A new report suggests road travel is driving summer vacation plans for many Canadians, with Gen Z outspending and outtravelling every other generation. Turo, a car rental marketplace, just released its Summer Road Trip Report for 2026. The cross-sectional survey, completed on May 5, featured participants from across Canada ranging in age from 18 to over 80. The report indicates 70 per cent of Canadian road trippers have two or more trips planned between the months of June and September, with the average person spending 18 hours behind the wheel. Over half of respondents are sticking to travel within Canada, with 72 per cent taking a trip within their own province and 53 per cent planning a visit to another province. Terry Smith, the head of Destination Cape Breton, says traffic around the Cabot Trail appears to be up this summer, adding it would be difficult to find a place to stay there right now. While some visitors fly into Halifax or Sydney, Smith is seeing license plates from faraway places. “You see them from Florida, you see them from Texas. So, people are driving long distances to come to our Island destination,” he said. The most popular road trip destinations among those surveyed were Banff, Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Prince Edward Island and Jasper. “We expected road trips to play a big role in Canadians’ summer travel plans this year, but what surprised us was the sheer scale,” said Bassem El-Rahimy, vice president of Turo Canada, in a news release. “Canadians aren’t just taking one road trip. They’re planning multiple getaways, spending hours behind the wheel and, in many cases, budgeting thousands to do it. That tells us this isn’t necessarily about finding a cheaper way to travel. It’s about choosing a better one.” Most respondents, 62 per cent, are travelling with their partner or spouse and only 28 per cent are hitting the road with their children. Almost half of those surveyed are travelling to visit family or friends, while one in three Canadians are attending a major event or festival. Liam Scanlan and his wife Karen are looking forward to hitting the road next month. “We’re going to check out Philadelphia, check out the sights there. Also, the city of Pittsburgh, check out of a couple of ball games. Then we’re going to go up to Toronto and see Ed Sheeran in concert there at the Rogers Centre.” Scanlan figures the round trip will have them behind the wheel for more than 40 hours over a span of nine days. “It’s still cheaper to drive than fly. Even though gas prices are going up, it’s still a cheaper endeavour to drive to these places,” he said. Gen Z will be spending the most of any generation on summer travel this year, with 28 per cent expecting to spend over $5,000 and 16 per cent planning a visit to a luxury destination. Gen Z isn’t just sticking to road trips. According to the report, 60 per cent plan to travel internationally, compared to 27 per cent of Baby Boomers.
