Canada is a country full of adventure, no matter when you travel! You can head to Montreal or Toronto and see thick snow and attend annual winter festivals. Or book a trip to Whistler and enjoy everything this world-class alpine resort has to offer. But if you prefer to skip the snow, there’s no better place than Vancouver Island to enjoy the mild weather, stunning natural landscapes, amazing food and culture! Whether you’ve been to Canada before or not, with the lifting travel restrictions and the soaring US dollar, there may not be a better time to visit Canada than the winter of 2022!
On October 1st, the Government of Canada finally put an end to all COVID-19 travel restrictions! For years during COVID, Canada has been one of the most conservative countries when it comes to preventative regulations. Since 2020, mask wearing, quarantining, testing and use of the ArriveCan app have been mandatory when travelling into Canada. Even after many other similarly conservative countries had lifted their restrictions, Canada’s restrictions were still in full force – but on Saturday the 1st, that was all over!
Not only has Canada lifted travel restrictions, but with rising interest rates in the US and global uncertainty sending investors to the safety of the US currency, the US dollar is stronger than ever making a trip to Canada even more affordable! However, post-COVID travel to Canada is going to be different – even with the lifted restrictions. For years, travellers have been served “Book Early and Save” messages from the travel industry only to find that if they had waited for last minute pricing, they would have walked away with even bigger savings. Because of this, many travellers swear by last minute booking prices for all of their travel.
But many experts say that since COVID, that’s all about to change.
Globally, the travel industry post-COVID has been hectic. Hours-long waits at airports and booked up hotels are just the tip of the iceberg. With lifting restrictions in Canada, booking transportation, vacation rentals, and activities is going to require planning and – yup – early booking. In a recent article, TravelBrands CEO Frank DeMarinis told Travel Pulse Canada that when it comes to booking a trip “last-minute bookings as global travel is at its highest in over three years. We highly recommend everyone looking to travel this fall and winter to book well in advance to avoid paying more for the same trip.” This sentiment has been echoed throughout the industry with exports seeing steadily growing demand for travel with no sign of abating. With skyrocketing interest rates, gas prices and a shared global need to ‘get back to normal life’ which for many, includes travel, early booking is the way to go.
