Canadians travelling tend to expect travel problems
As Canadians prepare to travel this winter, whether for holiday get-togethers or tropical escapes, there’s still a bit of a black cloud hanging over them. A recent Capital One Aspire Travel Survey found that more than 1 in 4 Canadians (26%) expect to experience some forms of travel problems, mishap or inconvenience before they even begin to travel. Concerns over travel mishaps increase for Canadians living in Atlantic Canada who are more concerned over travel problems (34%) than Quebecers (18%). While the majority of people find these mishaps frustrating (60%), a solid amount of respondents (21%) found their experience to be humorous indicating that some Canadians can still find the lighter side of travel.
The poll also found some interesting gender differences when it comes to planning for and dealing with the unexpected. Women are far more likely than men to buy travel insurance (49% to 35%) even though they are no less or more likely than men to think that something will go wrong on the trip. Women also found travel problems or issues to be more frustrating (63%) than men (57%).
“With 94 percent of Canadians reporting that they have experienced at least one travel mishap over the past three years, it was surprising to learn that more than one-third of Canadians never bother to purchase supplementary travel insurance,” said Laurel Ostfield, Spokesperson, Capital One Canada.
The poll also found:
- The most noted travel problems or inconveniences are: bad weather (59%), travel delays (48%), lost luggage (28%), and uncomfortable/dirty accommodations (38%).
- When booking travel, the two most popular annoyances are finding a better deal after you’ve already booked your flight (39%) and getting the travel dates you want (36%)
- Canadians are doing considerably more research (41%) before traveling in an effort to prevent travel problems. The trend is especially pronounced among younger Canadians, with nearly half of them (49%) saying they are doing more research these days
- Older respondents are significantly less likely to forget something important at home (19% versus, 28% for middle aged and 37% for younger Canadians)
- Almost two-thirds of Canadians (61%) blame someone other than themselves or their travel companion for travel problems
- Travel agents are seen as the friendliest and most knowledgeable people in the industry. Credit card and rental car companies come out on top for available offers, while credit card companies win out for ability to solve travel problems
“Fortunately, despite the reality that something can go wrong when you travel, a significant majority (81%) of respondents told us that their mishaps were satisfactorily resolved,” said Ostfield.
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