Skyscanner Tracks Canadian Summer Travel Trends
According to Skyscanner’s latest research — in association with OnePoll — 76% of Canadians are planning to get away this summer, but 44% have yet to book their summer getaway.
And while 82% of Canadians report that they feel confident that they know how to find the best vacation deals, Skyscanner data reveals that only 4% of Canadian searches are for the cheapest week of the school summer holidays.
In response, global travel site Skyscanner has launched the new and expanded summer edition of its Savings Generator tool to help travellers save big this summer.
To help travellers, whether they’ve booked a trip or are tempted to book another this summer, Skyscanner’s Savings Generator is on hand to find the cheapest week of the summer to travel to a selection of the most popular routes from Canada including the US, Ireland and Portugal.
The global travel site currently searches over 80 billion prices every single day, so Skyscanner’s experts have crunched the numbers to share some simple dos and don’ts for grabbing the best bargain this summer:
Travel the last week of the school summer holidays (instead of the first) and save 25%
Despite over half of Canadians (43%) sharing that they know that there are cheaper weeks of the summer holidays to travel, Skyscanner can reveal that only 4% of Canadian searches are for the cheapest week of the school summer holidays!
According to its data, the first two weeks of the school holidays are by far the most popular weeks to head away this summer, however, this is in fact the most expensive time to travel. Skyscanner’s data shows that on average travellers can save 25% by travelling the last week versus the first week of the school summer holidays, meaning an average saving of up to $1,654 CAD for a family of four!
Want to save big this summer? Travel on a Tuesday (most of the time).
Travellers who are flexible and can fly on less popular days of the week can save up to 22% on the cost of their flights this July and August according to Skyscanner’s summer Savings Generator. An added bonus? The airports are likely to be less crowded too! As 86% of Canadians share they would be willing to change the day and/ or week of their summer holidays to save this year, it really pays to do your research by using Skyscanner’s Whole Month view. For instance, flying to Greece on a Tuesday, instead of a Saturday, means a family of four can save up to $643 CAD on average for their return travel this July and August.
There are still cheap deals – just search EVERYWHERE for the very best prices
Canadians yet to book their summer trip estimate flights will cost $328 per person on average, however Skyscanner can reveal deals to holiday favourites including Boston from $27 return and Cancun from $289 return this August.
Canadians can bag big bargains by crossing the border
Make the most of different school holiday dates and, for example, take the quick trip to Seattle from Vancouver to save $548 for a family of four on return flights to Guatemala City from 15 – 22 August (Seattle – $628 per person versus Vancouver – $765 per person).
Canadians can bag bargains by switching their airport
Flight prices from Canada’s airports will vary in price for destinations depending on a number of factors such as which airlines are based there and which routes they serve, meaning some will be busier than others at peak times.
Using Skyscanner’s Nearby Airports filter is an easy way to compare your options. Save $1,276 on a trip to Mexico for a family of four on return flights to Cancun between Aug. 15 to Aug. 22 August (Toronto Pearson International – $444 per person versus Toronto Island Airport – $763 per person).
Commenting on the findings, Skyscanner’s Travel Trends and Destination Expert Laura Lindsay says: “We know how much Canadians look forward to and research their summer holiday break – this year more so than any! It’s therefore our duty to analyse all the data we have access to and share this insight via our Savings Generator, updated for Summer 2023 so Canadian travellers know how to make their money go further this summer.”
Lindsay continued: “Our research shows that over a third of Canadians (42%) make sacrifices, including fewer meals out and buying fewer new clothes, in order to save for their summer holidays, but are less likely to shop around for holidays in the way they would when doing their weekly shop or clothes. We’re aware that the summer holidays can be a costly time to travel, so we’ve updated our Savings Generator to help Canadian travellers easily see how to get away within budget this summer.”
And Lindsay added: “There’s so much money to be saved if consumers compare their travel options, so we’re building the tools for travellers to do this quickly and easily. We encourage all travellers to take note of our savvy tips and utilise the tools on our site like our Calendar View and Everywhere Search to save big this summer.”
