Have most Canadians travelled to the "Old World" or overseas at least once?

[Xelebes]

Let's just put it this way, not one of my siblings, cousins or uncles and aunts have travelled across the pond. The nearest relative to have done it is my grandmother who left Wales in 1928 to live in a tar shack on bald Canadian prairie. She returned to Wales in the 1980s to take a look and see if she saw anything she recognised. Apparently she saw the old farmhouse of the dairy she used to live on. She then returned and that was it.

[Acajack]

There is a probably a lot of selection bias in all of our responses.

My entourage is mostly white collar university-educated urban professionals who generally speak two languages and often three. It's not surprising that most everyone has been overseas.

If I worked in a Walmart and hung around with mostly Walmart-type people and my family was similar, the results would likely be quite different.

If I look at my family, my parents have travelled a bit in Canada and the U.S. but they've never been overseas. Certainly in their 40s very few people in their entourage (family or friends) would have been overseas. A number of them have travelled overseas in their retirement years, though. We're talking about people that I would describe as middle-middle class.

[Pinion]

My entire family are globetrotters for some reason.

This is just living, not visiting. Most people have left the continent about a dozen times:

Me: Vancouver to Auckland to Sydney to Vancouver, soon to be Melbourne
Father: Port Angeles WA to Connecticut to Hawaii to San Francisco to Vancouver to Auckland to Sydney to Vancouver
Mother: Netherlands to Queen Charlotte Islands to Vancouver to Auckland to Sydney to Vancouver
Father in law: Christchurch NZ to Vancouver
Mother in law: Kenya to Vancouver
Wife: uhhh just Vancouver

My brother is just Vancouver but is in the process of getting EU citizenship through our Dutch mom.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Acajack

There is a probably a lot of selection bias in all of our responses.

I think you're absolutely right. Some factors will exert a positive influence on one's likelihood to travel overseas... it's probably safe to say that the higher up the socioeconomic ladder you go, the more likely people are to have travelled overseas. Also, I'd wager that people in the major gateway cities are more likely to have gone... with a good seat sale fare you can go from Toronto to Europe or from Vancouver to Asia for $600. It's much more expensive from "interior cities".

But that said, I think the general trend is that of an overall increase, if for no other reason than because the cost of overseas travel is pretty low relative to what it was 40 years ago. Imagine if economy and premium economy got lopped off all overseas aircraft and all you were left with was business class and first class prices. That's pretty much what the traveller was facing in, say, 1972.

[Capsicum]

I wonder if Canadians are much more likely to travel overseas than one generation ago, how much of an increase is driven by newer immigrants visiting family overseas versus tourism itself becoming more affordable. But the cost of flying still matters since wealthy immigrants could do it much more easily than less well off ones, even if they do have families overseas.

According to Stats Canada, visits to the UK were 673 thousand in 2001, and 1,269 thousand in 2016, and to France they were 481 thousand in 2001, and 1,164 thousand in 2016.

So Canadians visiting France and the UK roughly doubled in 15 years.

Canadians visiting Italy and Germany also roughly doubled in that time, going from quarter million to half million or so.

Canadians visiting China went from only 107 thousand in 2001, to 497 thousand in 2016, an increase of four or five times. This is probably heavily influenced by immigration.

But Canadians going to Mexico went from 689 thousand in 2001 to 2,053 thousand in 2016, probably reflecting an increase in tourism.

[GernB]

Europe twice for me, UK/France/Germany four decades ago, and Italy/Greece about twenty years ago. My paternal grandparents (from Wales and Yorkshire) never made the trip back. Basically north-south trips since then. Very few people I know have been to Europe or Asia; it's generally California/Mexico/Texas or some such.

[isaidso]

I'm an immigrant so I've obviously traveled outside of Canada. When traveling I usually go to Europe but my last trip was to Costa Rica. 20% of Canadians are foreign born so a good chunk of the population already hacw experience with a country other than Canada. When I look at my friends, all of them Canadian born, they've all been outside Canada multiple times.

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by esquire

with a good seat sale fare you can go from Toronto to Europe or from Vancouver to Asia for $600. It's much more expensive from "interior cities".

Sometimes even less than that! I got tickets from Toronto to Japan for $600 roundtrip. Meanwhile my parents are flying to Ireland via Iceland for all of $300. On any trip I've been, the flight itself has always been the lowest cost, relative to accommodation and spending money. And thanks to Airbnb, the former is still less than what it used to be as well.

Aside from severe poverty, the only real reason for someone not to travel in this day and age is for lack of interest.

[J.OT13]

I feel like this thread should have a poll.

Personally, I've never traveled further east than Halifax or further west than Toronto. I've passed through the US a few times, either to visit the Thousand Islands (as a kid), shop in Ogdensburg (once), or the one time we went through the US as a shortcut to Halifax (again, when I was a kid and passports weren't necessary).

[Mikemike]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

Sometimes even less than that! I got tickets from Toronto to Japan for $600 roundtrip. Meanwhile my parents are flying to Ireland via Iceland for all of $300. On any trip I've been, the flight itself has always been the lowest cost, relative to accommodation and spending money. And thanks to Airbnb, the former is still less than what it used to be as well.

Aside from severe poverty, the only real reason for someone not to travel in this day and age is for lack of interest.

I've got 5 kids, we spend enough of our flying time going to visit family in Ontario.

I though $300 per person was pretty good just crossing Canada. Still, the plan is a Euro Trip in a couple years when the youngest is old enough to remember and the oldest old enough to appreciate the finer things.

