Canada Day falls on the weirdest day possible this year, smack-dab in the middle of the week on a Wednesday. We Canadians love it when Canada Day hitches up to a weekend and we can get a long weekend in July. It usually corresponds with the first heat wave, the first trip to the beach, or a picnic and fireworks. If you're really lucky you have a cottage or know someone who does. The ultimate Canadian staycation, the Cottage.
As much as we love the vacation we're taking, we can't help dreaming about the vacation we've yet to take. The winter all-inclusive island beach vacation. It's as much our right of passage as the summer cottage staycation. We dream about it. We plan it, and every year it gets a little bigger and better than the year before.
This year, the winter of 2026/27 the island all-inclusive is harder to plan. There seems to be more obstacles in the way of making plans and booking our vacations. The first problem is where to go? If you always went to Cuba you now have nowhere to go. Cuba is out of the question and will be for quite some time. It may take years before the infrastructure is up and running again to accept visitors.
After Cuba, many people tried Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic only to be disappointed. The beaches are not the some at all, the people are not as friendly, and the resorts are run down and in bad need of upgrades. The two destinations are not a fair comparison.
To get beaches that compare to Cuba, you have to double your budget, and go to Punta Cana, the Mayan Riviera Mexico, or Jamaica.The positive side of that is the upgrade to the resorts. With the increase in budget comes nicer resorts with more amenities, such as better rooms, food, and activites. This is great for poeple who have the money to afford the increase in budget.
The vast majority of Canadians who travel south in the winter live on a modest income and enjoyed their simple trip to Cuba for a cheap price to get a break from winter. Unfortunately for those people, it's going to be a long winter this year. There is no alternative to Cuba.
The top question in the Travel Agency this year is, "Is there somewhere NEW we can go?"
I kid you not! Geography is not everyone's best subject from school. The simple answer is NO. There are no new islands.
Do yourself a favour. Do some research into destinations. Find a place you feel safe exploring. If you never leave the resort than research resort chains. Find one's that suit you. Then call your Travel Agent to get the best dates and price. Don't ask them a dozen times, once is enough. They see all the prices for all the dates at one time.
Book early to get the best price. Then go back to the hotdogs and fireworks happy in the knowledge that you have your next vacation planned.
