Canadians are planning to travel this winter, and although the majority are travelling with some form of travel insurance, not all can say the same.

Interestingly, a new survey from Blue Cross suggests that Canadians are using new tools in their pursuit of travel – 49 per cent now use artificial intelligence (AI) to plan trips, compare prices, find destinations and plan itineraries; 87 per cent are cutting back on travel expenses such as shopping, trip length and premium upgrades.

“Many now turn to tools like AI to plan cost-effective trips and pair it with travel insurance to safeguard their experiences,” the Blue Cross report states.

Regarding their insurance, 86 per cent of the 2,049 Canadians travellers surveyed say they have some form of travel insurance with 56 per cent saying they purchased it directly, while 30 per cent report having coverage through workplace plans and credit cards.

Younger travellers 

Interestingly, younger Canadians are increasingly beginning to see the value of such coverage: 42 per cent of Gen Z respondents and 47 per cent of Millennials now consider travel insurance a key part of planning, up from 39 per cent and 43 per cent respectively in 2024.

As for their travel plans, the Blue Cross survey indicates that geopolitical instability is influencing destination choices, but it is not deterring travel – a sentiment that is also backed up by newly published Statistics Canada data on the subject.

Exploring Canada 

According to Blue Cross, boomers are especially hesitant, with 54 per cent reporting that they are cancelling all travel to the United States in 2026. Overall, 76 per cent said they were less likely to visit the U.S. in 2026. Of those, 95 per cent say they plan to explore Canada (reported by 68 per cent of the survey’s respondents), Mexico and the Caribbean (38 per cent of respondents) and overseas locations (reported by 35 per cent of respondents).

The data from the survey would appear to be inline with Statistics Canada research on the topic, as well. According to the National Travel Survey and Visitor Travel Survey, second quarter 2025, Canadians took 99.3 million trips within Canada and abroad in the second quarter of this year. This is up 8.5 per cent when compared to the same quarter in 2024.

Trips that included a domestic visit were up 10.9 per cent on a year-over-year basis, with same day trips up 12.4 per cent and overnight visits up 8.4 per cent. April to June 2025, spending by Canadian residents on domestic tourism was up 13.5 per cent.

Outbound visits to the U.S. during the same period declined 21.6 per cent while expenditures during those visits declined 14.9 per cent. Outbound visits to an overseas country were up 10.4 per cent year-over-year. Spending during overseas travel was up 28.4 per cent.