Yvonne Martinez and her husband have set out to do what many parents might consider the impossible: planning a six-month trip to Asia and Australia with two school-aged children.
They’re one of a wave of travellers set to spend significantly on globetrotting this year, and as many have learned, moving a dream trip beyond group chats and vision boards can require serious saving and years of planning.
According to a February survey from Allianz Global Assistance Canada, Canadians will shell out almost $48-billion on travel in 2026 - a 22-per-cent spike from last year. Individually, Canadians anticipate spending an average of $4,169 on vacation in 2026, including travel, accommodations and entertainment.
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But as geopolitical rifts and currency pressures continue to redraw the boundaries of where Canadians set their sights and how they choose to spend, many are looking to get the most bang for their buck.
In Martinez’s case, she and her husband are able to make their bucket-list trip a reality thanks in part to a deferred salary program. We interviewed several other adventurers to learn how they finally made their own epic journeys happen. Here’s what they had to say.
Cycling the Shimanami Kaido on a trek through East Asia
Approximate cost: $26,000 for two
Duration: Six months
Mason and Jordan Both quit their jobs, gave up their rental and went on a six-month journey through Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan.Mason and Jordan/Supplied
Newlyweds Mason and Jordan Both from Vancouver had been tucking away 5 per cent to 10 per cent of their monthly income for years in anticipation of “something” – a house, a rainy day, a long vacation.
“We were just building our savings,” said Mason. “We dreamed of travelling and exploring the world, but we didn’t know when the right time would be.”
At the beginning of 2025, the couple decided to pull the trigger in a big way. They quit their nine-to-five jobs, gave up their rental and embarked on a six-month journey through Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan.
“People ask, ‘How do you plan something this big?’” Mason said. For them, the answer was: “You don’t.”
Mason Both at a lucky cat shrine in Japan.Mason and Jordan/Supplied
They executed in phases, choosing and planning their next destination month to month to make things more manageable – starting with Japan. They also focused on experiences rather than landmarks to check off a list.
A priority was to cycle Japan’s Shimanami Kaido – a 70-kilometre route snaking along mountains with sweeping views of the sea. They took their time, breaking up the journey with an overnight stay on Omishima Island. And they used a luggage transfer service – about $40 for both their suitcases – so they could simply pick up their bags at the next stop.
Their goal was to spend an average of $140 a day overall, an objective they met everywhere in Asia except Japan, spending $300 on their most expensive night, which included hotel and bike rental. With destinations such as Vietnam setting them back less than $140 daily, costs balanced out.
The couple caution against planning too much, saying great moments happen unexpectedly.Mason and Jordan/Supplied
The couple also saved by relying on prepackaged meals, which in Taiwan and Japan included hearty bento boxes, ramen and onigiri rice balls. As a rule, restaurants with English menus and that accepted payment after dining rather than before tended to be pricier, and the couple avoided these.
They cautioned against overplanning. The most memorable moments, such as finding a giant salamander in Kyoto or finding an abandoned shrine off the beaten path, happened in between scheduled programming.
Planning an extended family holiday with ChatGPT’s help
Approximate cost: $45,000 for four
Duration: Six months
Yvonne Martinez with her husband and their daughter on Lantau Island in 2014. Martinez's planning of their family bucket-list trip involves weaving in everyone's interests – including a return to Hong Kong.Supplied
Through an arrangement with her school board, Yvonne Martinez, a clinical and school psychologist, has been deferring a quarter of her salary each year for four years to finance her family’s trip in the fifth. Both she and her husband, who works in the public sector, have been given flexible leave from their employers.
“My brain has been in planning this whole time,” she said.
From the earliest road-mapping stages, it has been a team project. Their 10-year-old has his sights set on Japan and Korea, while her husband wants to return to Hong Kong where he first fell in love with the clash of “two worlds” more than a decade ago, said Martinez. The “kind of posh, business world ... and then going on a little boat and seeing a dolphin.”
He wanted both kids to see these sights. “Our daughter was 11 months old when we last went,” said Martinez.
Her now 12-year-old daughter was keen on visiting Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand while staying in an overwater hut. As for Martinez, she has dreamt of seeing Australia. “We realized, ‘perfect!’ They’re all around the same parts of the world,” she said.
After reading blogs from other adventure-seeking families, they enlisted ChatGPT to come up with an itinerary and timeline. The AI tool recommended starting their trip in Japan this October for the mild weather, smaller tourist crowds and timing, then ending in Australia for similar reasons. The timing aligned with their daughter’s goal of wanting to begin Grade 8 in person and still return in time for graduation.
Minimizing disruptions to the kids’ schooling is both a priority and a challenge. Virtual public school is not a viable option because synchronous time zones mean late-night classes. Enrolling in a private program offers flexibility but is expensive, while homeschooling risks putting strain on the whole family.
“Those are the three options we’re still talking about now,” said Martinez.
Renting out their home to friends has been an easier task, but finding trustworthy care for their pets proved to be emotionally draining.
Health coverage has been a significant consideration; without employer benefits, the family will have to purchase private insurance, something Martinez has never had to think about before. (Martinez’s husband has since learned his health coverage will extend to his leave).
To keep costs down, they’re planning shorter stays at bigger and pricier cities in Japan, Hong Kong and Australia, while more affordable locales such as rural Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand will be longer-term “bases,” with a target daily spend of around $200-$300, including accommodations and food.
That said, Martinez has built buffer room in the budget by taking on evening and weekend work as a telepsychologist. Any additional savings are automatically transferred into a dedicated account each month.
