Tourism is constantly evolving, adapting and birthing new trends. Consider the post-Covid trend towards glamping – glamorous camping that offers the comforts of a hotel room in an outdoor environment. There’s a trend for quality experience over quantity. Wherever you go, you’ll also find more and more travellers favouring sustainable and responsible travel, and opting to spend more time being active, outdoors, and immersed in nature. There’s a current trend for Canadians to cancel US trips in the wake of a tariff war from our usually hospitable southern neighbour, and in turn look to discover little-known wonders in our own backyard. We’ve seen the rise of the staycation before, most notable during the pandemic when international tourism was all but shuttered. This time it’s different. This time, the staycation trend is steeped of national pride and personal choice.
Keeping it local – whether that means exploring your town, city, province or country – comes with many obvious advantages. Experiences are easier to access, are more affordable, and are significantly lighter on the administrative headaches. Time saved on transit translates into time spent on your vacation. Beyond these benefits, you’re also supporting your local economy, from hotels and restaurants to attractions and stores. Of course, it’s not all apples to apples. Nobody should be claiming that a Canadian art gallery is the Louvre, or substitute Toronto for Paris. When it comes to outdoor adventure however, the lines can get a little blurrier. Cycling, hiking, kayaking are physical pursuits wherever you choose to do them, and hiking the stunning coastline of New Brunswick or BC is as stunning as hiking a beach anywhere. In my experience, cycling through beautiful wine country holds the same appeal in Niagara or the Okanagan as it does in the Napa Valley or Tuscany. The wines measure up, it’s a lot easier to get to, more affordable, and you get to bring home more bottles when you avoid duties and restrictions at international borders.
Looking for an outdoor adventure this summer? Join me for a Bucket List kayaking trip into the Johnstone Strait of Northern Vancouver Island, with karibu adventures. I’ll be hosting this trip as a Canadian Geographic Travel Ambassador.
I often hear people say: why should I visit Newfoundland when I can fly to Ireland for the same price? It’s been a common Canadian habit to assign more value to experiences that are far away than those that are closer to home. Yet Newfoundland and Ireland, I can assure you, are entirely different destinations. Only one of these locations, I assure you, will give one a better understanding and grasp of Atlantic Canadian place and culture. Only one will make you feel more at home, so that the next time you hear of news from St John’s, you will have a frame of reference.
Still, flying to Newfoundland from Ontario or Alberta is not exactly a staycation, it’s more of a Canadi-cation (a word I just made up, shortly to become a trend of its own!) Geographically, a staycation is typically close to home, but for those enthusiastic or curious about outdoor adventure, Canadian options are limitless. Unlike parts of Europe where simply finding wilderness is an adventure unto itself, Canadians rarely have to drive more than an hour or two to find untapped, pristine natural beauty. This holds true whether you’re on the West Coast, in the Prairies, the Maritimes, Arctic or Central Canada. We have access to a bountiful network of outstanding provincial and national parks, not to mention hiking trails, bike tracks, lakes, rivers, mountain and forest. Whether you’re new to the outdoors or not, a Great Canadian staycation can easily be an adventure of a lifetime.
Regardless of how the current crisis evolves – and nowadays it feels like there’s aways a crisis – more Canadians than ever will be content to keep it local. If that includes you, rest assured that when it comes to the great Canadian outdoors, there’s always somewhere to go, and definitely something to do. If you need ideas, just check out my book or the experiences featured on this website.
