Solo Travel Statistics and Data : 2017-2018

Since starting Solo Traveler in 2009, we have gathered an extensive amount of solo travel statistics and data as well as demographic and psychographic information on solo travelers.

A big part of our job is monitoring the copious amounts of travel research that is conducted every year and extracting solo travel specific statistics.

The other half of the equation is gathering information from our readers. We do this in our annual reader survey (the 2017 survey received over 1,000 respondents) and our monthly poll on our Facebook page with over 225,000 members.

We see travel industry data as a macro view and our reader survey as a micro view of the solo travel market.

One of the reasons that we are so diligent about gathering data on the solo travel market is that we work with clients who are eager to serve solo travelers well. If you are such a company, you may also being interested in the following pages:

Reach the Solo Travel Market explains how we work with the travel industry.
Our Deals page is half of a monthly promotional opportunity for companies serving solo travelers. It pairs with our Solo Travel Advisory of Deals that is emailed to over 40,000 double opt-in subscribers.
The Solo Travel Awards is our annual awards program.
The blog with over 1,500 articles for solo travelers.

We will update this page whenever we find new data in an effort to provide the ultimate source of information, statistics and data on the solo travel market in one place.

Table of Contents

Solo Travel Statistics and Trends

This is a selection of solo travel statistics drawn from a variety of travel industry studies. As we find new research we add to it with the most recent being at the top.

Surge in baby boomers traveling solo. A study by Booking.com of 20,500 global travelers that was released in May of 2018 found that there "is also a surge in solo travel ... with two fifths (40%) of global Baby Boomers having taken a solo trip in the last year, and a further fifth (21%) planning to take one in the future." Source
Solo is a top trip they'd do again. Again from the Booking.com study, 34% or respondents said that solo travel is among the "top five trips that they have already been on and would like to go on again". Source
Roughly one in four people say they will travel solo in the next year (2018) — and that’s on the rise, according to a survey of 2,300 people by marketing firm MMGY Global. Source
Between January 1 2015 and December 2017, the number of searches on Google for solo travel has risen significantly. The graph indicates approximately a 40% increase in searches for solo travel. Source

Numbers represent search interest relative to the highest point on the chart for the given region and time. A value of 100 is the peak popularity for the term. A value of 50 means that the term is half as popular. Likewise a score of 0 means the term was less than 1% as popular as the peak.

17% indicated that they would try solo travel for the first time in 2016 according to a survey of more than 44,000 travelers by online travel company TripAdvisor. Source
The popularity of guided tours among solo travelers grew from 21% to 46% between 2013 and 2015. Source
Between 2013 and 2015 the percentage of people polled who travel on their own grew from 15% to 24% according to the Visa Global Travel Intentions Study 2015. Source
A 2014 Booking.com survey resulted in a Solo Travel Report that revealed
- 72 percent of American women are taking solo journeys
- American women ranked first in frequent solo travel, and are most likely to take three trips or more in a given year.
- 65% of US women polled have vacationed without a partner. Source

Related research on the solo travel market.

The current western proportions of single-person households (e.g. 31 percent in the UK, 24% in California) are wholly unprecedented historically. Source
Single-person households in the United States are set to grow steadily over the next 15 years... Source
Booking.com research found that Australia is the number one international destination for solo travel. Source
Travel Agent anecdotal data on selling solo travel. "...solo clients are usually around 41 to 47 years old, have an income in the $150,000 range... Also, about 85 percent are women." Source.
Women are the ones booking tours and activities 67% of the time Source

Solo Travel Demographics

Our 2017 readers survey had over 1,000 responses. As you can see below, the results show slightly different demographic information than the Solo Travel Society Facebook page with its 227,000+ fans. Combining this with data given from Google Analytics and I can safely say that the majority of our readers fall into either the Millennial or Boomer categories and there are more women than men. I usually estimate the gender split as 75% women and 25% men.

Solo Travelers' Travel and Spending Habits

In 2017 the number of subscribers to Solo Traveler's newsletter grew from 25,500 to 35,000. That's a 37% increase! Many of those people completed our 2017 reader survey. Below is a breakdown by age range of a variety of data we gathered from that survey. Here's a few takeaways:

Solo travelers like to travel internationally. In some age groups not one person responded that they were only interested in domestic travel. Compare this with the MMGY Portrait of American Travelers that showed that 85% of American travel is domestic.
34% of readers like group travel at lease some of the time.
Solo travelers are frequent travelers. 43% of respondents travel three or more times per year.
Go of the Beaten Path and enjoy Food and Wine. From the survey results, a glass of wine and great cheese somewhere along the road less traveled is perfect for solo travelers.
24% of readers spend more than $1,500 for one week excluding airfare. Most spend between $500 and $1,500 for the same.
Solo travelers start planning 6 months before departure. 25% of readers start planning 2 months or less before departure.

