Canada’s traditional snowbird generation appears to be turning its back on the United States, even as younger Canadians show renewed enthusiasm for travelling south of the border.
New findings from the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada (THIA) reveal a striking generational divide heading into the 2026–2027 winter season. Just 8% of Baby Boomers say they are likely to visit the United States, compared with 52% of Generation Z Canadians.
The contrast comes amid ongoing political tensions between Ottawa and Washington, rising travel expenses and changing vacation preferences. Although overall Canadian interest in U.S. travel is recovering, it remains considerably weaker than in previous years. The results suggest that the future of Canadian winter tourism could look very different from the traditional pattern of retirees escaping the cold for months at a time.
Canadian Boomers Are Abandoning Their Traditional Winter Travel Plans
For decades, Canadian retirees have been closely associated with the snowbird lifestyle, spending extended periods in warmer American destinations while temperatures fall back home. Florida, Arizona and other southern states have long been familiar winter escapes. However, THIA’s latest Winter Smart Traveller findings suggest that the enthusiasm traditionally associated with this generation has deteriorated dramatically. Only 8% of Canadian Boomers now say they are likely to visit the United States during the coming winter, down from 10% last year and 31% before 2025.
That represents a decline of 23 percentage points from the earlier benchmark, making it one of the most striking changes in the findings. The figures measure travel intentions rather than actual trips, but the shift is substantial. For a retired couple that previously planned to spend several months in the American Sun Belt, political uncertainty, travel expenses or changing personal priorities could now make another destination more attractive. Importantly, the findings do not establish that older Canadians have stopped travelling altogether. They indicate that the United States is losing much of its former appeal among this age group.
Gen Z Canadians Are Moving in the Opposite Direction
While older Canadians are reconsidering their American winter vacations, Generation Z appears to be taking a dramatically different approach. THIA found that 52% of Gen Z respondents say they are likely to travel to the United States this winter, an increase from 44% last year. That creates a 44-percentage-point gap between the youngest adult generation surveyed and Baby Boomers. The difference is particularly notable because younger Canadians often face tighter vacation budgets and competing financial priorities, yet their willingness to consider American destinations remains much stronger.
The findings also build on an earlier THIA study released in May 2026, which found that 45% of Gen Z Canadians were likely to travel to the United States during the year, compared with just 8% of Boomers. Among respondents already planning to travel, 61% of Gen Z included the United States in their itineraries. However, stronger interest should not automatically be interpreted as greater support for American political decisions. Younger travellers may simply weigh affordability, entertainment, convenience and personal experiences differently. A short trip to an American city can remain attractive even when broader political relations are strained.
Overall U.S. Travel Interest Is Recovering but Remains Below Previous Levels
Despite the sharp generational differences, the broader picture suggests that Canadians are gradually becoming more willing to travel to the United States again. THIA’s latest findings show that 30% of Canadians say they are likely to visit the country this winter, up from 26% during the 2025–2026 season. The four-percentage-point improvement points toward a modest recovery after a period when political friction and uncertainty discouraged many potential visitors. Nevertheless, the current figure remains well below the 41% level reported for winter travel in earlier years.
That distinction matters because a rebound from a particularly weak period does not necessarily mean the travel market has returned to normal. Canadian families may be reconsidering American vacations without committing to them, while retirees who previously travelled annually may continue choosing other destinations. The same percentage can also represent different types of travellers, from someone planning a quick weekend visit to a household considering several months abroad. For American destinations that traditionally rely on Canadian visitors, recovering overall interest is encouraging. However, the remaining gap suggests that restoring previous travel patterns could take more than one winter season.
Younger Canadians Prefer Shorter and More Frequent Getaways
The generational divide extends beyond whether Canadians want to visit the United States. It also affects how they organize their winter vacations. Among Canadians planning winter travel, THIA found that 47% of Gen Z travellers expect to take a trip lasting one week. Another 23% anticipate taking two or more separate week-long vacations, compared with just 6% of Boomers. The findings suggest that younger Canadians are more inclined toward shorter getaways and multiple opportunities to travel rather than committing a substantial portion of the winter to one destination.
Older travellers show a different preference. Among Boomers planning winter travel, 27% favour trips lasting longer than one week but less than one month. These figures describe winter travel generally and are not limited exclusively to American destinations. Still, they offer useful context for understanding how tourism demand may evolve. A young professional might spread vacation time across several shorter breaks, while a retiree may prefer one extended stay that allows time to settle into a destination. For airlines, accommodations and travel insurers, these differences could influence demand for everything from flexible bookings to long-stay coverage. The traditional snowbird model may be losing its dominance without disappearing entirely.
Political Tensions Have Become the Biggest Reported Travel Barrier
Canada’s relationship with the United States continues to influence how Canadians think about travelling. According to THIA’s latest findings, political tensions between the two countries are now the most frequently identified potential barrier to travel outside a respondent’s home province, cited by 37%. That places political concerns ahead of economic and financial pressures at 31%, rising airfare at 28% and exchange rates at 27%. The question covered travel beyond a person’s home province, rather than only U.S. trips, but the prominence of Canada-U.S. tensions remains significant.
