The vast majority of travellers – regardless of age, gender, or nationality – are keen on solo travel, according to a Klook-commissioned Solo Travel study conducted by YouGov.
The study, which polled close to 21,000 respondents across 16 markets, found that 76% of them have either travelled alone or are considering it.
When comparing generational preferences, 80% of Generation Z (18 to 24 year olds) respondents and 79% of Millennials (25-39) said they have already travelled alone or would be keen to plan a solo trip.
Similar trends were also found among the older generations: roughly 73% of Generation X (40-54) and 71% of Baby Boomers (55+) said they were interested in travelling alone. There is also little difference between genders, with 74% of women and 78% of men saying they have either already experienced or would be interested to pursue solo travel.
And while there has been an uptick in interest globally, the data shows that solo travellers in Asia are leading the charge by a large margin. Between 69% and 93% of travellers from Asia have either travelled solo in the past or said that they are open to the idea. In western countries, by comparison, that number hovers between 60% and 69%.
When asked about their reasons for flying solo, half of the respondents said that they wanted to enjoy uninterrupted “me time” or reward themselves, suggesting that travellers value their independence more than ever.
However, the same survey also found that while many people said that they are interested in hitting the road alone, they also had reservations about potentially feeling lonely. In fact, half of the survey participants who wanted to solo travel cited a “fear of loneliness” as the biggest hurdle. This concern was prevalent across all generations – with Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X and Baby Boomers all ranking loneliness as their top concern.
Additionally, 48% said that safety was their biggest worry; and 30%, planning and booking the itinerary on their own.
