Nearly Half of Canadians Would Give up a Raise for More Vacation, Report Finds

Nearly half of Canadians would give up a 10% pay raise in exchange for more vacation time, new research suggests.

The findings come from Flight Centre Canada’s Passport to Wellbeing: Travel as Medicine report, based on a national YouGov survey of more than 1,000 Canadians.

“What’s worth more than money? For many Canadians, the answer is time,” the report says, pointing to a growing willingness to prioritize rest, recovery and connection amid rising living costs and ongoing stress.

“Travel as medicine isn’t just a metaphor — it’s a mindset,” said Anita Emilio, Executive Vice President of Flight Centre Canada. 

“We hear it from Canadians every day: they’re not just booking a vacation, they’re choosing to feel better, to reconnect, to come home renewed.”

According to the survey, 82% of Canadians say vacations are essential to their wellbeing, while 69% believe doctors should be able to prescribe vacations as part of medical care.

When forced to choose between therapy and travel, 87% chose a vacation.

The data also highlights growing strain across age groups. Three in 10 Canadians rate their current level of wellbeing as fair or poor, rising to 42% among Gen X respondents.

Financial pressure and rising costs were cited as the top stressor (58%), followed by news fatigue or global uncertainty (39%) and family or caregiving responsibilities (30%).

Despite the desire to rest, disconnecting remains a challenge. One in four Canadians said their workplace makes it difficult to fully unplug, and more than half (51%) admitted to checking email while on vacation.

The report suggests that Canadians are increasingly valuing time over income. Nearly half of Canadian workers said they would trade a 10% raise for two additional weeks of vacation, reinforcing the idea that free time has become a form of “wellness currency.”

Wellness travel itself is also evolving.

Only 10% of Canadian travel intenders said they would choose a trip focused exclusively on activities such as yoga, meditation or spa treatments. Instead, respondents showed greater interest in experiences tied to connection and restoration, including beach vacations (32%), nature-based travel (21%) and cultural or heritage trips (19%).

Flight Centre Canada says the findings point to continued demand for restorative travel in 2026, as Canadians look for ways to manage stress and improve overall wellbeing through time away.

Topics From This Article to Explore