it requires making some difficult financial choices,” said Kyle Sparkman, Managing Director of Allianz Partners Canada.
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“When you’ve scaled back your plans or cut spending elsewhere to make a vacation possible, protecting that investment becomes even more important. Travel insurance is a smart way to protect those hard-earned plans from the unexpected and give Canadians greater confidence to enjoy the time away they’ve worked hard to prioritize.“
Beyond affordability, Canadians are weighing several other concerns when planning their vacations.
Travel delays topped the list at 62%, followed closely by safety and security (61%) and geopolitical concerns (61%).
Illness and extreme weather were each cited by 55% of respondents, while 51% identified medical emergencies as a concern.
Against that backdrop, 73% of Canadian travellers said they have already purchased or are likely to purchase travel insurance for their trip.
The survey also identified several trends shaping Canadians' travel decisions.
AI is becoming part of the planning process, with 41% of Canadian travellers saying they have used or intend to use it to help organize their vacations.
Despite broader concerns about affordability, 33% said they plan to spend more on luxury travel experiences in the coming year.
Travelling with pets is also a consideration, with 29% of Canadian travellers saying they prefer to bring their pets along.
The survey was conducted online by Ipsos between September 25 and October 9, 2026, surveying 1,001 Canadian adults.
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