{"id":91003,"date":"2026-03-10T08:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T21:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?p=91003"},"modified":"2026-03-10T20:47:52","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T09:47:52","slug":"solo-travel-trends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/solo-travel-trends\/","title":{"rendered":"How solo travel has changed since the turn of the millennium \u2013 and what it might be like in another 25 years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Futurist and Globetrender founder Jenny Southan explores how solo travel looked in the analogue era and how the next quarter century will reshape the experience.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My mum cried as she waved me off on the Eurostar to Paris. It was my first <a href=\"\/solo-travel\">solo trip<\/a>. I was 19. It was 2001. I had a copy of the Lonely Planet Guide to Europe \u2013 weighing at least a kilogram \u2013 stashed in my Lowe Alpine rucksack. But it was worth its weight in gold. Like most solo travellers at the turn of the millennium \u2013 without smartphones, apps or regular internet access \u2013 this would prove to be my most valuable asset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before I departed, I scoured its dense columns for places to stay and earmarked my first hostel. I didn&#8217;t book it in advance (which usually required an international phone call), so I simply took a chance on availability. Compared to today\u2019s instant reservations and verified reviews, this was a wildly ad-hoc approach that sometimes left me wandering unfamiliar streets for hours in search of a bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once secured, each morning I would collect a paper map from reception and set off on foot, excited by the blank canvas of the day ahead. I spent almost a week walking every street in Paris \u2013 until I felt I\u2019d truly covered it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My wanderings often took me through less-than-salubrious districts \u2013 Pigalle\u2019s red-light district or the backstreets near Gare du Nord. It was slow and occasionally uncomfortable, but it gave me time to think, observe and make discoveries that weren\u2019t algorithmically suggested. In today\u2019s world of instant e-bikes and ride-hailing apps, it\u2019s easy to forget how much intimacy comes from navigating a city at walking pace, free from the rigidity of Google Maps to stand in the way of our purposeless wandering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-tiled-gallery alignwide is-style-rectangular\"><div class=\"\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__gallery\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__row\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\" style=\"flex-basis:38.96947%\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/neelkamal-deka-9-lAaGgY6Uc-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=600&#038;ssl=1 600w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/neelkamal-deka-9-lAaGgY6Uc-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=900&#038;ssl=1 900w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/neelkamal-deka-9-lAaGgY6Uc-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1080&#038;ssl=1 1080w\" alt=\"Train tracks, the gateway to solo travel opportunity.\" data-height=\"1920\" data-id=\"91011\" data-link=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?attachment_id=91011\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/neelkamal-deka-9-lAaGgY6Uc-unsplash.jpg\" data-width=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/neelkamal-deka-9-lAaGgY6Uc-unsplash.jpg?ssl=1\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\" aria-label=\"Open image 1 of 3 in full-screen\"\/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\" style=\"flex-basis:61.03053%\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/reza-rezvani-SxzipPp8cgg-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=600&#038;ssl=1 600w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/reza-rezvani-SxzipPp8cgg-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=900&#038;ssl=1 900w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/reza-rezvani-SxzipPp8cgg-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1200&#038;ssl=1 1200w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/reza-rezvani-SxzipPp8cgg-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1500&#038;ssl=1 1500w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/reza-rezvani-SxzipPp8cgg-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1800&#038;ssl=1 1800w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/reza-rezvani-SxzipPp8cgg-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1920&#038;ssl=1 1920w\" alt=\"A book store in Paris, France where the writer travelled solo.\" data-height=\"1080\" data-id=\"91010\" data-link=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?attachment_id=91010\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/reza-rezvani-SxzipPp8cgg-unsplash.jpg\" data-width=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/reza-rezvani-SxzipPp8cgg-unsplash.jpg?ssl=1\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\" aria-label=\"Open image 2 of 3 in full-screen\"\/><\/figure><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/carlos-de-santiago-oD00ZBAZSvg-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=600&#038;ssl=1 600w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/carlos-de-santiago-oD00ZBAZSvg-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=900&#038;ssl=1 900w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/carlos-de-santiago-oD00ZBAZSvg-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1200&#038;ssl=1 1200w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/carlos-de-santiago-oD00ZBAZSvg-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1500&#038;ssl=1 1500w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/carlos-de-santiago-oD00ZBAZSvg-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1800&#038;ssl=1 1800w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/carlos-de-santiago-oD00ZBAZSvg-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1920&#038;ssl=1 1920w\" alt=\"Street scenes in Paris, France.