Canadian road trips getting longer, U.S. travel down

Canadians are hitting the road but they’re staying closer to home and travelling longer within the country, according to new data from Turo.

The car-sharing platform reported that Canadians have cut back on U.S. travel this year, with the number of days spent driving south of the border dropping nearly 20 per cent between May and July compared to the same period in 2024. Statistics Canada reports a similar trend, with a 37 per cent decline in return motor vehicle trips from the U.S. in July.

Instead, Canadians are opting for extended domestic trips. Between February and May, the average road trip stretched to nearly five days, about 25 per cent longer than last year. Out-of-province travel days rose 17 per cent year-over-year from April through July, with trips starting in Atlantic Canada up almost 10 per cent and those from Vancouver up 12 per cent. Calgary emerged as a road trip hub, with out-of-province drivers logging 35 per cent more travel compared to 2024.

International visitors also scaled back, with drivers from Great Britain down 20 per cent and those from France down 36 per cent in July.

“Our data demonstrates that in 2025 Canadians aren’t just choosing to stay closer to home, they’re redefining how they travel by car,” said Bassem El-Rahimy, Turo’s head of Canada. “Trips are getting longer, destinations broader, and local exploration is booming.”

The analysis draws on more than 500,000 booked days by Canadian guests and over 78,000 booked days in Canada by international drivers between April and July 2024 and 2025.

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