Forget the group chats, countdowns and heavily curated itineraries – have you tried the “sneaky trip”? The sneaky trip, also known as the “hush vacation” or “impulse getaway,” is gaining popularity for those looking to unplug from both work and social media. According to travel journalist Loren Christie, the concept is about staying in the moment – without posting for others to see. In an interview with CTV’s Your Morning on Wednesday, Christie broke down the growing appeal of these silent escapes. “It’s so much nicer for people to just go away and live in the moment, be with the people that you’re with, and not worry about who is at home liking what you’re doing,” he said. What makes a trip ‘sneaky’? Christie said sneaky trips follow a few rules: According to the Mastercard Economics Institute’s recent travel trends report, travellers are increasingly seeking shorter, purpose-driven journeys that prioritize personal fulfilment over prestige. The report also points to a broader cultural shift toward privacy-first travel where experiences are curated for the individual – not for their social media feed – while flexibility and spontaneity are becoming key priorities with more travellers abandoning their itineraries in favour of exploration. Where to sneak off to Christie said his recent sneaky getaway was a weekend in Paris, France. “Paris was a great place to do it. You can walk places without having to plan a bunch of stuff,” he said. Christie noted WestJet’s expansion of European routes now offering direct flights from Calgary, Halifax and St John’s to cities like Paris, Barcelona and Amsterdam, making a quick Euro escape more accessible. Looking to stay closer to home? Christie recommends Bermuda as an option. “There are direct flights on Air Canada and BermudAir from Montreal, Toronto, Halifax. There are so many free, easy things to do,” he said. Many of the beaches and attractions – like the UNESCO-listed town of St. George – are free and the island offers complimentary boat cruises out of its capital city Hamiliton on Friday nights. For Canadians out west, Christie suggests Dawson City in Yukon, saying “it’s a pretty cool, sneaky thing to say that you went there.” Christie also advised informing at least one person about travel plans for safety reasons, despite the sneaky nature of the trips. This story has been updated to correct the name of Bermuda’s airline ‘BermudAir.’
