By then, the site was taking about half a minute to load but was accessible shortly before 8 a.m. Eastern. “Move to Canada” remained among the top trending search topics on Google.

There is no way, of course, to be sure how serious these queries are. And experts point out that anyone seeking refuge in another country would be hard-pressed to escape the global effects of a new American administration or outlook on the world.

Stephen J. Farnsworth, a co-author of the 2013 book “The Global President: International Media and the U.S. Government” and a professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington, said that escaping to Canada would not shield you from the influence of a President Trump.

“America’s global reach being what it is, the impacts that America has in the world will also follow you wherever you go,” he said. “Decisions that the U.S. makes with respect to NATO policy, for example, would be part of your experience if you move to say, a NATO country.”

(Canada is one of the founding members of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.)

Of course, many of those exploring their options would be fleeing not just the new president and his policies, but also the America that voted for him. And Canada was not the only country people appeared interested in checking out.