Solo Travel Is Having a Moment—But Group Tours Aren't the Only Answer
- Ryan Romito
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Post-pandemic, people stopped waiting. They stopped hoping their friends' schedules would align or that their partner would finally commit to that trip to Bhutan. They just... went.
Tour operators noticed. Backroads saw solo bookings jump 28% for 2026. G-Adventures launched "Solo-ish" trips. Virgin Voyages designed entire staterooms for one. The message is clear: solo travelers are no longer an afterthought.
But here's what nobody's saying: group tours aren't your only option.
The Group Tour Trade-Off
Look, I get the appeal. Book a group tour, and suddenly the logistics are handled. There's safety in numbers. You're not eating dinner alone every night.
But it comes with compromises. You're on someone else's schedule, seeing what 20 other people want to see, moving at the group's pace. If you value your independence or your ability to pivot when something more interesting comes up, that group itinerary starts to feel less like freedom and more like a very nice cage.
What Solo Travelers Actually Want
The solo travelers I work with aren't looking to join a group. They're traveling alone on purpose. They want the freedom to spend three hours in a museum if it moves them, or skip the museum entirely and find a perfect café instead.
But they also don't want to deal with the exhausting parts: figuring out which hotels are actually solo-friendly, navigating restaurant reservations in a language they don't speak, or being penalized with single supplements that double the cost.
They want someone in their corner—someone who understands that solo doesn't mean lonely, and independence doesn't mean doing everything yourself.
How I Work with Solo Travelers
When a solo traveler reaches out, we start simple: What do you actually want from this trip?
Maybe you want a private guide in Kyoto who can take you to temples most tourists never see. Maybe you want a hotel with an incredible bar where you can have a glass of wine without feeling awkward. Maybe you want a driver who knows the back roads in Tuscany, or a reservation at a chef's table where solo diners are welcomed, not tolerated.
Here's what that looks like:
Your itinerary, your pace. We design it around your interests and energy level. Want to stay an extra day somewhere? We stay. Want to skip something? We skip it.
Pre-vetted everything. I work with hotels, guides, and drivers I trust. I know which properties are genuinely solo-friendly. I know which restaurants will give you the good table. I know which experiences are worth your time.
No single supplement surprises. I handle the negotiation. You don't have to explain why you're traveling alone. I work with suppliers who either don't charge them or where I've already built those relationships.
Support when you need it. Flights get delayed. Bags get lost. When that happens, you're not dealing with a call center in another time zone. You have me, and I fix it.
The Difference
Anyone can book a group tour. It's easy, low-risk, and for some people, it's exactly right.
But if you're traveling solo because you want the trip to be yours—not a shared experience with strangers, not a compromise—then working with a travel advisor changes everything.
You still get the freedom and independence. But you also get the curation, the insider knowledge, and the peace of mind that someone's looking out for you.
Solo travel isn't about doing it all yourself. It's about traveling on your own terms.
Ready to start planning? Let's talk. I'd love to hear where you're thinking of going and help you make it happen without the compromise.
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