\" data-height=\"1080\" data-id=\"91015\" data-link=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?attachment_id=91015\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/carlos-de-santiago-oD00ZBAZSvg-unsplash.jpg\" data-width=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/carlos-de-santiago-oD00ZBAZSvg-unsplash.jpg?ssl=1\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\" aria-label=\"Open image 3 of 3 in full-screen\"\/><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Seeking solo-travel connections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Nostalgia isn\u2019t always rosy, of course. I often felt lonely when solo travelling at 19 in the early 2000s. Seeking out connections in restaurants and bars wasn\u2019t an expense I could justify at the time. So instead I chose the solace of art galleries, where I would linger for hours, encountering Picasso\u2019s Guernica or a Flemish still life by Peter Claesz, which felt like discovering treasure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, museums still act as safe havens for solo travellers, but the challenge of filling your day has largely disappeared. There are now countless inexpensive excursions, free walking tours and social platforms for meeting fellow travellers \u2013 even a growing trend for joining <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/uk\">small-group <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/\">tours<\/a> as a solo traveller, whether for an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.urbanadventures.com\/en\">activity-packed day<\/a> or longer stint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Back then, you had to build the confidence to strike up conversations with strangers; now there are innumerable apps and initiatives to make connecting with people as easy as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To counteract moments of isolation, I would also use internet cafes; a failsafe sanctuary where I\u2019d read and send emails, and when I later moved to Tokyo, update my Blogspot or browse a strange new social media site called Facebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don\u2019t remember doing much online research on those early trips, unlike today \u2013 when you can preview almost every destination in detail before booking and there\u2019s very little mystery left. Now, even Antarctica can feel familiar after endless social media clips of penguins and polar plunges. Instead, from these ubiquitous sanctuaries, I&#8217;d email updates: \u2018I hitched a ride on a tour bus with a band!\u2019 or, more worryingly, \u2018Someone stole my money \u2013 please help.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though I left my Nokia 3310 at home because roaming wasn\u2019t affordable, I still prided myself on staying in touch with my parents. As well as emails, I bought scratch phone cards and called them from payphones, revealing silver panels to access a string of numbers and a finite number of minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But it wasn\u2019t just about communing with others. Churches also revealed themselves as a place to reconnect with myself \u2013 somewhere to sit quietly and write in my paper diary. I still have those handwritten logs: tens of thousands of words read by no one but me. A strange rarity compared with today\u2019s social media age where now we post everything to everyone \u2013 and connections seem endless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Read more: <a href=\"\/adventures\/tunisia-food-culture\/\">How to shift your solo-dining habits<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-tiled-gallery alignwide is-style-rectangular\"><div class=\"\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__gallery\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__row\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\" style=\"flex-basis:38.96947%\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/tsuyoshi-kozu-ukXzD3mOWxk-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=600&#038;ssl=1 600w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/tsuyoshi-kozu-ukXzD3mOWxk-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=900&#038;ssl=1 900w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/tsuyoshi-kozu-ukXzD3mOWxk-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1080&#038;ssl=1 1080w\" alt=\"Tokyo, Japan, where the writer moved as a solo traveller.\" data-height=\"1920\" data-id=\"91020\" data-link=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?attachment_id=91020\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/tsuyoshi-kozu-ukXzD3mOWxk-unsplash.jpg\" data-width=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/tsuyoshi-kozu-ukXzD3mOWxk-unsplash.jpg?ssl=1\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\" aria-label=\"Open image 1 of 3 in full-screen\"\/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\" style=\"flex-basis:61.03053%\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/tedy-amenyeku-0AmCHVTipgw-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=600&#038;ssl=1 600w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/tedy-amenyeku-0AmCHVTipgw-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=900&#038;ssl=1 900w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/tedy-amenyeku-0AmCHVTipgw-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1200&#038;ssl=1 1200w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/tedy-amenyeku-0AmCHVTipgw-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1500&#038;ssl=1 1500w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/tedy-amenyeku-0AmCHVTipgw-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1800&#038;ssl=1 1800w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/tedy-amenyeku-0AmCHVTipgw-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1920&#038;ssl=1 1920w\" alt=\"A taxi in Tokyo, Japan.