You're never going to get a Canadian to give up adventuring, but what their travel looks like in 2026 is changing a lot, with tech taking a bigger role in planning and borders shaping decisions as much as budgets.
The findings come from the 2026 Blue Cross® Travel Study, which shows Canadians' appetite to travel hasn't faded, but it's getting more digital, more cautious and more likely to keep things closer to home.
Canadians are turning to AI for planning travel
Nearly half of Canadian travellers (49%) are already using AI to plan trips, mainly to compare prices, map itineraries and find more affordable destinations. Usage is strongest among Gen Z (70%) and millennials (63%), but it's also rising among other generations as people look for faster, cheaper ways to organize their trips.
AI tools are playing a major role in how Canadians plan their trips. Cliff Booth | Pexels
But not every region in the Study is adopting AI at the same rate. Quebec leads the country in AI trip-planning (52%), with B.C. close behind at 51% and showing the most digital-first habits overall, including use of translation tools. The Prairies, meanwhile, sit at the other end, where most travellers still skip AI entirely and plan the old-school way.
Canadians prefer to travel domestically
Manitoba stands out as Canada's "staycation" capital right now. A striking 83% of Manitobans plan to travel within Canada in 2026 (higher than the average of 68%), signalling that keeping things close and affordable is winning out over long-haul trips.
Saskatchewan mirrors that practicality, but with even less interest in tech tools. Travellers from the province are the least likely in Canada to use AI for planning, with 58% saying they don't use it, and more than three-quarters planning domestic trips.
Moraine Lake, AlbertaJaime Reimer | Pexels
The Study also shows Canadians are cooling on the U.S. as a destination overall: 76% say they're less likely to head south in 2026 due to political climate, trade tensions, border hassles, safety worries and the exchange rate. Alberta remains the most U.S.-curious region, but only 31% still plan to go, and half say they're rethinking that idea.
As for Ontario, travellers are reflecting the country in miniature. Ontarians are planning a balanced 2026. Sixty-four percent expect to travel within Canada, while only 27% plan U.S. travel, and older generations are increasingly using AI too, showing how mainstream digital trip-planning has become.
More Canadians are getting travel insurance
Travel insurance is becoming part of that smarter-planning mindset. Nationally, 86% of Canadian travellers have coverage, and the Study notes it's rising in cost more slowly than flights or hotels, making it feel like a sensible safeguard. Quebec leads again at 91% insured, and younger travellers are increasingly citing insurance as a key peace-of-mind factor.
Dinosaur Provincial Park, AlbertaRonniechua | Dreamstime
From AI-powered planning in places like Quebec and B.C. to Prairie staycations and a broader pullback from U.S. trips, the 2026 Blue Cross® Travel Study shows a country that's still hungry to explore, but doing it with sharper tools and a little more caution.
For anyone mapping out 2026 travel, Blue Cross' research offers one of the clearest snapshots yet of how Canadians are adapting.
To learn more about the 2026 Blue Cross® Travel Study, visit the Blue Cross website or follow them on Instagram.
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