Why Some Canadians Are Rethinking U.S. Travel Posts

Canadian travel to the United States is rebounding from last year, while some visitors are choosing not to share their trips publicly.

Travel & PlacesOctober 20, 20263 min readHow Sureno writes this

The short version

Some Canadians who travel to the United States are keeping their trips off social media, even as visits begin to rebound ¹.
Canadian return trips from the United States by air and automobile totalled 1.9 million in September 2026, up 6.8% from September 2025 ².
That total was still below September 2024: car return trips were down 31.1%, and air return trips were down 18.7% ².
The figures count travel, not travelers’ reasons for travelling or choices about posting online.

Why are some Canadians keeping U.S. trips off social media?

Some Canadians who have crossed into the United States are choosing not to talk about those trips online, CNN reports ¹. That is a personal choice about sharing, not a change that travel statistics can measure.

The available reporting does not establish how many people are staying quiet or give a single reason for the choice. It does show that a rebound in travel can happen alongside hesitation about publicly sharing a visit.

Are Canadians travelling to the United States more?

The latest figures point to a partial rebound. Statistics Canada reported 1.9 million Canadian-resident return trips from the United States by air and automobile in September 2026. That was 6.8% more than in September 2025 and the sixth consecutive month of year-over-year growth ².

A return trip is a trip back to Canada, not a count of unique people. Someone who travels more than once may be counted for more than one trip.

Are U.S. trips back to 2024 levels?

No, not in the September figures. Return trips by car were 31.1% lower than in September 2024, while return trips by air were 18.7% lower ².

The comparison matters: an increase from one year earlier does not mean travel has returned to an earlier level. The figures show a year-over-year rise alongside a sizable gap from 2024.

What do the latest travel numbers count?

Statistics Canada’s September release gives preliminary counts for international arrivals to Canada. These combine Canadian-resident return trips with arrivals by U.S. and overseas residents, by air and automobile ².

The release counted 5.3 million such arrivals in September, 9.5% more than in September 2025. Within that total, Canadian-resident return trips from the United States were a separate figure: 1.9 million ². These measures describe movement across the border; they do not explain travelers’ motives or how they feel about posting.

What does this mean for Canadian travelers?

The figures describe a broad travel pattern, not what an individual should do. They suggest that more Canadian return trips from the United States were recorded than a year earlier, but fewer than in September 2024 ².

For readers, the clearest takeaway is that public sharing and travel volume are different things. A person may travel without posting, and these arrival counts cannot tell us whether someone shared a trip online.

What we don't know yet

How many Canadians are choosing not to post about U.S. trips.
What reasons travelers have for keeping trips private.
Whether the increase in return trips will continue beyond September 2026.

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Questions people ask

Are Canadians still travelling to the United States?

Yes. Statistics Canada counted 1.9 million Canadian-resident return trips from the United States by air and automobile in September 2026. That was up 6.8% from September 2025 ².

How many Canadians returned from the U.S. in September 2026?

Statistics Canada recorded 1.9 million Canadian-resident return trips from the United States by air and automobile that month ². The figure counts trips, not necessarily distinct travelers.

Have Canadian trips to the U.S. recovered to 2024 levels?

Not in September 2026. Return trips by automobile were 31.1% below September 2024, and return trips by air were 18.7% below that month ².

Why are some Canadians not posting U.S. vacations?

CNN reports that some Canadians who have visited the United States are keeping their trips off social media ¹. The available information does not establish how many are doing this or provide a single reason.

Does the travel data show how Canadians feel about U.S. trips?

No. The Statistics Canada figures count return trips, not travelers’ opinions or social-media choices ². CNN reports that some visitors are sharing less, but the figures do not measure that behavior ¹.

Sources

Elbows up, phones down: Some Canadians who travel to the US are keeping it off social media | CNN — CNN, 2026-10-20
The Daily — Leading indicator of international arrivals to Canada, September 2026 — www150.statcan.gc.ca

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