Chasing lupin season and the perfect flat white in New Zealand
Approximate cost: $6,400 for two
Duration: Three weeks
Katia Khoroshun saw stunning purple fields and lived the van life on a trip to New Zealand.Katia Khoroshun/Supplied
Five years ago, photographer Katia Khoroshun stumbled across a snapshot of New Zealand’s amethyst-coloured lupin fields and was immediately spellbound. She spent the next months plotting digital pins into Google Maps and sizing up driving distances.
“New Zealand looks small on the map, but it’s vast,” said Khoroshun. “It was intimidating to research and make this trip happen.”
Strong winds and winding roads coupled with left-side driving are also known to make short distances take longer than expected, she said.
For these reasons, Khoroshun and her partner knew they needed at least two weeks of travel time and a matching budget (along with someone to dog-sit their pup).
Late last fall, the couple flew from Calgary to Auckland, then onward to Christchurch, where they picked up their camper van for a two-month trek.
Opting for a home on wheels, they estimated saving as much as $2,000 on accommodations by staying at free campsites and those run by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation at a nightly cost of $15 to $25 a person.
The couple planned their route around lupin season in early- to mid-December, driving along the emerald waters of Lake Tekapo and through Mount Cook National Park before reaching the purple fields on the shores of the Mackenzie Basin.
“Everything was set up for van life,” Khoroshun said. Gas stations were abundant and clean, and had built-in coffee shops (with proper espresso machines).
“A flat white is the standard order,” said Khoroshun. But the caffeinated drink, laden with steamed milk, is anything but ordinary in a country that takes pride in its high-quality dairy. (Traveller beware: It remains hotly disputed whether the flat white was invented in Australia or New Zealand.)
The couple kept food costs low by cooking most meals at the campsite and spending less than $50 a day on groceries and roadside must-haves: meat pies and fish and chips.
Khoroshun’s best advice for those visiting the island is to build in buffer time in their schedules and budget, with one extra travel day for every three hours of driving. This allows plenty of time to account for unforeseen weather delays as well as a cushion if you just need a break from driving.
Eating cake 3,800 metres above sea level on the Inca Trail
Approximate cost: $22,000 for two
Duration: 22 days
Jean-Pierre Pelchat achieved his dream of reaching Machu Picchu along the Inca Trail, with his daughter along for the trip.Jean-Pierre Pelchat/Supplied
Since his early 20s, Jean-Pierre Pelchat dreamed of reaching Machu Picchu the way ancient visitors had, via the Inca Trail. “It’s the only way to enter through the Sun Gate,” he said, referring to an access point with panoramic views of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
At 67, the Quebec-based retiree finally made it happen – with his 32-year-old daughter by his side.
With flexible time and budget, Pelchat chose an all-inclusive tour company to guide them on the 22-day itinerary through Peru. The package they picked included accommodations, private guides, food and transportation to Lima, Arequipa and the Colca Canyon – one of the steepest in the world.
After securing permits for the trail in November, 2024, Pelchat began training months in advance, by hiking local trails in his hometown near Mont-Tremblant, and the steep Le Nez de l’Indien trail to build knee strength.
Little could prepare Pelchat for the real deal. “It was the most demanding hike of my life,” he said.
On the last day of a four-day trek, after a 3 a.m. wake-up call, the group ascended 11 kilometres through the Andes. The effort paid off. “We were at the Sun Gate watching the sunrise over Machu Picchu with perfect weather,” said Pelchat.
An equally memorable moment came 3,800 metres above sea level, when their chef baked the group a cake over a real fire surrounded by cloud forests.
The tour group arranged the bulk of their itinerary, but father and daughter got to choose their accommodations, opting for ecolodges instead of hotels in between the treks. Though the trip was unforgettable, they wouldn’t have minded hot running water after their long hike, said Pelchat.
Bad Bunny’s residency and dancing through the night in San Juan
Approximate cost: $2,600 for one
Duration: Five days
Christina Crisostomo has a fund dedicated to travel.Christina Crisostomo/Supplied
Rather than saving for one specific trip, 35-year-old Christina Crisostomo from Toronto keeps a standing travel fund, which she has often dedicated to going abroad for concerts and festivals to see K-pop icons such as BTS and Seventeen.
“I won’t spend on designer clothes,” she said. “I travel.”
Seeing her favourite artist at his hometown residency in Puerto Rico, however, was something she hadn’t had much time to daydream about when it suddenly became a reality last summer.
After scoring Bad Bunny tickets through a lottery-style draw – which the Latin music artist offered so fans had a more equal chance to attend the event – she had to move quickly. It helped that the destination itself was affordable, with expenses adding up to around $130 a day, excluding hotels, which totalled $825.
“If there was any luxury,” said Crisostomo, “it was the flight.”
With the itinerary requiring a pit-stop in the United States amid rising prices, Crisostomo spent around $1,000 on airfare.
Beyond the concert, Crisostomo and her friend planned their days to revolve around food, dancing and snorkelling. But when hurricane season brought water activities to a halt, the focus shifted to meals.
The trip became a tour of San Juan’s bustling panaderías and restaurants for fluffy pan de mallorca and corned beef mamposteao.
While many parts of the city were walkable, the women relied on Ubers to get around at night so they could check out local DJs and enjoy dancing in Old San Juan and La Placita. Transportation set them back about $125 each for the duration of the trip.
Surrounded by fans who had travelled from around the world to attend Bad Bunny’s show, the emotion in the crowd was palpable, said Crisostomo. “Even if you don’t speak Spanish ... it didn’t need translation.”
