But when asked more specifically about seven specific things including shoveling snow, walking on slushy streets, scraping ice, grey skies and lack of sunshine, \u201cdriving in the winter\u201d was the top dislike. Sixteen per cent of women cited it as the number one thing they dislike about winter as opposed to 14% of men.<\/p>\n
Beyond driving in the winter, no one thing stood out in the list of winter ills.<\/strong><\/p>\n Survey results show there appears to be a combination of things that contribute to the winter blues for Canadians.<\/p>\n One third of respondents said they shovel their own snow. Significantly more men (43%) compared to women (26%) shovel by themselves. Women respondents were more likely to say shoveling snow is \u201ca family event\u201d 16% of the time compared to 11.6% of men.<\/p>\n When it comes to shoveling, chivalry is alive and well in Canada!<\/p>\n Albertans report that 42% shovel snow themselves compared to only 28.7% in Ontario.<\/p>\n Interestingly, those aged 55 or higher are just as likely to shovel their own snow as the younger population.<\/strong><\/p>\n Thirty-one per cent of Canadians do not clear their own snow at all. This is mostly because:<\/p>\n When it comes to shoveling snow, maybe it\u2019s more about how big your driveway is, or if you have a driveway at all.<\/p>\n Seventeen per cent of Canadians say they love outdoor winter sports and activities. You\u2019re significantly more likely to enjoy them if you are between 18 and 24 years old (24%) versus those aged 55+ (8.5%). In fact, 47% of those aged 55 and up said they really don\u2019t like outdoor sports and activities.<\/p>\n No wonder snowbirds flock south.<\/p>\n If you spent your childhood years in a warm climate country, you are less likely to love outdoor activities (12%).\u00a0Do you blame them?<\/p>\n When we looked at the numbers,<\/strong> liking or disliking outdoor sports and activities during the winter made no difference on the desire for sun vacations.<\/strong><\/p>\n Perhaps the closer you are to memories of school snow days affects your view of them. This might be where the older generation starts telling stories of walking through several feet of snow in shorts, and school was still open!<\/p>\n Forty-seven per cent of the sample say they can work from home remotely on a snow day. The nature of the sampling method (online) may affect this statistic.<\/p>\n Maybe this is another reason people browse travel sites on snow days – there’s no one to hide your screen from when you\u2019re supposed to be working. We wouldn\u2019t complain about this!<\/strong><\/p>\n A majority (53%) of Canadians find themselves thinking about being in a warm, sunny place<\/a> when experiencing the thing they hate most about winter. Women (56%) think more about it than men (49%).<\/p>\n Higher income earners are even more likely to have their mind drift towards warm, sunny thoughts (61%).<\/strong><\/p>\n Albertans are more likely (61%) to think about warm sunny vacations than the national average. These consistent higher Alberta stats must be because of their brutal winters.<\/p>\n Those that report going away to a warm sunny destination every year, or most years, are most likely (67%) to think about warm sunny vacations when experiencing the worst of winter. The more you do it, the more you remember it, the more you want it.<\/strong><\/p>\n More than a third of people reported browsing travel sites when being snowed in: women (40%) more so than men (35%). Higher income earners are more likely to browse travel sites when snowed in (47%), as are Albertans (46%).<\/p>\n Those who go away every year or almost every year are most likely to start browsing travel sites. Fifty-five per cent report doing so when being snowed in, 24% of these people don\u2019t browse travel sites on snow days because they are already booked to go away. They have something to look forward to!<\/p>\n We asked what image on a billboard would grab your attention on a cold snowy day. A beach and blue ocean were most popular with over two thirds choosing this, followed closely by a sunny blue sky. Thirty per cent of men would like to see an attractive woman in a vacation setting in travel ads. Women are not as responsive to attractive women in a vacation setting (5%), nor does having an attractive man in the ad matter (9%).<\/p>\n Think of a warm sunny destination and what comes to mind? Florida or another US destination ranked first overall. Mexico<\/a> is #1 among high income earners (24.5%), Albertans (27%) and those from BC (30%).<\/p>\n The results overall closely represent the percentage of flights available on the market regionally across Canada. Jamaica as a single destination stands out at 9.5% with strong recognition compared to the supply of Canadian air seats. The Jamaica Tourist Board does a great job getting in our heads. Mexico does have a significant line up of newer and higher end all-inclusive resorts to satisfy a more discerning customer.<\/p>\n Twenty per cent of Canadians will take a sun vacation no matter what winter brings in a particular year. Albertans (27%) and high income earners (31%) are even more likely to do so. Fifty-six per cent of Canadians say they don\u2019t normally go on sun vacations, including 38% of high income earners.<\/p>\n A mild winter will affect demand for sun vacations. A slightly higher portion of Canadians (23%) selected \u201cI have put it off and then figured, spring\u2019s around the corner anyway.\u201d This explains why travel agents love hearing about snow storms, while the rest of Canadians grumble and groan!<\/p>\n Of course the early bookers aren\u2019t waiting<\/a> to see how the winter goes. In fact, last winter may have some effect on how early bookings go for next year, but by and large, people have short memories once the warm weather hits.<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Driving-in-winter.jpg\")
<\/p>\nShoveling snow<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Man-shoveling-snow.jpg\")
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Outdoor sports and activities \u2013 love or dislike?<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Outdoor-winter-activities-mod.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSnow days: Majority of Canadians support them<\/h2>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Snow-day-school-cancelled-mod.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThinking about warm sunny vacations while experiencing the worst of winter<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/sunny-vacations-billboard-mod.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPeople browse travel sites when snowed in<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/travel-sites.jpg\")
<\/p>\nImages on billboards promoting warm sunny vacations<\/h2>\n
Mexico is popular among high income earners and Western Canadians<\/h2>\n
Skipping a sun vacation in a mild winter?<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/mild-winter-mod.jpg\")
<\/p>\nReasons for putting off the sun vacation<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/single-traveller.jpg\")
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