Let’s call a spade a spade: reading about retirees “struggling” to decide between five weeks in Tuscany or three weeks in a five-star villa is a bit like watching a billionaire complain that his gold-plated faucets are slightly the wrong shade of yellow.
The Globe and Mail recently put out a piece on how wealthy retirees are “trimming travel costs” because inflation is finally nipping at their heels. Their solution? They aren’t staying in hostels, or God forbid, flying economy. No, they’re just staying for three weeks instead of six so they can keep their direct flights and premium seats. It’s a real tragedy, isn’t it?
For the average Gen Z-er in Canada, this isn’t just out of touch; it’s a parallel universe. These kids are looking at a housing market that’s basically a closed door, staring down the barrel of a “gig economy” that offers zero security, and wondering if they’ll ever own a lawn, let alone a second home in Puerto Vallarta. To them, “travel” is a weekend camping trip if they can afford the gas.
And don’t even get me started on the middle class. While the Globe profiles folks worried about the 20% jump in travel insurance, the rest of the country is suffocating under a mountain of debt, carbon taxes that make everything from bread to boots more expensive, and a version of Canada that’s becoming unrecognizable. Most people are “trimming” their grocery lists and their heating bills, not their European itineraries.
Look, I’m all for enjoying the fruits of your labour. If you’ve worked hard and saved, enjoy your retirement. But let’s not pretend there’s a shared struggle here. When one group is worried about “roughing it” in a four-star hotel and the other is worried about making rent, there’s a massive disconnect. The reality? Canada is splitting into two worlds: those who are worried about the length of their vacation and those who are just trying to survive the week.
