Many Canadians pack up the car & head off to their second homes in the woods during summer. They’ll also do so during the winter. The cottage and the cabin have been part of Canadian life for generations, for families and solo travellers alike.
It turns out that our cabin culture has a huge influence on modern happiness. But how? And why? Let’s find out exactly what’s going on.
Key takeaways
You’ll learn all about:
- Popular cabin destinations
- How often Canadians go to their cabins
- The connection between modern happiness & cabin culture
The names Canadians use (and where they use them)
What exactly is cabin culture? Well, it depends on where exactly in Canada you are. In Ontario, people use the word “cottage” to talk about the place you’ll visit for the weekend. In the west, it’s “the cabin.” Those in the east tend to call it “the camp,” & in Québec, it’s known as a “chalet.”
Some of the most popular places people choose to visit are north of Toronto, like Muskoka & Haliburton. The Kawarthas are another favourite for people. These areas have been “cottage country” for over a hundred years.
Over in Québec, the best chalet areas are around the Laurentians. It’s not hard to see why, thanks to all those mountain lakes & forested backroads.
Most cottages are easy to get to from the big cities. Chances are that any places you can reach in a few hours will be packed every long weekend.
How often Canadians get outside
Canadians have a reputation for being outdoorsy. It’s not unwarranted. The majority of households spend time outside each week, sometimes walking, sometimes paddling. A few of them garden or visit parks. In 2023, approximately eight in ten people said they often spend time doing something outdoors near their home.
Cabin life fits right into that. Rather than being only for special occasions, many Canadians take outdoor time as a routine break from being inside too long. There’s rarely a schedule for when Canadians go outside. They simply want to get there before the traffic starts.
Outdoor time and reported happiness measures
Public health data has consistently found that people who often spend time outdoors have a higher sense of satisfaction in their lives. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to go hiking in the Rockies over the weekend or anything. Simply being in green spaces has benefits.
Teens who frequently spent time outdoors also scored higher on happiness scales. It’s no surprise that cabin weekends help to feed into that. All that fresh air & movement is good for your mind and body. The lack of screens also helps to reduce any feelings of pressure you might have from school or work.
Slower time and digital breaks
So many of us talk about disconnecting. Yet so few of us actually do it, unless we’re forced to, and a cabin does that. The WiFi is usually slow & the signal usually drops, so you’ll likely stop checking your phone. You start noticing things you often ignore. It’s time for you to just be.
Living life more slowly feels better, even when it’s boring. By the cabin, you might spend some time chopping wood or simply enjoying nature. It’s what people call a digital detox. But really, disconnecting happens when there’s nothing else to do, and the lack of constant noise is a big part of why cabins still matter.
Family continuity and shared identity
Most cabins outlive the people who build them & they’ll get passed down to other family members. Having the same chairs and the same dock gives cabins a sense of history that’s hard to resist, especially since the cabin is the one place that never really changes.
People haul the same boxes and tell the same stories at cabins. Yes, it’s repetitive. But that’s the point. Cabin culture helps families feel more connected without directly planning it, and that’s rather important in the modern world.
Our lives are constantly changing. Why wouldn’t you want a chance to stop & feel closer to your loved ones?
Nature contact and emotional reset
Sitting on a dock in total silence is an experience like no other because nature does something truly indescribable. The air smells different & your body slows down. Research shows that exposure to the elements relaxes people, while also resetting them.
Spending just a few hours outside can change your mood, whether that’s from being around water or the forest. Nobody really calls it therapy. But it might as well be.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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