Cue the daydreaming: Canadians stay inspired by growing their travel bucket lists

Do you miss vacation? You’re not alone. Following a year where for many, every aspect of life – from work, school, daycare, and even vacation – was spent under one roof, people worldwide are inspired about future travel possibilities and expressed making it a priority to use the vacation days they’ve earned more than ever. Across the country, travel restrictions remain in place; though undoubtedly Canadians are dreaming about the opportunity to get away and explore once able to do so again. According to the annual Vacation Deprivation study from Expedia®, in 2021 Canadians plan to take an extra week (five days) of vacation. With this new “no days left behind” mindset, Vacation Deprivation is well on its way to becoming a thing of the past.

Whether it’s adventuring in a tropical location, seeking out a destination untraveled, reuniting with family and friends separated by distance, or simply having time to sit back, relax, and recharge, people are eagerly waiting for the opportunity to do so, but in the meantime are continuing to stay inspired and dream about the future possibilities of travel.

Expedia first launched the annual study more than two decades ago in an effort to illustrate the benefits of vacation and encourage working adults to regularly unplug. In recent years, the benefits of vacation are well-known and undisputed, yet Vacation Deprivation is on the rise in most nations. This year’s findings point to yet another shift, one in which workers agree they will never take their vacation days for granted again. In fact, the majority of Canadians (83%) said they now value vacations more than ever before, which comes in slightly higher than the global average (81%). With this new-found appreciation for our favourite employer benefit – could this be the end of Vacation Deprivation as we know it? It’s possible.

Bucket lists are growing

Expedia’s study showed that 66% of people globally have been inspired to create a bucket list, and the longer the pandemic has waged on, the longer bucket lists have become – 60 percent of respondents said they continue to add to their lists.

Expedia’s study also found that people are willing to put more budget into their bucket list vacation in 2021 than originally planned (61%).

Vacation dreaming for the future

As the hope for future travel in 2021 grows, Expedia is seeing an uptick in Canadians searching for their next bucket list spot for the backend of the year. Whether it’s a warm and sunny beach or an outdoor adventure closer to home, the below destinations topped the list for where Canadians are dreaming of going once able to do so¹:

Domestic: Banff, Kelowna, Osoyoos, Canmore, Jasper, Tofino, Niagara Falls, Montreal, Revelstoke and Halifax

International: Cancun, Maui, Las Vegas, Honolulu, London, New York, Puerto Vallarta, Maldives, Paris and Santorini.

¹ Top searched destinations based on lodging interest on Expedia.ca between December 14, 2020 – January 12, 2021 for travel between July 1, 2021-December 31, 2021.

With COVID-19, it’s important to stay safe and up to date on the latest travel guidance and restrictions. Find out what to expect, how to find flexible travel and other information on the Expedia COVID-19 travel guide.