Go to section 4 for detailed analysis from the Reader Survey.

Our Reader Polls

June 2018 - The Question: What season are you making travel plans for right now?

April 2018 - The Questions : Other than eliminating the single supplement, what can travel companies do to serve you better?

February 2018 - The Question: Why do women travel solo?

This was asked of the female members of the Solo Travel Society on Facebook.

46% said freedom, independence and the chance to do what they want when they want
22% said they weren't willing to wait around for others
15% said to challenge themselves and gain confidence. Solo Travel let's you go travel your way

January 2018 - The Questions: Why do women travel solo more than men?

Posing this questions to the Solo Travel Society resulted in a variety of answers. The responses focused on these three issues.

There are more times in a woman’s life when responsibilities are restrictive. Solo travel offers a break.
Women are more adventurous than men.
Women are more comfortable being on their own.

December 2017 - The Question: Are you willing to share a room on a tour or cruise to avoid the single supplement? Here's what they had to say: Yes-14.6%, Maybe-20.8%, No-64.6%. What are your thoughts?

Detailed Information Gathered from the 2017 Reader Survey

What's your travel style? Respondents could check all that apply.

	25-34	35-44	45-54	55-64	65+	Cumulative
Go independently Go in a group Cruise Urban travel Adventure Luxury Budget	96% 31% 19% 46% 38% 12% 62%	93% 29% 9% 46% 54% 13% 71%	94% 33% 18% 46% 39% 15% 58%	92% 35% 31% 37% 32% 29% 52%	93% 41% 41% 26% 49% 32% 47%	94% 34% 24% 40% 41% 20% 58%

Are you more interested in domestic or international travel?

	25-34	35-44	45-54	55-64	65+	Cumulative
International Domestic & international Domestic	73% 23% 0%	49% 47% 4%	46% 54% 0%	48% 52% 0%	46% 50% 4%	53% 45% 2%

What do you like to do when you travel? Respondents could check all that apply.

	25-34	35-44	45-54	55-64	65+	Cumulative
See the top sights Explore off beaten path Museums Meet Locals Meet other travelers Enjoy food and drink	73% 88% 50% 53% 69% 84%	76% 86% 54% 56% 51% 89%	76% 75% 60% 59% 43% 81%	72% 80% 62% 60% 39% 73%	60% 82% 70% 47% 54% 82%	71% 82% 59% 55% 51% 82%

How often do you travel in a year for pleasure?

	25-34	35-44	45-54	55-64	65+	Cumulative
Once Twice Three Times More than three times	32% 40% 12% 16%	14% 32% 17% 37%	22% 29% 16% 33%	24% 30% 24% 22%	18% 44% 22% 16%	22% 35% 18% 25%

Do you plan to travel more often in 2018?

	25-34	35-44	45-54	55-64	65+	Cumulative
Yes No	73% 27%	83% 17%	70% 30%	69% 31%	71% 29%	73% 27%

What do you like to do when you travel? Respondents could check all that apply.

	25-34	35-44	45-54	55-64	65+	Cumulative
See the top sights Go off beaten path Museums Meet locals Meet other travelers Enjoy food & drink	73% 88% 50% 53% 69% 84%	76% 86% 54% 56% 51% 89%	76% 75% 60% 59% 43% 81%	72% 80% 62% 60% 39% 73%	60% 82% 70% 47% 54% 82%	71% 82% 59% 55% 51% 82%

In a typical year, what kind of trips do you take. Respondents could check all that apply.

	25-34	35-44	45-54	55-64	65+	Cumulative
Weekend getaway One week Two weeks Longer	61% 77% 31% 31%	69% 66% 46% 30%	68% 69% 52% 31%	65% 65% 48% 33%	50% 53% 61% 36%	63% 66% 48% 32%

On average, excluding airfare, what do you spend on a one-week trip?

	25-34	35-44	45-54	55-64	65+	Cumulative
$500 or less $500 - $1500 $1500 - $2500 $2500+	56% 32% 12%	42% 42% 7% 2%	22% 59% 13% 6%	15% 47% 30% 9%	9% 56% 30% 5%	29% 47% 18% 6%

How long before departure do you choose a destination?

	25-34	35-44	45-54	55-64	65+	Cumulative
1 Year 6 months 4 months 2 months 1 month 1 week	9% 19% 23% 19% 19% 0%	12% 30% 20% 24% 12% 2%	19% 33% 21% 15% 7% 5%	22% 38% 20% 10% 8% 1%	21% 50% 17% 8% 4% 0%	17% 34% 20% 15% 10%