Increasing Number of People “Okay” Traveling Alone

A new study by Intrepid Travel finds millions of Americans are content with being alone both at home and while traveling, but many still prefer the company of others.

The study finds nine in 10 U.S. adults are content being in their own company, with 64 percent reporting they would buy a house for themselves and 40 percent reporting they’re happy to vacation solo.

What’s the appeal? Thirty-six percent of survey respondents say the greatest benefit of traveling solo is being able to challenge themselves. It’s not always a comfortable thing traveling alone, but many find the experience rewarding once they do it. Other motivating factors for solo travel include lack of pressure to do certain activities; better learning experiences; the ease of meeting new people; and lack of the burden of friends who don’t have the same time off work.

While the study of 2,000 U.S. adults discovered a large number of solo travelers, it also found one-third of travelers are worried they’d get bored traveling alone and 72 percent, while content being alone, would prefer company while traveling if given the choice.

The study released a list of other things people are happy to do alone, including grocery shopping, buying a new car, visiting a bucket-list destination, going to the movies, traveling by train and flying on a plane.