Canadians rank as the second highest global market for anticipated average trip spend and are prioritizing spontaneous, bucket list and once in a lifetime vacations, according to American Express Travel, which has released its annual 2024 Global Travel Trends Report highlighting the inspiration and trends driving global travel bookings this year.

A summary of the Canadian findings from the report include:

• Extended, bucket-list trips are on the rise: Canadians are looking to take longer trips compared to the global average, visiting multiple countries in a region, or taking expedition/remote trips.
• Canadians are willing to spend, unless a travel hack can help them save: Travellers are willing to foot the bill to get the most out of their trip but lean on travel hacks for cost savings and upgrades.
• Spontaneity, solo travel, and self-love drive travel desires: Canadians are leaving room for spontaneous exploration, exploring for self-fulfillment, and look to escape the chaos of daily life with solo trips.

Extended, bucket-list trips are on the rise

• One in three (33%) Canadians planning on taking a trip in 2024 plan to travel for a major trip (e.g., bucket list trip, dream vacation) this year.
• The most common types of trips Canadians consider to be a ‘dream vacation’ or major trip include multi-country tour within a region (66%), expedition cruises (32%), adventure travel (29%), wellness retreats (23%).
• Among Canadians planning to take a trip to visit multiple countries in a region, 70% plan on visiting Europe.
• Canadians planning on taking a trip in 2024 are making the most of vacation time, with 1-2-week trips (45%) and week-long trips (44%) being most common, compared to week-long (47%) and weekend trips (41%) being most popular among global responses.

Canadians willing to spend, unless a travel hack can help them save

• Over one-third (36%) of Canadians plan to spend more on travel compared to last year.
• Globally, Canada ranks the second highest market for anticipated highest average spend for leisure trips at an average of $8,824 per trip.
• Increased spend is balanced with a range of ‘travel hacks’ to save money on travel: 44% will travel during off-peak seasons; 41% will use credit card points to pay for flights/hotels; 20% will book through companies that offer complimentary hotel benefits (e.g. room upgrades, hotel credits)
• 85% of Canadian adults agree that they are interested in finding flight deals so they can spend more on accommodations or upgrades.

Spontaneity, solo travel, and self-love drive travel desires

Some Canadians book travel spontaneously, while others find spontaneity at their destination:

• Over one-third (37%) of Canadians took a last-minute trip in 2023, with even more (43%) interested in taking one in 2024.
• Planning timeframes are short, with nearly half (47%) booking 2 weeks in advance or more.
• While at their destination, Canadians prefer to leave dining plans (61%), excursions/ activities (39%) and shopping (35%) to be spontaneous.

Over half (54%) of Canadians plan on travelling solo more often or about the same in 2024:

• Of those Canadians, 53% are Millennials and Gen-Z (compared to 59% of all Global Adults).
• Of those planning solo-travel in 2024, 59% of Canadians plan to take a “treat yourself” solo trip centered around self-love.

The global poll was conducted between Jan. 31 and Feb. 8 among a sample audience that included 1,002 Canadians.