A Globe and Mail article drew criticism after presenting rising retirement travel costs through the lens of a retired Calgary banker with a second home in Mexico and annual Europe trips, a framing critics cast as wildly disconnected from the economic stress facing most Canadians.
The article centered on Kelly and Brenda Robinson, with Mr. Robinson, 64, described as a retired banker who winters outside Puerto Vallarta and is planning a three- to four-week trip to France and Italy this year instead of the five to six weeks they previously took. The couple still planned centrally located hotels, direct flights and seat upgrades, while also booking earlier, travelling off-peak and using rewards points to manage higher costs.
Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman responded directly to the Globe’s post with “You’re trolling everyone, right?!”
The Globe piece did include broader numbers. Financial planner Shannon Lee Simmons said what counted as an “extravagant” annual vacation budget has shifted sharply, with roughly $5,000 to $10,000 five years ago now looking more like $10,000 to $15,000. Sun Life planner Shannon Tatlock estimated travel insurance has become about 15% to 20% more expensive since the pandemic because of higher claims. Flight Centre Canada’s Brett Siborne said retirees are booking further ahead and favouring shoulder seasons such as April to May and September to October.
The piece also argued that retirees are less willing to “rough it” because older travellers may need central locations, fewer connections, easier mobility and more comfort. Another retiree profiled, Winnipeg-based former executive Kerry Renaud, said he and his wife still travel four or five times a year, prefer five-star centrally located hotels on shorter trips and upgrade seats where possible.
At the same time the article was asking readers to sympathize with premium retirement travel getting pricier, Statistics Canada said food prices in Canada were up 5.4% year over year in February, while restaurant prices were up 7.8%. Grocery prices are up 30% over the last five years.
StatCan also reported that households under 35 increased their wealth at the slowest pace of any age group in the second quarter of 2025 at 2.1%, and said rising housing cost pressures reduced homeownership affordability for that group. One-third of homeowners under 35 received familial support to enter the housing market, and 18% of homeowners under 35 said at least part of their down payment was a gift.
That gap is what made the article feel so off-key. Even when the underlying premise was accurate, that post-pandemic travel, insurance and flight costs are up, the story picked examples from Canadians still spending on direct flights, seat upgrades, multiweek Europe trips, five-star hotels and second-home lifestyles. In a country where younger households are building wealth more slowly, relying more on family help for homeownership and facing persistent food inflation, the median reader was never going to see that as the front line of hardship.
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