2023 Vacation Deprivation Report: Why workers now feel more vacation deprived

Feeling like you’re really in need of a holiday? Or that you work too much and have too little time off? Chances are you’re one of the many Canadians who consider themselves vacation deprived. In fact, according to Expedia’s 23rd annual Vacation Deprivation Report, global vacation deprivation levels are the highest they’ve been in 10 years.  

 Vacation deprivation rates this year (57%) are nearly on par with 2021 (63%) when Canadians were still reeling from lockdowns and travel restrictions.  

 Unsurprisingly, a significant obstacle preventing travellers from booking well-earned vacations is the financial barrier. For many, having to weigh their next trip against worry over a possible recession, workplace labour shortages, travel disruptions and overwhelm from planning means that millions of vacation days are left on the table annually, contributing to the global vacation deprivation spike.  

 Despite the barriers, Canadians continue to prioritize travel. Nine out of 10 vacation-deprived Canadians feel that regular vacations are a basic right, and a whopping 81% of travellers globally intend to travel the same amount or more in 2023. 

 To help vacation-deprived Canadians reclaim their time off, here are Expedia’s top five tips to help you get on your way: 

• Work smarter, not harder, when planning your next trip: For the travel planner in the group, Expedia’s new trip planning boards, launching on the Expedia app in June 2023, are made to make your life a whole lot easier. This collaborative tool takes the stress out of trip planning by allowing groups of travellers to plan the perfect trip together. 

• Feel confident knowing you’ve got the best travel deal: Handy new Expedia tools like Price Tracking can help guarantee you’re getting a great deal by tracking flights in the Expedia app.  

• Spend your travel dollars wisely: Canadians planning summer trips should book as soon as possible for the best rates. Plus, by bundling your travel by booking your airfare, hotel and car at the same time on Expedia, you can instantly unlock savings. 

• Don’t risk leaving money on the table: Expedia members earn Rewards points for every booking which can be redeemed as dollars off on the next trip. By entering mileage plan numbers at checkout, travellers can also earn their airline miles on top of Expedia points, which is an easy way to double-dip and rack up travel rewards even faster. 

• Anticipate travel disruptions: Demand is high, and airlines are still operating fewer flights than pre-pandemic. That means full flights are expected this summer, so make sure you arrive at the airport early and give yourself plenty of time to get through security. According to Expedia’s 2023 Air Travel Hacks Report, departing before 3 p.m. also cuts your chance of flight cancellation in half, so take the early flight. 

About the Report: Expedia first commissioned Vacation Deprivation in 2000 to examine the work-life balance of people worldwide. The annual study is currently in its 23rd year and was conducted online among 14,527 respondents across North and South America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Commissioned from February 9 – March 3, 2023 on behalf of Expedia by Northstar Research Partners, a global strategic research firm, responses were gathered using an amalgamated group of best-in-class panels. Looking at the margin of error for the global average, a 1-4% difference is statistically significant at 90% confidence.