The solo travel trend is here to stay.
A few stats: between June 2012 and December 2016 the number of Google searches for “solo travel” tripled, confirming the explosive growth in this travel trend through 2017. Although the number of single person households in the US has risen from 13 percent in 1960 to consistently above 25 percent, this isn’t the only reason for an uptick in interest in solo travel. Traveling alone is now a “thing” even for people who are married, in a relationship, or sometimes travel with friends.
But wait, there’s something unfair going on. Despite the continuing growth, independent travelers have long been at a disadvantage when it comes to organized or packaged travel. Solo travelers are often charged with archaic “single supplement” extra fees, ranging from 10 percent to 100 percent and averaging at 15 percent.
“It’s a completely unfair practice,” says Phil Sylvester, Travel Expert at World Nomads. “Travel is about pushing limits, challenging the status quo, and giving back, and some of the best adventures involve traveling solo.”
But World Nomads isn’t just pointing out this injustice – the brand is doing something about it by partnering with the Solo Travel Awards with the aim to encourage the travel industry to help individual travelers to continue pursuing their passions.
The first annual Solo Travel Awards will honor tour, cruise, and packaged travel companies that have developed products and services specifically for solo travelers, with no or very low single supplements. Nominations can be submitted on the Solo Travel Awards website. The final deadline to enter is August 1, 2017, after which a shortlist of companies that best meet the criteria will be submitted to the panel of judges for their review.