As I write this, my mom is on her first solo trip abroad—at age 73. She spent two weeks in Dublin and Edinburgh, with a few day trips built around each city. Turns out she’s part of a bigger wave.
Google searches for “solo travel” hit an all-time high in early 2026 and “women solo travel” reached a 15-year high. More than one in four travelers plan to go solo this year, according to a 2026 Hilton trends report, and 48 percent have started tacking solo days onto family trips. Virgin Hotels has also seen an uptick in solo travelers, rolling out packages that include a tasting menu built for a table of one.
“The joke going around for years has been: oh, the trip made it out of the group chat,” says Heather Odell, area director of public relations for Virgin Hotels. Now, people are forgetting the group chat. “We found that recently people have been opting to do solo travel and just take it upon themselves to do these quick weekend trips or long weekend trips by themselves.”
So where is everyone going? It depends a lot on when you were born.
Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964)
“When it comes to picking destinations, I would say safety, for the Boomers, is probably one of the most important,” Odell says.
Safety is exactly what drew my mom to Ireland and Scotland by herself, with the biggest perk being that the local language is English. Both destinations had also been on her bucket list for decades, and she wanted to go while she’s still physically able.
With safety a primary concern, some Boomers may be afraid to travel solo. In that case, travel advisor Casey Carr recommends a group tour or river cruise. “It’s easy to make friends, and everything is taken care of,” she says.
Gen X (born between 1965 and 1979)
Gen Xers are traveling to expected destinations because they need to get the most out of their limited time.
Photo by Michelle Heimerman
With careers in full swing, as well as possibly kids at home and older parents to take care of, getting away on your own can be a challenge for Gen X. “We might have a little more disposable income than we used to, but our time is limited. So we really want the trip to count,” says Carr, a Gen Xer herself.
Her solution: an African safari. “It’s a life-changing experience that can be done in seven or eight days,” she says.
Travel Advisor Jonathan Adler has found that Gen X isn’t looking to break the mold with the limited time they get to solo travel. He’s seeing requests for Western Europe, Greece, and Türkiye, as well as beach vacations in the Caribbean or Mexico. “Gen X is a little more mainstream at the moment,” he says.
Millennials (born between 1980 and 1994)
Morocco is a hot destination for both Millennials and Gen Z.
Photo by Miltiadis Fragkidis/Unsplash
Millennials are chasing wellness, and above all, food, according to Daniela Harrison, a travel advisor in Flagstaff, Arizona. “This group tends to have a good income, is childless, can work remotely, and understands that far-away destinations carry an impact on your body and wallet,” she says.
Europe and the Caribbean might not be so thrilling for solo Millennials—they go there often enough for friends’ weddings and family reunions. Instead, Harrison says Millennials are going to places that are harder to reach while they still can, and where they didn’t visit with their parents as kids. Popular destinations for this age group include Egypt, Morocco, and Central Asia.
Gen Z (born between 1995 and 2009)
Gen Z is the most likely generation to travel solo. A Kantar report of 10,000 travelers found that one in five named a solo trip as their most recent vacation.
Carr says Gen Zers are especially into “gig-tripping,” which involves traveling to see a favorite band at a dream venue like the Sphere in Las Vegas, or a sporting event like next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. “You get to mingle with other fans and have a great experience that you could build a larger trip around.”
Adler adds that Gen Zers are looking for places where they can socialize and party, and of course, take a good TikTok video. “Many who have been scrolling through social media are really looking for those incredibly beautiful places in the world that they think will be the most photo friendly,” he said.
That means Gen Z’s current list includes places like Bali, Japan, Morocco, and French Polynesia.