\" data-height=\"1080\" data-id=\"91021\" data-link=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?attachment_id=91021\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/tedy-amenyeku-0AmCHVTipgw-unsplash.jpg\" data-width=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/tedy-amenyeku-0AmCHVTipgw-unsplash.jpg?ssl=1\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\" aria-label=\"Open image 2 of 3 in full-screen\"\/><\/figure><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hennie-stander-5_vXm76Wo3Y-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=600&#038;ssl=1 600w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hennie-stander-5_vXm76Wo3Y-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=900&#038;ssl=1 900w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hennie-stander-5_vXm76Wo3Y-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1200&#038;ssl=1 1200w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hennie-stander-5_vXm76Wo3Y-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1500&#038;ssl=1 1500w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hennie-stander-5_vXm76Wo3Y-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1800&#038;ssl=1 1800w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hennie-stander-5_vXm76Wo3Y-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1920&#038;ssl=1 1920w\" alt=\"Street scenes in Tokyo, Japan.\" data-height=\"1080\" data-id=\"91023\" data-link=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?attachment_id=91023\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hennie-stander-5_vXm76Wo3Y-unsplash.jpg\" data-width=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hennie-stander-5_vXm76Wo3Y-unsplash.jpg?ssl=1\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\" aria-label=\"Open image 3 of 3 in full-screen\"\/><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The practicalities of analogue solo travel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Without a ready-made community or support network, travelling alone back then required real resilience and problem-solving skills. On one occasion \u2013 after said money was stolen \u2013 my parents wired me cash via Western Union because there was no online banking. Fees consumed a notable portion of the transfer and collecting it required a labourious visit to a physical branch in Barcelona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Accessing emergency funds was slow and stressful, too. I recall that in Tokyo in 2004, many ATMs shut at weekends \u2013 so if you hadn\u2019t withdrawn cash on Friday, you could find yourself stranded. You had to be wily and think ahead, compared to today when financial access is near-instantaneous, borderless and largely invisible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Typically, as I travelled from place to place then, I wore a money belt lined with thin packets of cash and travellers\u2019 cheques beneath my T-shirt. Although debit and credit cards existed, cash was still the dominant form of payment and travellers\u2019 cheques \u2013 issued in major currencies and exchanged at a bank for local currency \u2013 were considered the safest way of accessing money. I slept in that money belt every night, fearful that someone might rifle through my luggage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But amid all the real or imagined accidents of analogue travel, there was the chance for happy accidents too. Often, I think what feels most diminished about today\u2019s way of travelling is serendipity. Back then, I loved how chance delivered unexpected gifts: finding warmth and falafel on a cold Amsterdam night; discovering a discarded copy of Captain Corelli\u2019s Mandolin in a Prague dorm; making friends with a Canadian hockey player on a train to Milan while feeling homesick. I learnt to trust that for every obstacle, something unexpected would emerge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Read more: <a href=\"\/adventures\/jessica-nabongo-solo-travel\/\">Jessica Nabongo on taking the risk with solo travel<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-tiled-gallery alignwide is-style-rectangular\"><div class=\"\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__gallery\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__row\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33333%\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/edward-kucherenko-tPNQWUNUKxc-unsplash-1.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=600&#038;ssl=1 600w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/edward-kucherenko-tPNQWUNUKxc-unsplash-1.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=900&#038;ssl=1 900w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/edward-kucherenko-tPNQWUNUKxc-unsplash-1.