Skip to main content
Open this photo in gallery:

Domestic travel is still very much top of mind for Canadians, with the three most popular spots being Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, pictured.Handout

Keep up to date with the weekly Sightseer newsletter. Sign up today.

Travel remains a topsy-turvy proposition for many luxury globetrotters. On one hand, this fall’s volume of flight bookings and hotel reservations suggest many are still cautious about resuming their usual getaway rhythm. On the other, there’s a worldwide shortage of private aircraft as the deepest pocketed vacationers seek privacy and discretion. We look ahead to 2022 and the travel trends driving where we’ll go and how we’ll get there.

Style Advisor November 2021 edition: Stylish inspiration for your holiday gift giving

Road trip on two wheels

Interest in electric bicycles surged during the pandemic and enthusiasm is only growing with new trails – complete with charging stations – being added across the country. Hotels, such as Fairmont’s Le Chateau Montebello in Quebec and the Tweedsmuir Lodge in B.C., offer guests e-bike rentals to explore local attractions. The new Canadian brand Beachman adds design cred to e-bikes with its motorcycle-inspired models. The Beachman 64, debuting next year, can tour you around for 90 kilometres on a single charge.

Open this photo in gallery:

Handout

Beachman 64 E-bike, $4,200 through beachman.ca.

Trust the experts

Maybe it’s because our holiday planning muscles have atrophied after an almost two year pause on getting out of town, or perhaps navigating ever-changing restrictions and requirements is too daunting, but there’s no questions that travel agents and advisers are essential again. From COVID-testing requirements to catching a connecting flight, travellers, especially those embarking on family holidays, are handing over logistics to the professionals, according to industry publication Skift.

Spoil your bubble

While the days of strict bubble travel may be over, the inclination to travel with a group and just that group prevails, so the opening of Revelstoke, B.C.’s Flying Moose Chalet is well timed. Booking a stay at the full-service private chalet includes the assistance of its team: an on-call butler, driver and housekeeping and culinary staff. The eight-suite property, a short drive from the base of Revelstoke Mountain Resort and downtown Revelstoke, comes with an outdoor pool, hot tub, climbing wall, steam room and games room.

Open this photo in gallery:

Handout

Flying Moose Chalet, stays from $6,500/night through flyingmoosebc.com.

Stay local

The luxury travel adviser network has been tracking the hotel booking habits of Canadian travellers and, while we are looking abroad, particularly to sunny destinations for winter, domestic travel is still very much top of mind. The three most popular spots: Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Visiting family and friends is a top reason for taking a trip, and domestic hotels continue to offer enticing deals, whether it’s dining or spa credits, which means getting away doesn’t have to mean going very far.

Smart travel

Both Destination Canada and luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kent are seeing a rise in “edventure,” or trips that combine educational opportunities with adventure travel. That may mean further exploring a birding hobby picked up during the pandemic with a trip to Belize, where 618 feathered species can be found. Or it could be using a vacation to learn about this country’s Indigenous peoples at popular destinations such as Vancouver’s Stanley Park, where Talaysay Tours offers nature and Indigenous art tours.

Open this photo in gallery:

Handout

For more information on Talaysay Tours, visit talaysaytours.wpengine.com.

Go green

Sustainability is increasingly a deciding factor for travel plans. Expedia Group reports almost 60 per cent of travellers are happy to up their getaway budget if it allows them to be more environmentally sensitive. Searching for hotel options on Google now reveals a property’s sustainability efforts, while Skyscanner allows users to limit flight searches to options that have lower CO2 emissions. Tour operators, such as B Corp-certified Intrepid, measure and offset emissions that result from things like transportation and waste.

For more information, visit intrepidtravel.com.

Follow related authors and topics

Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following.

Interact with The Globe