Kathrin and Greg Delutis on a recent vacation in Cancun, Mexico.Supplied
While recently vacationing in Mexico, Kathrin and Greg Delutis felt right at home. The retirees from Waterloo, Ont., were surrounded by fellow Canadians sipping margaritas and sinking their toes in the sand.
But some American tourists the couple met were confused by the influx of their northerly neighbours. They asked: Why are there suddenly so many Canadians snatching up the pool chairs and filling the restaurants in Mexico?
“I was quite blunt with them. I said, ‘Because we don’t feel welcome, nor do we feel safe in the U.S.’” Ms. Delutis says.
That sense of unease is a major factor in Kathrin and Greg’s decision to trade their usual three winter months in Florida for Caribbean destinations such as the Dominican Republic, Mexico and St. Lucia. There are other factors influencing this shift as well: the severely weak Canadian dollar, skyrocketing living costs and increased property and health insurance outlays.
Besides, who needs Blue Jays spring training in Dunedin, Florida when they can check out Dominican baseball during their upcoming six-week stint there?
“We’re definitely folk who like to experience the culture of where we’re staying,” Kathrin says. “But it’s also a matter of how best to spend our retirement savings. With the U.S.-Canada dollar disparity now, there’s a significant difference in what we’re paying in the Dominican compared to what we [would] pay in the U.S.”
A change in direction
According to one recent informal Globe and Mail survey, 12.5 per cent of Canadian snowbird respondents indicated they planned to head to the U.S. this winter season, a sizable drop from last year when roughly a quarter intended to spend time there. Allianz Canada data shows that for the first time, the United States is no longer the top winter destination for Canadian travellers.
Tanis Read, managing broker at Coldwell Banker Horizon Realty in Kelowna, B.C., says she isn’t surprised.
“We used to get a lot of calls from realtors in the U.S. reaching out to us saying, ‘Let me help your clients find properties here.’ But that’s gone,” says Ms. Read. “Our referrals to down south have evaporated.”
For Canadian sellers fortunate to find buyers south of the border, Ms. Read says some are reinvesting that money in vacation homes in picturesque areas of Canada primarily on the East and West coasts of the country rather than purchasing abroad. Former snowbirds want to make it easier and cheaper for their families and friends to visit them, she explains.
This is also the year that many snowbirds are dipping their toes in new waters looking for potential landing spots for future years, says Angela Douglas, director of operations for Murdoch Travel in Waterloo, Ont. She’s seen an increase in travellers checking out Portugal, Spain, Costa Rica, Mexico and more off-the-beaten-track locales such as Malta and the Canary Islands, particularly since Air Canada and Transat have started offering flights to those destinations.
“People are really ready to try something new,” she says. And while they might be staying for shorter periods of time than they did stateside – six or eight weeks instead of three months – they’re inviting family to join them for at least part of it.
“We’re seeing a lot more multigenerational travel because it is a big world out there and people are realizing that life is short.”
For those contemplating a winter home base in a new country, the travel experts recommend mapping out what needs to be on your must-have list. Ms. Douglas suggests Portugal and Spain’s Canary Islands for mild temperatures, calm villages, golden beaches and stargazing under some of the darkest skies on the planet.
She adds that working with an experienced travel pro is a good idea when choosing where to test the waters because they know which countries offer 90- and 180-day visa-free travel. And don’t forget to talk to an accountant who specializes in tax and residency issues before wintering abroad or buying a property overseas, she adds.
John and Gay Slinger golf in Portugal in March 2026.Supplied
Finding a new ‘sanctuary’
Until recently, many snowbirds may have remained loyal to their U.S. winter plans because they still owned property there and looked forward to seeing their seasonal friends. But as relations between Canada and the U.S. continues to erode – with President Trump threatening annexation and launching more tariffs at its northern ally – the pull of those community connections may be shrinking.
Gay and John Slinger from Guelph, Ont., spent winters in Arizona starting in 2016, but no longer. Although Ms. Slinger, a retired lawyer, called the area her “sanctuary” and enjoyed golfing with a large group of friends in the area, her enthusiasm eventually waned. Maintaining a home during the pandemic wasn’t feasible, so they sold and rented an apartment for a couple of years instead.
Then the United States elected President Trump a second time in 2024 and she says that was the last straw.
“John and I had a chat right then. By the end of that chat we had decided, ‘Okay. That’s it. We’re not going back,’” she says. The couple broke their lease and abandoned most of their belongings.
Now they winter in Portugal, where it’s easier for their daughter who lives in England to visit them. Ms. Slinger likes the European country with its mountainous and rocky terrain, although it’s not as dry or warm as she’s used to.
“But it kind of reminds us a bit of Arizona; some of the architecture and the vegetation are very similar,” she says. “I mean, there are certain aspects that still feed our souls. But we miss it – Arizona. Someday we’ll get back.”