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1080&#038;ssl=1 1080w\" alt=\"A solo traveller on the road\" data-height=\"1920\" data-id=\"91025\" data-link=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?attachment_id=91025\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/edward-kucherenko-tPNQWUNUKxc-unsplash-1.jpg\" data-width=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/edward-kucherenko-tPNQWUNUKxc-unsplash-1.jpg?ssl=1\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\" aria-label=\"Open image 1 of 3 in full-screen\"\/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33333%\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/surya-teja-t46IEpWJoro-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=600&#038;ssl=1 600w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/surya-teja-t46IEpWJoro-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=900&#038;ssl=1 900w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/surya-teja-t46IEpWJoro-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1080&#038;ssl=1 1080w\" alt=\"The wing of a plane, en route to an adventure.\" data-height=\"1920\" data-id=\"91024\" data-link=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?attachment_id=91024\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/surya-teja-t46IEpWJoro-unsplash.jpg\" data-width=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/surya-teja-t46IEpWJoro-unsplash.jpg?ssl=1\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\" aria-label=\"Open image 2 of 3 in full-screen\"\/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33333%\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/zoshua-colah-xqSEtdmGjEc-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=600&#038;ssl=1 600w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/zoshua-colah-xqSEtdmGjEc-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=900&#038;ssl=1 900w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/zoshua-colah-xqSEtdmGjEc-unsplash.jpg?strip=info&#038;w=1080&#038;ssl=1 1080w\" alt=\"Human connection will still underpin solo travel in the future.\" data-height=\"1920\" data-id=\"91026\" data-link=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?attachment_id=91026\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/zoshua-colah-xqSEtdmGjEc-unsplash.jpg\" data-width=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/zoshua-colah-xqSEtdmGjEc-unsplash.jpg?ssl=1\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\" aria-label=\"Open image 3 of 3 in full-screen\"\/><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Solo travel in the year 2050<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2026, I look back at that 19-year-old with admiration. In the years since, that resilient foundation has allowed me to become a professional travel writer and founder of Globetrender, a trend-forecasting agency and online magazine dedicated to the future of travel. As a futurist, it\u2019s my job to speculate about where we\u2019re heading next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, what will the next 25 years look like? I anticipate that solo travel will perhaps become more purposeful \u2013 centred on learning, wellness or spiritual development, rather than escape. Trips may be slower and longer, replacing the frenetic hopping of my past adventures with extended stays. The same freedom will remain, but its tempo will change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are also limits to the current rate of optimisation. Once booking is frictionless, navigation flawless, translation instantaneous and risk minimised, efficiency plateaus. Beyond that apex, the opportunity shifts \u2013 from making travel faster to making it deeper and more meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nostalgia acts as a counterbalance to relentless acceleration. By reviving analogue rituals such as deliberate disconnection or revisiting childhood destinations, we soften the vertigo of progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the next quarter century, artificial intelligence will also transform travel \u2013 and solo travel with it \u2013 from biometric passports to AI concierges building hyper-personalised itineraries, satellite networks such as Starlink promising connectivity across land, sea and sky, and service robots handling logistics in hotels and airports, freeing humans from labour. <a href=\"https:\/\/lp1.evaapp.ai\/cafe-eva\">AI companions<\/a> could also accompany solo travellers virtually \u2013 or even replace physical companionship \u2013 reshaping what \u2018alone\u2019 means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And yet, no matter how advanced the tools, our fundamental needs will remain unchanged. We will still require shelter, nourishment and human connection, whether through one-off encounters or longer, more in-depth interactions while on the road. Even if virtual reality allows us to explore distant landscapes from our living rooms, embodied experience \u2013 the taste of a peach from an Italian market stall, dancing in a distant bar \u2013 cannot be digitised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2001, solo travel meant freedom and opportunity, yes, but also uncertainty and disconnection. In 2026, it still means autonomy, but also constant connectivity, because we\u2019re now so reliant on digital tools to solve our problems. In 2051, my hope is that we will reach a balance, consciously choosing the best of both worlds; when to plug in and when to step away. Because however far technology takes us, nothing replaces the analogue thrill of setting off somewhere new \u2013 guided less by algorithm and more by a sense of adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Experience the latest evolution of solo travel by joining a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/uk\">small-group trip<\/a> with Intrepid.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Futurist and Globetrender founder Jenny Southan explores how solo travel looked in the analogue era and how the next quarter century will reshape 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