Previous research suggests that older Canadians are particularly sensitive to this issue. THIA’s May 2026 Smart Traveller findings identified political tensions between Canada and the United States as one of the biggest travel barriers for 51% of Boomers. Younger Canadians appeared more concerned about practical constraints, including rising travel costs and limited paid vacation time. The results point toward different priorities rather than a single explanation for Canadian travel behaviour. Some travellers may view an American vacation primarily as a personal experience, while others may consider the broader political relationship when deciding where to spend their money. Neither attitude necessarily predicts whether a trip will ultimately happen.
The United States Has Reclaimed Its Position as the Top Winter Destination
Despite lingering political concerns, the United States has narrowly returned to the top of Canadians’ preferred winter destinations. THIA found that 15% of respondents identified the United States as their primary winter destination, compared with 14% choosing travel within Canada and 10% favouring the Caribbean. The American lead over domestic travel is only one percentage point, highlighting how closely Canadians’ destination preferences are divided. The figures also measure primary destination choices, which explains why the 15% share differs from the 30% who say they are likely to visit the United States at some point this winter.
The close competition illustrates a changing travel market. A Canadian household considering a warm-weather escape might weigh an American destination against a Caribbean resort, while another family might decide that staying within Canada offers better value or fewer complications. These choices can be shaped by transportation costs, accommodation prices, exchange rates and personal comfort with travelling abroad. Earlier THIA research in May found that Europe was the most popular international region for Canadians’ broader 2026 travel plans, while 36% planned to travel exclusively within Canada. Those annual findings are not directly comparable with the winter figures, but they reinforce the growing importance of alternatives to the United States.
Vacation Costs Are Creating Another Major Generational Divide
A separate winter travel study conducted by Ipsos for Allianz Global Assistance Canada highlights the financial pressure influencing vacation plans. Released on November 9, the research found that 41% of Canadians were planning a winter vacation, with intended spending averaging $2,592 per traveller. The generational differences were substantial. Boomers planning winter trips expected to spend an average of $4,306, while Gen Z travellers anticipated spending $1,790. Millennials expected to spend $2,061, compared with $2,490 among Gen X respondents. These figures cover winter vacations generally, not exclusively trips to the United States.
The affordability challenge becomes clearer when examining Canadians who are not planning to travel. Among those staying home, 66% said they either lacked the money for a vacation or did not want to spend it, while 30% identified travel as too expensive. Half of surveyed travellers said they were scaling back their winter vacation plans rather than abandoning them completely. The results provide a useful explanation for why stronger travel enthusiasm does not always translate into larger travel budgets. Gen Z Canadians may be more willing to consider American destinations, but their expected vacation spending is far below that of Boomers. Conversely, fewer older travellers may be planning U.S. trips, yet those who do travel can still represent significant tourism spending.
Border Crossing Data Confirms a Recovery That Is Still Incomplete
Actual travel statistics reveal that the changing attitudes are already coinciding with shifts in cross-border activity. Preliminary Statistics Canada figures released November 12 show that Canadian residents returned from approximately 1.9 million trips to the United States by automobile and air in October 2026. That represented a 3% increase from October 2025 and marked the seventh consecutive month of year-over-year growth. However, Canadian automobile return trips remained 29% below October 2024 levels, while air travel was still 19.6% lower than two years earlier. The figures point toward recovery without a full return to earlier travel volumes.
The economic effects were particularly visible earlier in the year. Statistics Canada reported that Canadians made 5.5 million trips involving visits to the United States during the first quarter of 2026, down 10.6% from the same period in 2025. Canadian spending during those visits fell 13.6% to $5 billion. These are completed travel and spending figures, unlike the intentions measured by THIA. Together, they suggest that some Canadian travellers have begun returning while the cross-border tourism market remains substantially smaller than before the downturn. Whether that recovery continues through the winter will depend on how many prospective travellers actually follow through with their plans.
Changing Winter Travel Habits Are Raising New Insurance Questions
The emerging travel patterns are also creating practical considerations for Canadians who do decide to leave the country. THIA spokesperson Will McAleer has emphasized that travel health insurance should reflect the length, frequency and nature of a person’s trips. A retiree spending several weeks or months in one destination may require different coverage from a younger traveller taking multiple shorter vacations. Policy limits, exclusions and the maximum length of individual trips can all become important when comparing insurance options. Travellers with pre-existing medical conditions may face additional requirements concerning their medical history and the stability of those conditions.
The Government of Canada recommends purchasing travel health and trip interruption insurance before travelling outside the country, even for a one-day visit to the United States. Provincial and territorial health plans may pay little or nothing toward medical emergencies abroad, creating potentially substantial expenses without adequate coverage. For Canadians weighing their winter plans, the decision therefore involves more than choosing between Florida, the Caribbean or a domestic destination. It requires balancing affordability, personal preferences and financial protection. The latest findings suggest that Canada’s traditional snowbird culture is undergoing a significant transformation. Younger Canadians may be helping revive interest in American travel, but the willingness of older generations to return remains a central unanswered question for the 2026–2027 winter season.
