U.S. travel still off the menu for Manitobans: CAA

More Manitobans than ever before are choosing to travel overseas and bypass the United States when they book vacations, according to the latest travel trends released by CAA.

Canadian travel remains high, as does cruising on an ocean liner or a river vessel, Susan Postma, CAA Manitoba’s regional manager, said during a travel expo on Tuesday at the Victoria Inn in Brandon.

“We have seen a dip in travel to the States, and a lot of people are going to Europe,” said Postma.

“They’re going to Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, England — and Japan is a huge destination right now. Those are the big trends along with the cruises,” she said.

“We’re also seeing trips to exotic destinations like Egypt and Jordan, travel to Canada’s east and west coasts, and of course a lot of motor coach tours to give you that immersive experience.

“So, people are really doing a mix of everything,” Postma said.

About 325 people attended the travel expo, picking up brochures and magazines, and speaking with the 20 tour operators and travel agents from different companies.

The visitors also had an opportunity to take part in breakout sessions, getting one-on-one advice about travelling solo, unrushed or all inclusive.

Brandon’s Don and Bonnie Coombs don’t like to fly anymore, and with insurance getting more expensive as the years go by, are considering giving up their usual stay in Mesa, Ariz., for an ocean cruise.

“We’re trying to look at going through Iceland, doing all the tours there and then getting to England and leaving from there,” Bonnie said.

Minnedosa’s Sandy Opruk and her husband, Neil McLaughlin, said their mind was made up.

“No United States, and we’re not really interested in the big Carnival cruise with the water slides on top,” said McLaughlin.

As she held up the brochure for a Viking river cruise, Opruk said, “This is more our style — a lot more relaxed and a lot less people.”

The majority of the demographic at the travel expo appeared to be over 65, and Postma said that many of them are longtime CAA members.

But travel isn’t limited to that age group, she added.

“We do see more and more of a younger demographic coming in, whether they’re going as a family or that once in a lifetime trip. And sometimes their parents have sent them in because we do planning for hot destination weddings,” said Postma.

“So it’s not really surprising to see this age group,” Postma said as she looked around the room. “Because they’re also the ones who have a little bit of that YOLO (you only live once) — as in, ‘If we’re ever going to go, we’re going to go now.’”

Tailor-made travelling doesn’t have to be expensive, Postma said. Prices are a lot different than they were five years ago.

Booking in the off-season, avoiding long weekends or selecting a four-star property instead of one with five stars can help keep down the costs.

Colleen St. Louis and her husband said they’ve done everything from bus tours to spending time in Palm Springs, Calif.

“We don’t want to go back to the United States anymore,” said St. Louis. “I’m not interested in a big cruise ship. I’m too nervous on the open water, but with the river cruise you can always see land,” she said as she laughed.

The travel expo was set up to get western Manitobans to travel elsewhere, but as St. Louis thought about different destinations, she had a few suggestions for those who may not have the time or the resources to travel to far-off destinations.

“This summer, we did a statue tour of some different towns,” she said. “There is the big banana in Melita, Boissevain’s turtle, the Viking out in Gimli and Glenboro has a camel.

“So we decided to do these little jaunts to see some of the statues and take pictures. It was awesome, and we had a lot of fun.”

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

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