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7 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,July 21,2022 insidehalton.com Book your personalized tour! 289-644-2960 | chartwell.com Chartwell Oakville is an established retirement community with a strong local reputation and longstanding staff. Explore our attractive Uptown neighbourhood, vibrant atmosphere, recreational experiences, and some of the largest suites in the area. CHARTWELL OAKVILLE 180 Oak Park Boulevard, Oakville Social retirement living 2019. People want to make up for lost time. They want to make memories while it is still magical for their kids." A recently released Sta- tistics Canada report states: "It appears that many Canadians have now resumed overseas travel. In April, the 708,700 resi- dents who returned from visiting overseas, up sharply from April 2021, re- presented 60.7 per cent of the April 2019 pre-pandem- ic level, the highest month- ly recovery rate to date." The increased appetite for travel can be seen in the long lines at passport offic- es and ongoing flight de- lays. Many -- including those in Oakville -- have chosen an alternative this sum- mer. "More people are opt- ing to drive even with the higher gas prices," said Waller. "They just don't want to risk being delayed for days at the airport." Abbie Laroche is among those staycationers. The Halton resident and her partner, Aimée Brazeau, will be enjoying a few camping trips close to home. She said she'd like to go up north more often, but with gas prices being so high and having to worry about who'll look after their dogs, they'll probably only go for two weekends this summer. One of those trips will be to North Bay, to visit Bra- zeau's family, and the other will be to Mildmay in Bruce County for La- Roche's family reunion at her aunt's farm. She's espe- cially looking forward to this trip since the annual event didn't happen during the last two summers due of the pandemic. Laroche says due to high gas prices her part- ner's dad won't be taking the speed boat out as often this season. He told her it costs $250 to fill the tank with gas. "That only lasts about an hour on the lake," she said, noting another friend sold her Jet Ski be- cause of the gas prices. Halton residents Amy and Peter Torok bought a trailer last year, as well as a miniature poodle. Now they can travel as a family with their children and not have to worry about paying to board the dog. "It's a cheaper way to have a va- cation," said Amy. She and Peter consid- ered going to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, but decided it just wasn't worth it. "Everything is as- tronomically expensive right now. Do I really want to go somewhere hot when it's summer here? Seems like a waste of money to me." Amy also felt camping was good for her kids. "It gets the kids off their iPads and gets us out of our sub- division. We've been looking at the same scen- ery for so long, we just want to get away from here. But pulling a trailer isn't cheap with gas prices these days. Luckily, we aren't camping very far," said the working mom of two young children. "It's been hell being stuck at home. This way we have something to do on week- ends." STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With travel re- strictions recently lifted for the first time in two years and more people heading out on trips, we wanted to see how Halton residents are spending their summer vacation. NEWS Continued from page 1 Addison and Oliver Torok roast marshmallows on a recent camping trip, one of several their family is taking this summer. Torok family photo CAMPING A POPULAR OPTION THIS SUMMER STAYCATION FACTS1. You may claim accommodation costs for a staycation during the 2022 tax season. 2. This is a Personal Income Tax (PIT) credit for Ontario residents only. 3. The maximum credit is $200 for an individual and $400 for a family. 4. Eligible accommodation expenses include: hotel, motel, resort, lodge, bed-and-breakfast, cottage, campground or vacation rental property. 5. The maximum accommodation expense claim is $1,000 for an individual and $2,000 for a family. For more information, visit ontario.ca/page/ontario-staycation-tax-credit.