How Are You Feeling, Eh?

In its Travel Companion Report, Expedia took a look at how Canadians are feeling about the prospects of travelling again.

What it found was that, like most of the world, Canadians are reporting uncertainty and hesitation when it comes to booking trips right now.

Expedia’s Travel Companion Report found that:

• More than 60% of Canadian adults feel stressed at the thought of booking international trips
• 28% state they need a helping hand when travelling
• 34% of Canadians have been so overwhelmed by planning their next trip, they have put off hitting “book” at least three times and are estimating more than nine hours to plan a trip

As for when it comes to getting back out there, travellers noted the importance of:

• Getting help understanding travel restrictions and guidelines (46%)
• Having access to information about whether a destination requires vaccinations or testing (59%)
• Easily being able to check the policies of bookings (41%)
• And interestingly, now, more than ever, Canadians say they’re looking for inspiration on where to go when it’s safe (24%).

The Travel Companion Report also found that in-trip, reducing stress and anxiety is also a factor. Some of the ways travellers typically combat anxiety, include:

• Listening to music (64%)
• Asking for a helping hand from a fellow traveller (28%)
• Reading (38%)
• Meditating (25%)
• Watching a movie (48%)

So, while it’s pretty clear that the thirst for travel is real, but support is more important than ever before.

To address the anxiety travellers are feeling and offer support, Expedia has launched the Helping Hand campaign.

“Providing a helping hand to travellers is our mission, whether it’s a physical hand to hold for added comfort, or the act of arming them with all the information they need to confidently plan their next trip. We’re on a multi-year journey to becoming a travel company that is obsessed with our travellers, understanding their wants and needs,”

Nisreene Atassi, Sr. Director and Global Head of Communications for Expedia Brand, explains: “It’s clear from our Travel Companions Report that people put an immense value on feeling taken care of and supported during their journeys and there are so many people in the travel industry that contribute to a traveller’s experience.”

And Atassi continued: “At Expedia, we’ve made a number of updates to our site to deliver that reassurance and confidence to our customers, including more self-service tools that provide instant answers and more ways to earn and redeem Rewards points.”

For more, go to www.helpinghand.expedia.ca to check out Expedia’s pledge to its customers.

Expedia’s Travel Companions report was launched to discover attitudes to travel in 2021.

OnePoll surveyed 2000 adult respondents in Canada, who have been on holiday as an adult. Dates of survey: April 1 to April 13, 2021.