Survey finds one in four Canadians expect something to go wrong when they
travel

Aspire World MasterCard offers cardholders Master Global Services and Emergency Travel Medical

TORONTO, Nov. 30 /CNW/ - The new Capital One Aspire Travel Survey found that more than 1 in 4 Canadians (26%) expect to experience some form of travel mishap or inconvenience before they even begin to travel. Concerns over travel mishaps increase for Canadians living in Atlantic Canada who are more concerned over travel mishaps (34%) than Quebecers (18%). While the majority of people find these mishaps frustrating (60%), a solid amount of respondents (21%) found their experience to be humorous indicating that some Canadians can still find the lighter side of travel.

The poll also found some interesting gender differences when it comes to planning for and dealing with the unexpected. Women are far more likely than men to buy travel insurance (49% to 35%) even though they are no less or more likely than men to think that something will go wrong on the trip. Women also found travel mishaps to be more frustrating (63%) than men (57%).

"With 94 percent of Canadians reporting that they have experienced at least one travel mishap over the past three years, it was surprising to learn that more than one-third of Canadians (37%) never bother to purchase supplementary travel insurance," said Laurel Ostfield, Spokesperson, Capital One Canada. "The good news is that credit cards, such as the Aspire World MasterCard, can be a good source of protection if you haven't purchased insurance in advance and you run into unexpected trouble."

The poll also found:

    
    -   The most noted travel mishaps or inconveniences are: bad weather
        (59%), travel delays (48%), lost luggage (28%), and
        uncomfortable/dirty accommodations (38%).
    -   When booking travel, the two most popular annoyances are finding a
        better deal after you've already booked your flight (39%) and getting
        the travel dates you want (36%)
    -   Canadians are doing considerably more research (41%) before traveling
        in an effort to prevent travel mishaps. The trend is especially
        pronounced among younger Canadians, with nearly half of them (49%)
        saying they are doing more research these days
    -   Older respondents are significantly less likely to forget something
        important at home (19% versus, 28% for middle aged and 37% for
        younger Canadians)
    -   Almost two-thirds of Canadians (61%) blame someone other than
        themselves or their travel companion for travel mishaps
    -   Travel agents are seen as the friendliest and most knowledgeable
        people in the industry. Credit card and rental car companies top out
        for availability, while credit card companies win out for ability to
        solve travellers' problems
    

"Fortunately, despite the reality that something can go wrong when you travel, a significant majority (81%) of respondents told us that their mishaps were satisfactorily resolved," said Ostfield.

The Capital One Aspire World MasterCard offers the following tips for a stress free holiday:

    
    -   Leave additional time to get to the airport or train station in case
        of traffic or line ups
    -   Pack smart; either carry-on your luggage or spread your belongings
        out over a few bags in case one gets lost
    -   Do a lot of research; increase your chances of getting the best deal
        and take the time to learn a little bit about your destination to
        avoid getting lost or running into language barriers
    

About Capital One

Located in Toronto, Ontario, Capital One has offered Canadian consumers a range of competitive MasterCard credit cards since 1996, when the company first introduced the Platinum MasterCard in Canada. Capital One Canada is a division of Capital One Bank, a subsidiary of Capital One Financial Corporation of McLean, Virginia (NYSE: COF).

About the Survey:

From November 11 to November 15, 2010, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,006 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panellists. The margin of error-which measures sampling variability-is +/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

For further information: Laurel Ostfield, 416-549-2753, [email protected]