[Innsertnamehere]

A week long European trip probably comes in at around $3-4K for a couple today, and can be much cheaper if you skimp on hotels and dining.

I've left the continent 4 times, planning a 5th this year. Hawaii once and Europe 3 times, soon to be 4. And I'm still in my early 20's. but I grew up in a high income white collar family, and hold a high income, white collar job. Many others I know haven't ever flown, yet alone left the continent.

I think the averages in cities close to an airport will be much higher as well. Rural areas with higher flight costs and lower incomes will likely see much lower rates of intercontinental travel.

[casper]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

A week long European trip probably comes in at around $3-4K for a couple today, and can be much cheaper if you skimp on hotels and dining.

I've left the continent 4 times, planning a 5th this year. Hawaii once and Europe 3 times, soon to be 4. And I'm still in my early 20's. but I grew up in a high income white collar family, and hold a high income, white collar job. Many others I know haven't ever flown, yet alone left the continent.

I think the averages in cities close to an airport will be much higher as well. Rural areas with higher flight costs and lower incomes will likely see much lower rates of intercontinental travel.

I have traveled all over for work. Managing contracts with factories in Germany or other parts as well as doing some consulting.

I a personal note I have found the cheapest way of apreciating Europe is a cruise. For a couple it can be dirt cheap and still provide some of the best acomidating possible. Some times you can even get a kids teavel free deal. Norwegian Epic as an example does a 7 day that arrives in a new city evert morning and then sails over night to the next stop.

[SpongeG]

in my family I have gone 5 times, my brother has gone once and my sister has gone twice. just realized that now.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by Mikemike

I've got 5 kids, we spend enough of our flying time going to visit family in Ontario.

I though $300 per person was pretty good just crossing Canada. Still, the plan is a Euro Trip in a couple years when the youngest is old enough to remember and the oldest old enough to appreciate the finer things.

what age do you think is good? I have a facebook friend who just took his 4 year old son a 1 month trip to europe and i thought that seems too young but i was 4 when i first went and i remember and appreciate a lot from it still, but much better memories about it when i went at 8, even remember wanting to go to places i remember from when i was there at 4

[esquire]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

what age do you think is good? I have a facebook friend who just took his 4 year old son a 1 month trip to europe and i thought that seems too young but i was 4 when i first went and i remember and appreciate a lot from it still, but much better memories about it when i went at 8, even remember wanting to go to places i remember from when i was there at 4

I take my young kids overseas and I don't worry too much about whether they'll remember it. I also did my first overseas trip when I was 4 and I remember bits and pieces of it, but it's still a happy memory just the same.

If I really wanted my kids to be able to take full advantage of the trip and not just be along for the ride, I'd probably wait until they were school age, like maybe around 8 or so.

[manny_santos]

A trend I've noticed is how much millennials like to travel compared with baby boomers. It might have something to do with the generally lower cost of international travel today compared with 40 years ago, but I also feel as though other people my age who make similar amounts of money to me are spending a proportionately large amount of money on international travel compared to me. Among people my age that I know, I'm one of the only people who has not traveled overseas in recent years (though I have traveled in Central America). One of my coworkers went on three international vacations last year and one vacation to BC, something that would be financially unthinkable for me. At the same time, my parents and their similar-aged friends have done very little international travel in their lives, and have zero interest in travel.

[Capsicum]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

A trend I've noticed is how much millennials like to travel compared with baby boomers. It might have something to do with the generally lower cost of international travel today compared with 40 years ago, but I also feel as though other people my age who make similar amounts of money to me are spending a proportionately large amount of money on international travel compared to me. Among people my age that I know, I'm one of the only people who has not traveled overseas in recent years (though I have traveled in Central America). One of my coworkers went on three international vacations last year and one vacation to BC, something that would be financially unthinkable for me. At the same time, my parents and their similar-aged friends have done very little international travel in their lives, and have zero interest in travel.

Cheaper travel, but could it also be that younger people are more likely to talk, post on social media and discuss their travels too than older people?

[esquire]

There has definitely been a huge generational change on that front. I'm sure it's in large part due to decreased costs, and probably to some extent much greater ease in finding information about travel online, as well as the ability to book directly. I can get very attractive prices online that few travel agents would seek out for me.

When I was a kid, overseas trips generally felt like a once or twice in-a-lifetime thing that people did unless they were quite wealthy. It certainly doesn't feel that way now.

[wave46]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

A trend I've noticed is how much millennials like to travel compared with baby boomers. It might have something to do with the generally lower cost of international travel today compared with 40 years ago, but I also feel as though other people my age who make similar amounts of money to me are spending a proportionately large amount of money on international travel compared to me. Among people my age that I know, I'm one of the only people who has not traveled overseas in recent years (though I have traveled in Central America). One of my coworkers went on three international vacations last year and one vacation to BC, something that would be financially unthinkable for me. At the same time, my parents and their similar-aged friends have done very little international travel in their lives, and have zero interest in travel.

I've been to Europe twice. Denmark in 2015 and Iceland in 2017.

It is hard to say with respect to each generation's travel habits. All I have is anecdotes, but my observation is that traveling outside of North America is positively correlated to wealth (obviously) and perhaps the difference between those who are white-collar and blue-collar. That, and family ties would hugely influence travel.

But I've no data to prove that, just the observations of people I know.

[Maldive]

Coast to coast in Canada twice.

30 US states including a year in southern California.

England, Wales, Ireland (with my mother in tow)

France, Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Italy (x3) Sardania

6 trips to India (50% coverage) but a woman was driving.

Yes, I'm getting old.