Solo travel increasingly popular: ‘The taboo is disappearing more and more’

More and more people are choosing to travel alone for a short or longer period of time, whether or not on their own initiative or as part of a single or group trip. How can this trend be seen within the Dutch travel market?

‘Why 2024 will be the year of the solo traveler’, was the headline in an article in Forbes in November last year. In it, the CEO of tour operator Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) is asked for his thoughts on the outcome of a recent survey conducted by OAT and magazine Solo Traveler, in which 68% of participants identify themselves as independent travelers. That’s a shift from the past, when traveling alone was an expensive hobby due to paying double for participation in, for example, a cruise or tour. The tour operator indicates in the article that it has seen a significant increase in solo travel bookings in recent years: 27% in 2017, 39% in 2019 and 50% at the moment. Trend reports from booking.com (‘59% of travellers want to take a solo trip this year’) and American Express Travel are also included. In the latter, one of the most important insights was the rise of solo travel, especially among younger travelers. 76% of millennials and Gen Z (compared to the average of 69%) say they plan to take a solo trip in 2024. Left to your own devices Making new contacts seems to be the most obvious motive among solo travelers, but certainly does not necessarily play the leading role among the new wave of solo travelers. Kim Giling (ZRA at YourTravel) says she can confirm the value of traveling alone. For example, she regularly traveled alone to Tenerife, Malta and various parts of southern Spain. ‘It was here that I found the time to take up sporting activities such as horseback riding. Things that I apparently have less time for during daily life in the Netherlands.’ What’s the charm of traveling alone? ‘I think it’s great that you’re completely on your own for a while. By being alone somewhere else for a while, you get into a completely different state and you realize that you also have a very nice time at home.’ When we ask if she ever books solo trips for customers, it certainly turns out to be the case. ‘I regularly receive requests like that. This rarely or hardly involves far-flung world travel, but often a specific destination. For example, I often see people who want to walk the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route, sometimes only being called in for the plane tickets and hotels. Why? Especially for people who are on the road alone, the biggest concern is often whether the details are all properly arranged and recorded. After all, you are alone, and people can feel enormously unburdened if someone else is ‘watching’.
Women A striking fact from the various results is the larger share of solo women in many, but not all, statistics. While the male-female split is slightly closer at American Express Travel, it is much more significant at OAT/Solo Traveler (85% female) and British lifestyle brand Saga, which also identifies the rise of solo holidays as a clear trend (68% female). According to Saga, long-haul tours and cruises are popular among women, and social interaction and practical considerations play a big role in the overall solo trip. 47% make new friendships and 11% come home with a romantic connection.

Self-care When asked who her average solo traveling client is, Kim replies: ‘These are often slightly older people, married or in a relationship, sometimes entrepreneurs, who are extremely busy in their daily lives or even on the verge of a burnout. I have definitely noticed an increase in interest in solo travel. Not necessarily this year, but since the corona pandemic. It seems as if people have been left with an attitude of: ‘We live in the now. Everything I want to do, it is better to do as soon as possible’. I also see a little more women. It seems like women are even more likely to be looking for real me-time, self-care, which they might find a little harder to find at home. It’s only far away from home that they can completely detach themselves. I recently had the opportunity to book a solo trip for a woman to South Africa, her husband was not so interested in a long-distance trip. By coincidence, her sister eventually joined her and they were able to go to South Africa together.’

‘Customers really want to travel with like-minded people’

She continues: ‘When booking the stays with solo trips, it turns out to be financially less advantageous: solo trips are just always more expensive. But I also sometimes notice that the target group is not so concerned with that. They really prefer to play it safe rather than cheap.’ Focus Safety can certainly play a role in the choice of booking a group or single trip, agrees travel organization Shoestring. The Dutch-Belgian provider specializes in adventurous group and single tours around the world, and served around 8,000 travelers last year. The customer base is quite young with an average age of 25 to 35 years, with Indonesia, Japan and Thailand currently being top destinations. ‘We also recognise the strong growth of solo travel. So much so that we are currently in a transition phase to a new concept,’ says Patrick van Zijl (Marketing Manager at Shoestring). ‘Where we now offer both group and single trips, we will switch completely to single tours from next September. What we strongly notice is that people who book such a trip really like to be in a group with like-minded people. During the booking process, customers also have insight into who has already registered. That is why we are going to distinguish three groups within the new concept: 20 to 35 years old, one category above that, and finally a group for all ages.’

Imago Van Zijl: ‘Actually, we were already seeing growth in solo travel before the pandemic, which is why we actively focused on the trend at the time, but it is also increasing rapidly after that. In principle, we see a fairly equal distribution of men and women, but slightly more women. They sometimes seem to be just a little ‘hipper’ than men, men sometimes seem to be a bit more concerned about the image that comes with participating in such a trip. Women also like to choose it because they feel more safe when travelling in groups.’ Because Shoestring serves a relatively young target group, TravMagazine wonders what the main reason is for this group to go out on their own. ‘Basically, it’s about the adventure and exploring the world, and the social interactions and contacts are a plus. In our communication, we stay far away from the emphasis on the social: most participants are single, but there are no obligations or expectations involved. Anyway, sometimes something does happen. At the office we have a ‘baby wall’, with birth announcements of couples that were created during our travels.’ Royal Caribbean Even within the cruise world, the increasing number of passengers who go on board without a travel companion on the day of departure is not ignored. Just like in country accommodations, as a solo traveler on a cruise, you pay a lot extra because of the cabins that are based on two or more people. There is now a list of cruise lines that offer solo cabins and Royal Caribbean is one of them. On some ships (not all) there are so-called studios. These are specially created cabins for solo travelers, with the same facilities and amenities as in a double or multi-occupancy cabin, just slightly smaller. Obstacle in the past was, of course, the additional single fee that had to be paid when booking a double room for one passenger. The advantage of these new studios is that adjusted rates are applied. Example: if you sailed seven nights on the Eastern Sea with the Odyssey of the Seas (RC) on 18 May, you would pay €3,334 for a double balcony cabin and €2,151 for a single balcony cabin.

Taboo Wendy Rood, cruise specialist at Royal Caribbean: “In the past, there weren’t many studios or solo travelers, which is why you won’t find these single balcony cabins on all our ships. However, there are single cabins or an outside cabin.’ The changes around the facilities for solo travelers will continue to increase, according to Rood. “More and more cruise lines are seeing that there are more single travelers and are taking this into account when creating and building new ships. Because we have no insight into the bookings of the other countries and/or the head office, it is difficult to answer factually, but we do see an increase and hear that around us. The ‘taboo’ that used to be on solo travel is disappearing more and more.’ Not only is there investment in suitable cabins, but there is also change in social activities. ‘On the daily schedule, it is very clearly indicated whether a cocktail is for solo travellers, for example, or where it is possible to meet at a certain location, so that passengers can meet each other if they want to, of course. You don’t have to do anything, everything is allowed. On cruises you often see that people who meet each other for the first time on board stay in touch. The same goes for the solo traveller.’