why we travel

The purpose

We studied the reasons people travel to better understand the motivations behind the journeys they take. Whether it's to relax, reconnect, explore, celebrate, or experience something new, understanding the “why” behind travel adds important context to where people go and how they plan. These insights reveal the deeper motivations shaping travel decisions and show that every trip begins with a reason.

What can booking data tell us about trip purpose?

Short trips

Weekly booking calendar highlighting Thursday and Friday as the leading departure days for short trips of 3 nights or less.

Short trips favour late-week departures.

Trips of 3 nights or less skew toward Thursday and Friday departures.

Family trips

Long stays reveal a different pattern.

Family travel peaks at stays of 15+ nights.

Visiting friends & relatives

Diagram connecting solo travel, 14+ night trips, and off-peak travel to a strong Visiting Friends & Relatives signal in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and East Africa.

A potential Visiting Friends & Relatives travel signal

Solo, 14+ night, off-peak travel is concentrated in destinations with large South Asian, Sub-Saharan African and East African diaspora communities.

Methodology

This report is based on FlightHub booking, search and pricing data from October, 2025, to August, 2026, compared with the equivalent period one year earlier. The findings reflect activity across FlightHub’s Canadian and U.S. customer base.

Figures are reported in each market’s local currency (CAD for Canada and USD for the U.S.). Unless otherwise noted, market designation refers to the country where the booking was made, while destination rankings reflect the actual origin and destination of travel.

Popularity and travel-interest rankings are based on search activity, while all other rankings and trends are based on completed bookings. Pricing figures reflect airfare rates observed during the reporting period.

Year-over-year comparisons are expressed as percentage changes or point changes, depending on the metric. Where available data was insufficient to support a finding, this is noted rather than estimated.

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