Solo Travel Statistics and Data : 2018 – 2019

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 amount 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 2018 survey was sponsored by Just You and received 1,118 respondents) and our monthly poll on our Facebook page with over 225,000 members.

Travel industry data looks at solo travelers within the context of all travel. Our reader survey is of solo travelers specifically providing a better understanding 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.

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.

• Solo travel as a global trend continues to grow. (October 2019) "Making up around 18% of global bookings, solo travel is becoming ever more popular and has increased by 7% in the last year alone. Solo travelers typically take longer trips than the other traveler personas at approximately 19 days on average." Source
• Gen Z and solo travel. (July 2019) "...a third say they actually prefer to be alone when traveling and almost 20% say they want to tak a solo backpacking trip or gap year." Source
• Solo travel #1 trend for 2019 according to Klook. (December 2018) Solo travel, pop culture influence and the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) effect are among the six driving factors in tours and activities for next year, reveals Hong Kong-based leading travel activities and services booking platform Source.
• 52% of solo travellers say they'd be interested in an escorted holiday. (November 2018) Mintel’s 2018 Solo Traveller Report revealed that 17% of adults took a holiday on their own in the last five years – a year-on-year rise of two percentage points. The majority of these, 15%, were ‘pure solo’ travellers, not travelling with a group. The study found 60% of respondents said there is a “widespread belief” the travel industry does not cater well enough for solo travellers and that 52% of solo travellers were interested in taking an escorted tour. Source
• Adventure Travel Trade Association 2018 trends report highlights solo travel. The 20 Adventure Trends to Watch in 2018, indicate solo travel is on the rise. One of their members report that over 80% of their millennial travelers are going solo. Source
• In 2018, 70% of passengers on Intrepid Travel’s US trips travelled on their own. Source
• 2017 Princeton Survey Research Associates study revealed that 58 per cent of millennials worldwide are willing to travel alone, compared to 47 per cent of older generations. The study found 26 percent of millennial women have already travelled solo, while a further 27 percent said they haven't but would consider holidaying by themselves. Source
• Searches for "solo female travel” grew by 52% between 2016 and 2017. This report not only looks at the trend of solo female travel but also the purchasing power of women. Source
• Travel solo for relaxation. Agoda's 'Solo Travel Trends 2018' survey, conducted by YouGov, found that relaxation and time to unwind is the number one motivator for solo leisure travel globally (61%), which compares to 48% when traveling with friends. Source
• Tour companies find that the majority of their female travelers are going solo. VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations says that 68 percent of their female travelers in 2016 took a trip without a companion, while Country Walkers says 87 percent of its female participants were single (that’s about 3.3 single women to every male traveler). Source
• 38% of those who have traveled solo will do so again. Among the top five trips that people have already been on and would like to go on again, as they allow them to experience travel to the fullest solo trip (34%). Source
• 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 2018 readers survey received 1,118 responses. As you can see below, the results show slightly different demographic information than the Solo Travel Society Facebook page with its  237,000+  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 2018 the number of subscribers to Solo Traveler's newsletter grew from 35,000 to 46,000 which is up from 25,500 at the beginning of 2017. That's an 80% increase over two years. Yes, the solo travel market is growing. Many of our subscribers completed our 2018 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 are highly educated.  50% of respondents indicated that they have a university or college degree or diploma and 35% have post-graduate degrees.
• Why do solo travelers go solo? Respondents could choose more than one response. 59% said they want to see more of the world and they're not willing to wait for others. 45% like the freedom to do what they want when they want.
• 54% of respondents like group travel at least some of the time. That's up from 34% in the 2017 survey.
• Solo travelers are frequent travelers. 46% of respondents travel three or more times per year.
• Adventure beats out urban travel. 30% like adventure travel while only 23% favor urban travel
• 24% of readers spend more than $1,500 for one week excluding airfare. Most spend between $500 and $1,500 for the same. (2017 result)
• 32% of solo travelers start planning 6 months before departure. 33%% start planning 3 months or less before departure.

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.

Are you more interested in domestic or international travel?

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

How often do you travel in a year for pleasure?

Do you plan to travel more often in 2018?

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

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

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

How long before departure do you choose a destination?