Great Trips for Solo Travelers

By knowing tips and ideas for trips for solo travelers, it’s easy and enjoyable to explore the wide world alone – especially if you are an empty-nester ready to stretch your own wings. Emma Patch of Kiplinger’s Personal Finances offers insights into creating an experience to treasure.

For travelers who enjoy their own company, taking a solo vacation has a timeless appeal. You can go where you want, when you want, without accommodating a companion’s schedule and interests. And since the pandemic, solo travel’s popularity has reached new heights, says Alexandria Sanchez, consumer marketing manager for G Adventures, a small-group adventure-travel company. When travel came to a halt during the COVID-19 shutdown, many people realized how important traveling was to them. Once they were able to start taking trips again, they were eager to get going – even if that meant doing it on their own.

Solo travel should keep growing for years to come. Its estimated global market value was nearly $500 billion in 2024, and that figure is expected to double by 2030, according to Grand View Research, a market research and consulting firm. “People are starting to realize that they don’t want to wait for somebody to be available. It’s now or never,” says Wendy Marley, a travel adviser for AAA Northeast.

The majority of people who travel solo – 62% – are baby boomers, and more than two-thirds of those who travel alone are women, according to the 2025 Virtuoso Global Luxury Traveler Report, which reflects preferences and trends among clients of more than 2,200 luxury travel advisers in Virtuoso’s network. Solo travel is especially popular among women 45 and older. “Many are at an inflection point in their lives. They are looking for a fresh start on a new chapter, a new perspective, or context after a major change in their personal lives,” says Jeannie Ralston, founder of NextTribe, a tour operator that organizes group tours for older women traveling alone.

A variety of destinations and experiences appeal to solo travelers, but they lean toward places where they will feel safe and that have a strong transportation infrastructure. The top destinations are Italy, France, Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom, according to the Virtuoso report. “Ease of transportation and safety make places like Italy, Spain and Portugal ideal for solo travelers,” says Marley. Many Asian countries fit the bill, too – and they’re affordable. “Asia offers incredible value – four‑ or five‑star hotels for the price of a three‑star in Europe,” says Sarah Lang, luxury travel adviser for Pique Travel Design in San Francisco.

Tips and trips for solo travelers for greater peace of mind

Thinking of embarking on your own solo journey? We have guidance here on how to design a trip that prioritizes your comfort and security.

Safety is a chief concern for solo travelers as they navigate new places without a trusted travel companion. For that reason, it may make sense to invest more than you otherwise would in certain aspects of your trip. “Think about where it makes sense to spend more so you feel comfortable, instead of stressed and anxious,” says Lang.

Buying travel insurance, for one, is often a good choice. “Travel insurance is especially important if you’re on your own in another country,” says Marley. A comprehensive travel insurance plan will include medical coverage; reimbursement if you have to cut a trip short due to illness, injury or a family emergency back home; 24/7 assistance in case of other emergency situations, such as a lost passport; help finding doctors and emergency transportation; and coverage for essentials and accommodations in the event of flight delays or lost luggage. You can compare travel insurance plans on websites such as SquareMouth.com and InsureMyTrip.com. These plans are typically priced at about 4% to 10% of the cost of your trip.

Some of the best travel credit cards provide trip insurance as well, although it may not be as robust as what you would get with a stand-alone policy.

Chase Sapphire Reserve ($795 annual fee) and Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95) provide benefits including trip cancellation and interruption coverage and trip delay reimbursement for unexpected hotel stays, meals and essential expenses. Several other premium travel cards, including the Platinum Card from American Express ($895) and Capital One Venture X ($395), offer similar protections, such as reimbursement for lost or delayed baggage and emergency assistance services.

Reliable transportation is also a worthwhile investment for your solo trip. Try to arrive at your destination during daylight hours, when possible, and choose direct routes over complicated transfers, especially in unfamiliar areas. Hotel-arranged transfers are usually reliable, or use a well-known rideshare app such as Uber. BlaBlaCar (blablacar.com) in Europe is another safe choice, typically offering shared shuttle rides between cities. It provides a women-only option, too, allowing travelers to ride exclusively with female drivers and co-passengers.

By going on guided tours of sites and cities on your trip, you benefit from local expertise, the company of other travelers and an added layer of safety.

You can book tours through companies such as Viator.com, ToursByLocals (toursbylocals.com) and Airbnb Experiences (airbnb.com/experiences). Before you sign up for a tour, check recent reviews from other travelers, and don’t rely only on star ratings. Look for positive comments regarding communication, punctuality and safety awareness.

Although you may spend a little extra on measures that help ensure your safety, you can opt to save money in other ways. One idea is to skip the upscale lodging and book budget-friendly accommodations instead. “You don’t have to spend a lot on a hotel. Put your money into experiences,” says Ralston. Redeeming credit card rewards points or miles for travel reservations can also take the edge off your costs. And consider going on your trip during an off-peak season for tourists. Not only are prices often lower during these periods, but you’ll avoid big crowds, too.

Trips with companionship

Traveling solo doesn’t mean you have to be truly alone. Some tour companies design trips for solo travelers who seek a built-in community without sacrificing their independence. “You don’t have to be alone when you’re traveling – unless you want to be,” Lang says.

You can find small-group trips to destinations all over the world, created with solo travelers in mind, from tour operators such as Intrepid Travel (intrepidtravel.com), G Adventures (gadventures.com), Road Scholar (roadscholar.org), Overseas Adventure Travel (oattravel.com) and Go Ahead Tours (goaheadtours.com), to name a few. And some organize tours for specific types of solo travelers. Road Scholar, for example, hosts trips for older adults, and NextTribe (nexttribe.com) focuses on women age 45 and older. Tour group FTLO Travel (ftlotravel.com) arranges trips for solo travelers in their 20s and 30s.

Emma Patch is a senior writer at Kiplinger Personal Finance magazine. For more on this and similar money topics, visit Kiplinger.com.

©2026 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

More ideas for boomer travel:
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