Intrepid Travel has launched tours for 2018 designed specifically for travelers going it alone.
The new tours, called "For Solo Travelers," are a result of the 24% growth in Intrepid's solo trip bookings in 2017 and the 40% growth in solo travel the company has booked over the past five years.
Of the more than 150,000 customers that travel with Intrepid each year, 50% are traveling alone. The company has more than 1,000 itineraries that do not have a single supplement.
The solo tours include Morocco, Mexico, Bali, Peru, India and Vietnam itineraries.
In a recent survey of 2,000 American travelers commissioned by Intrepid and conducted by OnePoll, four in 10 respondents said that they have traveled alone and 75% feel it is more acceptable now to do so.
Asked what the benefits of solo travel are, 36% said the opportunity to challenge oneself to try new things, 32% said that it allows them to visit a bucket list destination, and 30% said it offers the chance to meet new friends around the world.
Additionally, 57% said they like traveling alone because there is no pressure to do certain activities, 45% said it is more relaxing, 31% said it makes for a better learning experience, 27% said it is easier to meet new people, and 20% said they often do it because it's too hard to coordinate the same vacations time with friends.
Sixty-five percent said they would feel comfortable traveling abroad alone if they were with a tour group, and 60% said they would feel comfortable traveling abroad solo if they were with a local tour guide. Their concerns about traveling alone without friends, family or a group include safety (73%), getting lost (53%) and the stress of planning a trip (39%).