Data shows more travellers seeking unique experiences for vacation

More people are seeking out unique experiences for their vacation, according to travel consultant and expert Onanta Forbes from Travel Time.

“The searches are actually growing like 20 per cent year-over-year,” she said.

“They want to do something out of the ordinary. They just don’t want to have the same old experience all the time. They want to enjoy, you know, with family.”

Forbes says there has been a surge in travellers wanting to stay in interesting accommodations such as farms, domes and container homes.

Tyson Leavitt, co-founder of Charmed Group of Companies, says each cottage is about 10 to 20 per cent higher than a regular hotel.

“But the experience is far beyond that. The market tells us that they want the more expensive cottage. They want the castle. So they pay a little bit more per night, right? But they get a sleep a night in a castle with a secret room and a dungeon and a kitchen and a spiral staircase and all that stuff.”

But the unique experiences are not exclusive to only accommodations.

“They can have a meaningful experience at a concert or a sporting event or a natural phenomenon,” said Michelle Meyer, chief economist with Mastercard

Meyer says air travel bookings are up this year from the same time last year.

“New records are being broken with it comes to travel.”

A study by Allianz Global Assistance in June reveals three-in-five Canadians plan to vacation this summer. The average family intends to spend just over $2,700, which is almost $25 billion collectively.

And some of those families are enjoying the special experiences even with a more expensive price tag.

Captain Hook’s pirate ship cabin by Charmed Playhouses. (CTV News)

Tucked away in a forest near the town of Blairmore, Alberta, south of Calgary, a family finds themselves immersed in a world of fairytale.

“It feels like you’re in a storybook village right in the middle of nowhere,” said Megan Hess.

Hess travelled from Halifax, to vacation with her three children and extended family.

It’s their first time at the family-owned Charmed Resorts, a 16-cottage, fairytale-inspired resort.

“It’s a really neat and unique kind of getaway. Really good for the kids,” said Devin Harris, Hess’ brother.

Hess’ five-year-old daughter, Chelsea, especially loves the cottage she is staying in.

“It kind of looks like a real gingerbread house, but it’s not,” she said.

Not just a gingerbread house from Hansel and Gretel, the sprawling property also has Captain Hook’s pirate ship, a cottage from Jack and the Beanstalk and a pair of cottages inspired by Beauty and the Beast, just to name a few.

Audrey Leavitt, Charmed Group of Companies co-founder, says it’s glamourous camping, but elevated.

“There’s also amenities, like we have indoor bathrooms and we have an indoor kitchenette,” she said.

Charmed Resorts was a pivot from a luxury playhouse business owned by Leavitt and her husband Tyson. During the pandemic the company struggled, so the couple went a different route. Now their business is thriving because of a growing trend of what vacationers want.