Most vacationing Canucks would drive 5 hours than fly: Poll

Article content

More than half of Canadians would rather drive five hours than fly to their vacation destination, according to a recent poll.

Article content

And following flight disruptions involving WestJet over the Canada Day long weekend, it may make more sense for some travellers this summer.

The study, conducted by pollster Maru/Blue for Turo — a Canadian car sharing marketplace company — found 57% of Canadians would rather get behind the wheel for five hours than take a flight.

After arriving at their destination, nearly four-in-five respondents said having access to a car while on vacation helps reduce the stress of travelling.

“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,” Cedric Mathieu, of Turo Canada, said in a news release.

Article content

The poll also found nearly two-thirds of respondents prefer road trips over flying. People cited greater control over their itinerary (45%), the ability to add multiple destinations to their trip (42%) and better pricing (32%) as reasons to drive than fly.

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

People between the ages 19 and 27 — Generation Z — were the highest group to be hesitant about flying, with 51% saying safety concerns about air travel have affected their travel plans this year.

Also, one in four Gen Zs said they wanted to avoid flight delays as a reason for preferring road trips.

The cost of travelling was also on the minds of younger people, despite being the most willing to spend a good chunk of their income on a vacation.

Slightly more than half of Gen Z respondents said they are willing to spend more than a month’s pay on a summer trip this year, higher than the average across all Canadians (37%), and highest of all generations surveyed.

The opinion poll was conducted May 28-29 and surveyed 1,519 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Maru Voice Canada online panelists.

Share this article in your social network