Singles vacations for the over 50 crowd may be the next big travel bucket according to Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T.). The Boston-based tour operator notes that interest in small group and solo-friendly travel for Americans ages 40 and up is on the rise and showing up in bookings for 2023.
According to O.A.T., the number of solo travelers reserving for 2023 is up 24% compared to 2019. In the past month alone, O.A.T. has seen a 27% jump in solo travelers making reservations compared to the previous month. These include vacations for singles over 40 and 50.
“Women traveling alone are embracing small group travel,” said Brian FitzGerald, Chief Executive Officer of O.A.T.
However, according to MMGY, it is not just single travel groups over 50 that are taking up traveling solo or in small independent groups. The travel research outfit noted a growing trend of solo travel now with 1 in 4 Americans plans to take a trip alone this year with millennials and Gen Z groups leading the way. U.S. destinations promoting to solo travelers include three cities in California – Los Angeles, Palm Springs and Anaheim – along with Chicago, Atlanta, Ann Arbor and Kansas City.
At O.A.T., some 53% of participating travelers are solo travelers. The majority of solo travelers are women – eight in ten.
Fifty-three percent (53%) of all O.A.T. travelers are solo travelers. The majority of solo travelers with O.A.T. are women – eight in ten and many are seeking singles travel groups for people over 50.
Many travelers started traveling internationally again last year, but there is still plenty of pent-up
demand for 2023. Solos are part of that trend.
Popular Singles Vacations for 2023
Egypt remains a particularly strong choice in 2023 for solo travelers. Ancient Egypt & the Nile River, a 16-day O.A.T. Small Group Adventure, tops the list of most popular adventures for solo travelers in 2023. Close to half of the travelers reserved for Ancient Egypt in 2023 are solos.
Also popular with solos is Japan’s Cultural Treasures. The country recently reopened to international travelers. Another in-demand adventure for solo travelers is Ultimate Africa: Botswana, Zambia & Zimbabwe Safari. Nearly 2,400 solo travelers joined O.A.T. on this adventure in the past three years—either independently or sharing a room with a mother, daughter, sister, or friend.
Vacation guides are trained to integrate solo travelers from the start of their adventure. Trip Experience Leaders help solo travelers with issues such as someone to share meals with, especially during the all-important first few days of a trip. Shortly before a trip begins, guides personally contact every traveler to welcome them and answer any final questions before departure.
For 2023, some 87% of O.A.T. travelers are choosing to personalize their experiences in more than 80 countries. More than half of solo travelers are opting to arrive early before a trip or stay later once the tour concludes. By arriving early, a traveler can acclimate before a tour begins. By staying later after the group departs, a traveler can extend the experience and explore a destination independently.
Single travelers over 50 often seek impactful, intercultural experiences that help change people’s lives, according to O.A.T. These become accessible experiences, with groups limited to 16 travelers (average of 13) by land and 25 (average of 22) by sea.
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