If you’ve ever wondered who travels solo, where they travel to, and why they choose to gallivant independently around the globe, this report reveals all... 👀
We've unearthed loads of interesting facts and figs about our adventurous Hostelworld community, including trip expectations, packing essentials and what REALLY makes a trip memorable. Life stage, motivations and favourite destinations may vary, but one thing remains clear – solo travel is more popular than ever. And we’re here for it! 😎
38% of solo travellers are in the 18-24 year old bracket, with 68% in total under 31 years of age.
Women are more likely to take solo trips, with 60% identifying as female. LGBTQIA+ travellers are well represented, with 19% of solo travellers identifying as part of this community.
College and university students make up 20% of the solo travel crowd, while 18% take time out to travel between school and uni or between finishing education and starting work ✈️
Oceania solo travellers are most likely to visit:
European solo travellers are most likely to visit:
North American solo travellers are most likely to visit:
Solo travellers based in US and India are most likely to travel within their home country
Of all nationalities, solo travellers from Europe are most likely to visit Southeast Asia
Indonesia is far more popular with European solo travellers compared to solo travellers from the US, Canada and Australia
Just over one in two solo travellers flag affordability and/or low cost of living as a key influence on their destination choice
While almost half of solo travellers base their decisions on the weather, 40% have no preference as to which season they travel in
When respondents were asked to name up to three places on their bucket list, Japan was the overwhelming favourite, with nearly one in four listing the Land of the Rising Sun as a must-go destination
Given that almost a third of solo travellers are foodies, this stands to reason – plus, who wouldn’t want to see high-tech Tokyo, cherry blossom trees, snow monkeys hanging out in natural hot tubs and so much more with their own eyes? 👀
Solo travellers mentioning:
Interesting takeaways:
South America scored highly with Brazil's vibrant culture, Peru's historical sites like Machu Picchu and Argentina's diverse landscapes noted as key attractions
Iceland was bucket-listed by more than one in ten solo travellers, and was the second most popular European bucket list location after Italy
Independence and cultural connection are key drivers in the decision to travel solo, with 75% valuing the freedom that comes with travelling alone
While independence is pivotal, almost half of solo travellers are also keen to connect with new cultures and new people, highlighting the importance of making meaningful connections on their journey 👋
When asked to choose the BEST thing about solo travel, respondents voted in favour of meeting and hanging out with new people (43%) over not having to compromise for others (26%) 🙋
The top 3 reasons people travel solo are:
Travelling solo isn't without its challenges. Safety concerns and loneliness are top culprits for causing apprehension:
Female solo travellers were nearly three times more likely than male solo travellers to list safety as a concern:
Solo travellers adopt a wide range of tactics to tackle safety concerns:
Almost half of solo travellers (45%) have no preconceived expectations of their travel experience 😎
Of those that did, over one in three (35%) have expectations of acquiring a new skill like cooking, surfing or learning a new language 🏄
A similar proportion (33%) have expectations of making lifelong friends, underlining the importance of forging social connections while travelling 👯
Two thirds of solo travellers (66%) ensure they travel with a power bank
Encouragingly from a sustainability viewpoint, more than half (55%) ensure they pack a re-usable water bottle
Despite being in our screentime era, just over 40% of solo travellers still consider a paper journal and pen to be travel essentials
While mobile phones, earbuds and headphones weren’t listed as options (they were taken as a given) a small number of respondents noted that they would be taking non-smartphones for a proper digital disconnect 📵
Solo travellers deem Whatsapp, Instagram and Hostelworld’s social app their top three essential communication/social apps:
If travel were free...you’d never see us again! Sadly, it costs money – and sometimes lots of it. Here’s what we know about how solo travellers fund their trips 🤑
Nearly 90% of respondents save money specifically to fund their travels, and 16% would consider using loans or credit cards to fund or top up their travel pot.
Almost 10% of solo travellers supplement their travels with in-trip local work across industries such as fruit-picking and hospitality, while just over 8% of travellers help fund their adventures digital nomad-style with remote work or digital content creation. A small number of solo travellers (1.4%) do both in-trip local AND digital work 💻
Almost a third of solo travellers (30%) rely on spreadsheets for budget management. A similar number (29%) track their spending by taking lump sums out of ATMs and making the money last for specific timelines.
45% of solo travellers use finance apps to stay on-budget.
These include:
Solo travellers employ the following strategies to maximise their budget while travelling:
“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.”
Tim Cahill, travel writer and author
Think back to your last trip. What’s the first memory that comes to mind? Is it a place, an experience, a person?
Our report found that the destination is secondary for solo travellers – and that what makes a trip truly memorable is the people they meet along the way 👋
Here’s what transforms a solo trip into an unforgettable adventure:
A typical solo traveller is predominantly young, with 68% under the age of 31, and the largest age groups being 18-24 (37.7%) and 25-30 (29.4%). Women are slightly more likely to travel solo, making up 60% of this demographic, while 19% identify as LGBTQIA+. These travellers come from various employment backgrounds: 38% are in full-time jobs, 20% are students, and 15% are not currently working. Many solo travellers take the opportunity to explore between educational stages or job transitions, with slightly more opting to travel between college/university and starting a job than between school and college/university 🎓
Popular destinations for solo travellers include Thailand, Spain and Italy, with Thailand being the top choice at 7.4% of bookings. Regional preferences vary, with North Americans often visiting Spain, the USA and Italy, while Europeans favour Thailand, Vietnam and Australia. The choice of destination is influenced by factors such as affordability (50.6%), favourable weather (49.6%), renowned landmarks (40.7%) and the allure of local cuisine (30.9%) 🗺️
Key motivations for solo travel include the desire for independence and freedom, cited by 75% of respondents, and the drive to connect with other cultures and people, which motivates 45%. Additionally, 35% travel solo due to the unavailability of companions. Despite the appeal of solo travel, it comes with challenges, particularly safety concerns, which are significant for 41% of travellers, especially women (54%) compared to men (19%). Common safety strategies include informing friends and family about travel plans, researching destinations in advance, and avoiding going out alone at night 🙋
Solo travellers prioritise packing essentials such as power banks (66.4%), re-usable water bottles (55%) and paper journals (40.6%). Mobile devices and social apps like WhatsApp (71.9%), Instagram (67.7%) and the Hostelworld app (58%) are crucial for staying connected. Financial planning is vital, with nearly 90% saving money specifically for travel. They employ various budgeting strategies, including booking cheap accommodation, joining free activities and using apps for budget management 💸
Memorable experiences for solo travellers often stem from meeting interesting people (55%), enjoying new experiences (38.2%), and sampling the local cuisine (32.8%). Checking off dream destinations and making meaningful connections with locals are also significant highlights of their journeys 🤩
Simply put, solo travellers are adventurous, budget-conscious and socially driven individuals who seek meaningful interactions, cultural exploration and new experiences. They value the independence and freedom of solo travel while navigating the associated challenges with careful planning and safety measures.
Hostelworld Group PLC is a ground-breaking social network powered Online Travel Agent (“OTA”) focused on the hostelling category, with a clear mission to help travellers find people to hang out with. Our mission statement is founded on the insight that most travellers go hostelling to meet other people, which we facilitate through a series of social features on our platform that connect our travellers in hostels and cities based on their booking data. The strategy has been extraordinarily successful, generating significant word of mouth recommendations from our customers and strong endorsements from our hostel partners.
Traveller destination data was sourced from over four million annual trips conducted by solo travellers via Hostelworld’s booking platform in H2 2023 & H1 2024. All other information was sourced from a poll of 5,231 travellers conducted in May and June 2024, of whom 3,428 were solo travellers.
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