The 2024 Solo Traveler Reader Survey results are in! We received a total of 2,400 responses to our 12th annual survey of solo travelers. For a site our size, that's a huge number and significant enough for the travel industry to look at the results and take note!
Solo travelers are an important and continuously growing segment of the travel market.
Our thanks go to all readers and a special thanks to those who participated in the survey. We also want to recognize and thank Overseas Adventure Travel for their support of the survey and their long-term support of Solo Traveler.
We are a small team of three at Solo Traveler and we have to use our time wisely. With your input, we can. And while we may make changes to what we deliver, our goals remain the same. We aim to serve solo travelers with:
- Inspiration
- Information
- Advocacy
We try to make sure that every decision we make, every post we publish, and every project we take on serves at least one of these priorities.
Here are some of this year's reader survey results.
Who Participated In the Survey?
The demographics of the respondents to our survey do not reflect the total readership of Solo Traveler. This chart shows the difference between the makeup of our readership and respondents to this year's survey.
Due to changes in the way that Google provides analytics, we no longer have access to up-to-date age and gender data for our readers. However, there is very little change in this over a year, so we have presented last year's reader breakdown in the left column above.
Reader Survey Results Reveal Why and How You Travel
There was little change in the numbers from 2023. This year's survey of solo travelers shows that the reasons for traveling alone remain the same and in the same order. From wanting to see the world and do what you want, when you want, without waiting for others to having different interests from your friends or wanting to travel more than your partner, you chose to travel alone and on your own terms. Notably, there was a 14% increase in the number of people placing a high value on the feelings of freedom and independence that solo travel delivers.
61% In Our Survey of Solo Travelers Go for Two Weeks or More
You travel often and for good chunks of time! Over 60% of you told us that the duration of your solo trips is generally two weeks or more. More than half of you are planning to take two or more trips in the coming year.
You also spent more in 2024. There was a decrease in the number of people spending $2,000 or less (excluding airfare) on a one-week trip, while there was an increase in the number of solo travelers spending $2000.00-$4000.00 or more.
In terms of where you're headed next, the big winner was Europe, with over 32% of respondents planning a trip there in 2025. For the first time, 19% of you told us that you are undecided about your next destination. Southeast Asia, the United States, and the United Kingdom were the next most popular.
Reader Survey Results Yield an Interesting Finding
Similar to last year, our survey of solo travelers found that while 71% of respondents identify themselves as independent travelers, 90% indicated that they prefer to join tours some, or all of the time. Travel companies, as I'm sure you've read in the media, also report to us a substantial increase in demand for solo spots on their tours and cruises.
33% of respondents report that they take tours because of the value for money and 80% say that price influences which company they choose. Importantly, 74% choose the travel company based on whether they charge a single supplement. This is a huge change from the past when single supplements, which routinely caused solo travelers to have to pay as much as or more than a couple, made these trips out of reach for many. This tells us that the travel industry has evolved to cater to solo travelers. After 15 years of advocating for and supporting this change, we couldn't be happier to hear this.
When we asked which of our services you like best, our newsletters came out on top closely followed by our website. The emails include the free monthly Solo Traveler Newsletter, the Roundup of new posts, and our email of tours and cruises with no or low single supplements. To see some of the companies that treat solo travelers well, charging between zero and 20% single supplements, browse our current list of Tours for Solo Travelers, use our searchable list of trips, or sign up here to receive it by email as soon as it's updated each month. If you don't want to wade through 100+ offers every month, consider subscribing to our new Curated Shortlist of Trips for Solo Travelers.
In addition to the Reader Survey results, you can find more information, industry research, and trends on our Solo Travel Statistics and Data page.
