TORONTO — Following a year where, for many, every aspect of life was spent under one roof, people worldwide are inspired about future travel possibilities and expressed making it a priority to use the vacation days they’ve earned.

Although travel restrictions remain in place across the country, according to the annual Vacation Deprivation study from Expedia, in 2021 Canadians plan to take an extra week (five days) of vacation.

Expedia first launched the annual study more than two decades ago in an effort to illustrate the benefits of vacation and encourage working adults to regularly unplug. In recent years, the benefits of vacation are well-known and undisputed, yet vacation deprivation is on the rise in most nations.

This year’s findings point to yet another shift, one in which workers agree they will never take their vacation days for granted again. In fact, the majority of Canadians (83 per cent) said they now value vacations more than ever before, which comes in slightly higher than the global average (81 per cent).

The study also showed 66 per cent of people globally have been inspired to create a bucket list and, the longer the pandemic has waged on, the longer bucket lists have become — 60 per cent of respondents said they continue to add to their lists.

Expedia’s study also found that people are willing to put more budget into their bucket-list vacation in 2021 than originally planned (61 per cent). Whether it’s trying a new activity, seeking out a place untravelled, re-uniting with family and friends separated by distance (64 per cent find vacation time more valuable when spending quality time with family) or simply having time to relax and recharge (54 per cent think having the time to relax and do nothing is what makes them happiest on vacation), people want to make the most of their time.

The Vacation Deprivation study found more than half of respondents (63 per cent) expressed feelings of vacation deprivation over the past year, which is an increase from the previous report (57 per cent) — not surprising given the year that has transpired.

The annual study was conducted online among 9,200 respondents across North and South America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Commissioned from November 18 to December 9, 2020 on behalf of Expedia by Northstar Research Partners. The sample for Canada included 1,000 participants.

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