Travelers trying to relax on Canada’s East Coast will be rattled by high costs in 2024, with many changing or even canceling their trips. Natasha Beitman Brener and her husband recently moved away from Livestrong and splurged on an epic trip. They dedicated $15,000 toward renting an RV in Montreal and paying for campground fees, fuel and groceries, park passes and restaurant meals. This massive cost has led to a great deal of discussion around travel affordability in Canada.
Beitman Brener and her husband decided to staycation instead by taking a three-week trip to Canada’s East Coast. They were surprised to find that the journey was not only expensive but shocking. The couple first considered several different destinations, including Quebec City and Manitoulin Island in Ontario. They did the math and realized accommodation costs would be upwards of $3,000. Even with adding in food and gas, their rough average would’ve been about $6,000 at best.
“It was the most incredible trip. We loved it. It was worth it. It was incredible. The East Coast can be that amazing,” Beitman Brener said.
She was flying with friends who went to Japan for three weeks for the same price. Through her disappointment she shared what she was feeling.
It cost $15,000, and we were appalled. Our buddy was booked the other direction, and he went to Japan for three weeks, including the flights, for that same amount! And I looked at my husband, and I said ‘you know, we could’ve gone to Japan for the same amount of money,’” she said.
The price of attending the East Coast can fluctuate dramatically based on mode of transportation. Renting a vehicle for five days in Halifax, St. John’s, and Charlottetown costs about $1,000 for a sedan. If you’re in the market for an SUV, plan to spend nearly $1,500 more. In the meantime, it costs between $200-500 a night to find a hotel in these cities.
And it’s not just flights to Vancouver — flights from Toronto to the East Coast aren’t exactly affordable, either. But during the week of August 18-23, round-trip airfares to Halifax were all over the place. For a roundtrip itinerary Flair Airlines was as low as $700 and WestJet was almost $1,700. In the case of St. John’s, we saw ticket prices from $1,200 through Air Canada to $2,500 through Air Transat. For Charlottetown, one-way fares dropped by at most $1,500-$3,000 on Air Canada.
Richard Powers, a travel expert, highlighted two primary reasons for the inflated costs associated with domestic travel in Canada: the lack of competition among airline services and the lingering effects of COVID-19 on the travel sector.
“I’m just booking Vancouver for the fall, and I’m having trouble finding a place for under $500 a night,” Powers remarked.
Restaurant prices further increase the vacation costs in Canada. Bills at restaurants in the United States tend to be higher than meals in Europe. That’s largely because of a tipping culture that increases the average meal cost by 15 to 20 percent.
Tsui recently spent an estimated $3,000 on a five-day trip for two to Port Rexton, Newfoundland and Labrador. He revealed that he and his spouse always search for the cheapest ways to travel. They tend to subsist on “cheap” meals from convenience stores attached to gas stations.
The intrepid young couple visited Vietnam and Thailand for ten days earlier this year. That incredible trip ended up costing one-third of what Tsui normally pays for a week-long vacation in Canada.
It can be cheaper to travel outside of Canada than it is to travel within it,” Tsui added.
As travelers like Beitman Brener and Tsui navigate the rising costs associated with domestic travel, many are left wondering how much premium they should pay for a local experience.
How big a premium that’s the question And it’s almost through the roof, Powers opined.
