A surprising study, sponsored by car-sharing site Turo, claims that over half of Canadians would rather drive five hours to a summer vacation than fly, and that many consider driving safer than flying, despite all statistics to the contrary.
Among the benefits respondents cited for road-tripping it were not having to rent a vehicle at the destination, greater control over itinerary, the ability to make stops at multiple destinations and lower cost.
Surprisingly, Gen Z respondents had the most doubts about flying, with 51% saying safety concerns about flying have affected their plans, compared to 32% of respondents overall. They also worried the most about flight delays, with 25% saying it was a factor compared to 13% of Canadians overall.
The GenZ respondents stood out in another way, as well: they are both the most concerned about the cost of travel and the most willing to splash out a lot of their income on it.
- More than one in two (53 per cent) of Gen Z respondents are willing to spend more than their monthly pay cheque on a summer trip this year, which is higher than the average across all Canadians (37 per cent) and the highest of all generations surveyed.
- 73 per cent of Gen Z respondents agree that given current inflation rates, saving enough for a trip just isn’t feasible, the highest of all generations surveyed. Across all Canadians, this figure drops to 65 per cent.
- Similarly, 70 per cent of Gen Z respondents agree their travelling budget has decreased compared to last year due to the high cost of living.
- Finally, 26 per cent of Gen Z respondents have spent between $5,000 to $10,000 on vacations in the past year. This figure decreases to 23 per cent across all generations.