UI/UX Design & UX Research Intern — Understanding the Australian Traveller for Fresh Tracks Canada
A strategic research initiative to understand how Australian travellers think about Canada as a destination—uncovering their motivations, barriers, and decision criteria so FTC can improve how it markets, sells, and supports this high-priority audience.
Chapter Rail
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My Role
UI/UX Design & UX Research Intern
Company
Fresh Tracks Canada
Research Type
Exploratory · Moderated Interviews
01 Background
Why Australia, Why Now
Australia is one of Fresh Tracks Canada's highest-priority international growth markets behind the US. As part of the FY27 plan, FTC is expected to more aggressively target Australian travellers across key products — including Canadian train vacations, Northern Lights experiences, polar bear viewing, and custom multi-region trips.
Early internal analysis suggested Australian travellers behave differently than the US audience. They appear to be more self-directed and more heavily researched, with a greater interest in longer, customized trips and potentially different expectations around planning, communication, and trip combinations.
More self-directed
Less reliant on a travel agent to drive the decision
More researched
Deeper pre-consideration phase before inquiring
Longer trips
Higher appetite for extended, custom itineraries
Different expectations
Around planning timelines, communication, and combinations
02 Problem
A Funnel Built for the Wrong Audience
Most of FTC's current funnel strategy has been built around learnings from its broader customer base — heavily weighted toward US travellers. If Australian travellers have different motivations, barriers, and decision criteria, FTC may be missing real conversion opportunities across marketing, sales, and lifecycle.
The core risk
Applying a US-optimized funnel to an audience with structurally different planning behaviours and decision criteria creates invisible conversion leaks. The research needed to surface exactly where those gaps were and what FTC should do differently.
03 Goals
Research Goal
Better understand Australian travellers who are considering Canada as a vacation destination, so FTC can improve how it markets, sells, and supports this audience across the full funnel.
Desired Outcomes
Identify what motivates Australian travellers to consider Canada.
Understand the main barriers, doubts, and friction points that prevent them from inquiring or booking.
Understand how Australian travellers plan major international trips — timelines, research sources, decision criteria, and competitor consideration.
Clarify whether Australian travellers view Canada as a standalone destination or as part of a broader North America trip.
Identify what information, messaging, content, and support they need at each funnel stage.
Provide recommendations for how FTC should improve marketing, sales, and lifecycle experiences for this audience.
Create a prioritized list of the biggest barriers FTC would need to solve to materially grow the Australian market.
04 Approach
Why Moderated Interviews
This is an exploratory research project. The goal is to understand motivations, planning behaviours, tradeoffs, objections, and emotional drivers — not just surface-level preferences. These are difficult to capture through a survey or unmoderated test alone.
Exploratory in nature
We needed to discover unknowns, not validate existing hypotheses.
Emotional & motivational
Understanding why people feel certain ways requires conversation, not checkboxes.
Nuanced decision-making
Trip planning involves layered tradeoffs that only emerge through dialogue.
The interviews focused on how Australians think about Canada as a destination, how they plan major international trips, what competitors they consider, what barriers prevent them from moving forward, and what would make FTC feel more relevant and trustworthy.
05 Participants
Who We Needed to Talk To
Participant Criteria
Based in Australia and meeting most of the following:
Age 45+, priority on 55+ travellers
Has taken or is planning a long-haul international leisure trip
Open to visiting Canada, the US, Alaska, or other North American destinations
Interest in at least one FTC-relevant experience (scenic trains, Northern Lights, luxury travel, custom itineraries)
Budget and intent to consider a premium planned vacation
Mix of people who have and haven't visited Canada before
Sample Size
7–10
moderated interview participants
Enough to identify meaningful patterns and reach thematic saturation while keeping the project manageable in scope and timeline.
06 Key Questions
What We Set Out to Answer
Destination appeal
Why do Australian travellers consider Canada? What makes it appealing compared to other long-haul destinations?
Trip structure
Do Australian travellers see Canada as a standalone trip, or do they commonly combine it with the US, Alaska, or other destinations?
Competitive context
What does the US offer Australian travellers that Canada does not — or does not communicate as clearly?
Planning behaviour
How do Australian travellers plan large international vacations? How far in advance do they begin? What sources do they use?
Competitor consideration
What travel agencies, tour operators, or competitors do they consider, and why?
Experience interests
What types of experiences are they most interested in — train travel, wildlife, Northern Lights, multi-region itineraries?
Barriers & doubts
What questions, doubts, or concerns come up when evaluating Canada? What role do price, flight distance, exchange rate, and perceived value play?
FTC relevance
What do they expect from a travel company during research, quote, and booking? What would make FTC feel more relevant and trustworthy?
07 Deliverables
What Was Produced
Research Deck
Summarizing the Australian traveller audience — motivations, barriers, planning behaviours, and decision criteria.
Customer Journey Summary
Covering awareness, consideration, inquiry, and booking stages with audience-specific insights at each.
Competitor & Agency Themes
Analysis of which travel companies Australian travellers consider and why, and where FTC fits.
Strategic Recommendations
Actionable recommendations for Marketing, Sales, and Lifecycle tailored to this audience.
Prioritized Barrier List
The biggest friction points FTC would need to address to materially grow the Australian market.
Messaging & Content Guidance
What information, framing, and content Australian travellers need at each stage of the funnel.
08 Impact
Business Impact
This research helps FTC make more confident decisions about how to grow the Australian market. The goal is not just to describe Australian travellers — it's to identify what FTC should do differently for this audience.
Landing pages & paid media messaging
Email strategy & lifecycle flows
Sales enablement materials
Content strategy & editorial
Product positioning
Funnel improvements