{"id":10166,"date":"2026-04-20T15:15:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T15:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.ca\/newsroom\/expedias-summer-travel-outlook-shows-canadians-are-staying-closer-to-home-while-still-dreaming-of-europe\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T15:28:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T15:28:07","slug":"expedias-summer-travel-outlook-shows-canadians-are-staying-closer-to-home-while-still-dreaming-of-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.ca\/newsroom\/expedias-summer-travel-outlook-shows-canadians-are-staying-closer-to-home-while-still-dreaming-of-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"Expedia\u2019s Summer Travel Outlook Shows Canadians are Staying Closer to Home \u2013 While Still Dreaming of Europe\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>Rising costs fuel a surge in domestic Canadian travel this summer<\/em><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>Europe&nbsp;remains&nbsp;a top draw, with Italy, Spain and France seeing strong demand<\/em><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Summer Travel Outlook released today by\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Expedia\u00ae<\/a>\u202freveals that as travel costs continue to rise, Canadians are rethinking how\u2014and where\u2014they travel this summer. The result: a strong push toward domestic travel, paired with continued interest in iconic European destinations that offer culture, value and bucket-list appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With airfare and accommodation prices influencing trip planning, many Canadians are opting to stay closer to home to stretch their travel dollars, rediscovering\u00a0cities\u00a0and outdoor destinations across the country. At the same time, long-haul travel\u00a0remains\u00a0on the radar, particularly to Europe, where\u00a0travellers\u00a0are prioritizing fewer but more meaningful trips.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCanadians are rethinking how they travel this summer,\u201d says Melanie Fish, head of public relations for Expedia Group brands. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing\u00a0travellers\u00a0balance rising costs by choosing road trips, shorter flights and familiar destinations at home\u2014while still making room in their plans for dream trips to Europe.\u201d\u00a0\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Canada-first travel takes\u00a0centre\u00a0stage<\/strong><sup>\u00a01<\/sup>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Domestic destinations dominate summer plans this year, as Canadians seek out shorter trips, lower transportation costs, and value-driven stays.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among the most popular domestic destinations this summer are Toronto,\u00a0Vancouver\u00a0and Montreal, while trending spots show rising interest in nature-forward and secondary cities, including:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Edmonton (+35%)\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Jasper (+35%)\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Halifax (+25%)\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Charlottetown (+20%)\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Moncton (+20%)\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Affordable domestic travel continues to be a strong draw, with cities like Regina, Windsor,\u00a0Edmonton\u00a0and Saskatoon ranking among the most affordable destinations to stay, and destinations such as Abbotsford,\u00a0Penticton\u00a0and Cranbrook among the cheapest to fly within Canada this summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Europe holds strong appeal despite cost pressures<\/strong><sup>\u00a01<\/sup>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even as travellers look locally to save, Europe\u00a0remains\u00a0firmly on Canadians\u2019 wish lists\u2014particularly destinations that offer culture,\u00a0history\u00a0and strong value outside peak capitals.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Paris,\u00a0London\u00a0and Rome remain top international destinations, while Italy and Spain are seeing particularly strong momentum, with destinations such as:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sicily, Italy (+115%)\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Puglia, Italy (+80%)\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Balearic Islands, Spain (+75%)\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Copenhagen, Denmark (+70%)\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These trends suggest Canadians are being selective with long-haul travel\u2014opting for destinations that offer the most impact for their travel investment.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Timing and value matter more than ever<\/strong><sup>\u00a02<\/sup>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As price sensitivity grows, Canadians are paying closer attention to when they travel. Expedia data shows that\u00a0<strong>June<\/strong>\u00a0remains\u00a0the cheapest time to fly domestically, while\u00a0<strong>late August<\/strong>\u00a0offers opportunities for savings internationally. Avoiding peak travel days and exploring flexible stay options can also help travellers reduce costs.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cheapest Days to Fly Domestically:<\/strong>\u00a0June 5 and 11\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cheapest Days to Fly Internationally:<\/strong>\u00a0June 4 and August 31\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Smart Summer Travel Tips<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Bundle &amp; Save:<\/strong>\u00a0Booking flights and hotels together can deliver significant savings per person and earn\u00a0OneKeyCash\u2122\u00a0for future trips.<sup>3<\/sup>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Be Flexible with Dates:<\/strong>\u00a0Traveling in early June or\u00a0late\u2011August can significantly reduce both hotel and airfare costs.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Price Tracking:<\/strong>\u00a0Use Price Tracking on the Expedia app to pinpoint the\u00a0optimal\u00a0booking window and receive instant notifications when flight prices\u00a0drop.<sup>3<\/sup>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Book Early for Peak Travel:<\/strong>\u00a0Lock in pricing before demand spikes around the busiest summer dates.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Note for Editors<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>1<\/sup>&nbsp;Based on Expedia lodging searches for travel from January 5,&nbsp;2026&nbsp;to April&nbsp;5.&nbsp;2026&nbsp;for travel between June&nbsp;1,&nbsp;2026&nbsp;to August 31, 2026, compared to the same&nbsp;time period&nbsp;in 2025.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>2<\/sup>&nbsp;Based on average daily ticket price on Expedia.com for travel between June 1 and August 31, 2026.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>3<\/sup>&nbsp;OneKeyCash&nbsp;is not redeemable for cash and can only be used on Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>4<\/sup>&nbsp;Savings are for Expedia members only.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rising costs fuel a surge in domestic Canadian travel this summer&nbsp; Europe&nbsp;remains&nbsp;a top draw, with Italy, Spain and France seeing&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":64458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[138],"tags":[193],"companies":[72],"locations":[69],"class_list":["post-10166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-expedia","companies-expedia","locations-toronto","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.ca\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.ca\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.ca\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.ca\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.ca\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10166"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.ca\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10167,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.ca\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10166\/revisions\/10167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.ca\/newsroom\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.ca\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.ca\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.ca\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10166"},{"taxonomy":"companies","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.ca\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/companies?post=10166"},{"taxonomy":"locations","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.ca\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/locations?post=10166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}