The rise in solo travel

Solo travel is not a new concept by any means - with the tales of hitchhikers we’ve all heard, the basic invention of hostels, and global volunteering programmes, the tourism space has always left plenty of room for solo travellers. But now, there is more space than ever. 

More and more people every year are ditching family trips and friend holidays to tackle a new place on their own; if you look under the hashtag "solo travel" on TikTok, you’ll be greeted with some 145 million videos, as well as a roster of accounts all specialising in the subject. But this is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the surge that solo travel has seen in recent years— a survey by Skyscanner predicts that by 2030, the solo travel market will have had a compound annual growth rate of almost 10%… the largest growth it’s ever seen.

So, what has started all of this fuss? 

Well, studies are showing that the pandemic transformed the general attitude towards solo travel. After what felt like being stuck inside for 50 years, the restless cabin fever inspired people to book a plane ticket for one— in fact, The New York Times discovered that operators were observing a 300% increase in solo travel bookings for tours as soon as travel restrictions eased in 2021, and TourHub reported that solo bookings accounted for nearly half of their business in 2023. 

But even more importantly than cabin fever, the frightening circumstances of the pandemic invigorated people’s sense of adventure and immediacy, with 74% of travellers citing their main reason for going solo is "because they don’t want to wait for others" in 2022. For a vast majority of people, solo travel became the clutch for making up for lost time and engaging with immersive experiences that aligned with newfound priorities.

The widespread popularity of solo travelling content on social media has springboarded its demand, as well as making solo travel more accessible than ever. From solo-centred recommendations, to "day in the life" videos of work exchanges abroad, to full itineraries at your fingertips, the resources on our phone screens make the world feel a bit smaller, and provides a catalogue of wisdom for people from others who have visited the exact destinations of interest. This community sharing safety tips and tricks and normalising safe solo travel is crucial to the audience, especially with the largest demographic of solo travellers being women aged 25-34. 

Solo travel has transformed from a niche pursuit to a mainstream phenomenon, fuelled by social media normalisation following the COVID-19 pandemic. As more and more people tackle the freedom of exploring the world on their terms, the solo travel trend shows no sign of slowing down— and it is exciting to think about how the global tourism industry will change according to these demands in the next few years.