The 2023 Solo Traveler Reader Survey results are in! We received a total of 2,337 responses to our 11th 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 growing segment of the travel market.
Our thanks go to all readers and a special thanks to those who took 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 the 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 2022 numbers in the chart above.
Why and How You Travel
While there was some change in the numbers from 2022, 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.
Reader Survey Results Show Solo Travelers Are Adventurous
While many people focus on city destinations, the feedback we receive from solo travelers year over year in our Reader Survey results is that they look for great nature and adventure experiences more than urban ones.
Almost double the number of people over 55–40%– included Adventure/Nature travel as a choice of travel styles while only 21% included urban travel. People could indicate more than one style on the question.
By comparison, those under 55 indicated that they do more of both. 54% of respondents under 55 said that they traveled to Adventure/Nature destinations and, at the same time, 37% said they traveled to urban destinations.
Perhaps those over 55 have seen it, done it when it comes to cities while those under 55 are eager to take in every kind of opportunity travel offers.
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 2023. Only 13% of you spent under $1000.00 (excluding airfare) on a one-week trip, while there was a 67% increase in the number of solo travelers spending $3000.00-$4000.00 and an 80% increase in the number spending more than $4000.00.
In terms of where you're headed next, the big winner was Europe. For the first time, the United States was the second most popular destination, followed by Southeast Asia. Given that 66% of respondents were American, this likely means that many of you will be doing at least some domestic travel in 2024.
Reader Survey Results Yield an Interesting Finding
This is where things get really interesting! The survey of solo travelers found that while 68% of respondents identify themselves as independent travelers, 89% 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.
34% of respondents report that they take tours because of the value for money and 80% say that price influences which company they choose. Importantly, 75% 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 14 years of advocating for and supporting this change, we couldn't be happier to hear this.
To see some of the companies that treat solo travelers well, charging between zero and 20% single supplements, see our current list of Tours for Solo Travelers or sign up here to receive it by email when it's updated each month.
In addition to the Reader Survey results, you can find more information, industry research, and trends on our Solo Travel Statistics and Data page.