“The one who goes alone can start today but he who travels with another must hold back until that other is ready.” – Henry David Thoreau
Once the statistics are any indicator, many travelers accept Thoreau. In growing figures, people are traveling by yourself instead of just waiting for others to sign up them.
Solo travelers lately have totaled 21 million in just the u . s . states and Uk combined. According to a new You’ll be able to Occasions article in November. 2012, Internet searches for “solo vacation packages” were up 60% inside the prior year. The U . s . States Department of Commerce’s Office of Travel & Tourism Industries (“OTTI”) reported the staggering 42% of U.S. citizens/residents that went abroad this season traveled alone. Of people individual travelers, 38% traveled for leisure to be able to visit buddies & relatives (“VFR”) and 66% for business. Similarly, inbound solo travelers from abroad totaled 36.2%. Of people, 23.6% were on leisure journeys and and 62.2% for work. E-commerce and lifestyle phenomenon remains growing tremendously.
Who’re solo travelers?
Solo travelers really are a much wider group than merely the only real population. They could be:
• Two-career couples on business travel or “DINK’S” (Dual Earnings No Kids).
• People with relatives or buddies abroad.
• Family people pursuing separate sports/hobbies overseas.
Abercrombie & Kent’s Jill Fawcett has described their solo travelers as: “frequently… married and also have partners, nevertheless the spouses don’t share the identical interest… They wish to travel with like-minded people as well as the select couple of offers them some interaction. They go back to the privacy of their very own room… 25% of folks that choose our Extreme Adventure series are (also) solo travelers,” she mentioned. “People feel a little more secure in the group once the destination is intimidating or there’s a language barrier.” Solo Travel Grows inside a Rapid Rate Phil Hoffman travel blog, 10/25/11.
According to Grand Circle Corp chairman Alan Lewis, “Women certainly are a growing pressure inside the solo travel market… where the solo marketplace is ongoing to develop from about 20% to 25% of [Grand Circle’s] overall bookings previously five years.”
Single travelers still still play a dynamic role in solo travel. Their growth is apparent in Europe and also the U . s . States where folks are marrying later and is divorced, widowed or never married. With different March 19, 2013 article entitled “The Growing Solo Travel Market”, http://tourismintelligence.ca, average single households total the next:
• 35% of homes in western world
• 40% in Finland and Norwegian (2011)
• 37% inside the Netherlands (2011)
• 27% in the usa (2010), 29% inside the Uk (2011) and 28% in Canada (2011).
Just how can solos travel?
Solo travel may not mean traveling just like a “quantity of one”. Individuals may choose
1. Escorted group tours
2. Independent tours
3. Travel alone and select their particular hotels/tours
What Issues Confront Individuals Traveling By Yourself?
There are 2 primary challenges for individual travelers.
• Attractive prices: Lodging, tours and cruise journeys cost routinely on double occupancy. Most cruises and tours require a single supplement for people traveling by yourself. Although not necessarily 2X, the price differential might be substantial. This can be most pronounced in tour packages, particularly cruises that have “2-for-the-cost of a single” early booking promotionals. Consequently, individuals traveling by yourself may pay 3-4X couples/pairs.