Summer Travel Preferences of Canadians Revealed in Turo and Maru/Blue Study

A recent study by Turo, Canada’s leading car sharing marketplace, in collaboration with Maru/Blue, has unveiled Canadians’ travel preferences for this summer. The study highlights their favored modes of transportation, types of trips, and concerns about vacationing in a challenging macroeconomic environment.

Embracing Road Trips

The study reveals that Canadians show a strong preference for driving over flying to their vacation destinations:

• Over half (57%) of Canadians surveyed would rather spend five hours or more driving to their summer vacation than fly.
• Once at their destination, having a vehicle remains advantageous, with more than three in four (78%) respondents stating that access to a car reduces the stress of travel plans.

A majority of Canadian respondents (65%) prefer road trips to flying, citing several benefits:

• Greater control over their itinerary (45%)
• The opportunity to add multiple destinations to their trip that they otherwise wouldn’t experience (42%)
• More cost-effective options (32%)

“Results from the study strongly indicate Canadians have an appetite to road trip this summer as it offers more personalization, from taking spontaneous pit spots along the way, packing extra items like camping gear or bicycles, or even bringing your dog along for the ride,” says Cedric Mathieu, Senior Vice President and Head of Turo Canada. “We’re seeing Canadians turn to Turo for these road trips because they can pick the exact vehicle they want for any adventure, whether that’s a family-friendly SUV, a sleek convertible, or anything in between.”

In addition to recognizing the advantages of road trips, Canadians, particularly Gen Zs (respondents aged 18-27), expressed specific hesitations regarding air travel:

• A significant majority (51 percent) of Gen Z respondents agreed that safety concerns about air travel have impacted their travel plans this year, the highest among all generations surveyed. The average across all Canadians surveyed is 32 percent.
• One in four (25 percent) Gen Z respondents cited avoiding flight delays as a reason for preferring road trips over flying, the largest percentage of all generations surveyed. The average across all Canadians surveyed is 13 percent.

Navigating Travel Costs Amid Rising Living Expenses

Among the generations surveyed, Gen Z is particularly concerned about the cost of travel, despite being the most willing to allocate a significant portion of their income to vacations:

– More than half (53%) of Gen Z respondents are willing to spend more than their monthly paycheck on a summer trip this year, a figure higher than the average for all Canadians (37%) and the highest among all generations surveyed.
– 73% of Gen Z respondents agree that saving enough for a trip isn’t feasible given current inflation rates, the highest percentage among all generations surveyed. This figure drops to 65% across all Canadians.
– 70% of Gen Z respondents report that their travel budget has decreased compared to last year due to the high cost of living.
– Finally, 26% of Gen Z respondents have spent between $5,000 to $10,000 on vacations in the past year, compared to 23% across all generations.

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