World Tourism Day: Solo travel picks up pace, travellers pitch for solitude and me-time By Manik Gupta

New Delhi: Vacations aren't always about friends, family, spouse or current love interest. They don't need to be about bonding with anyone either. In fact, solo travel can be double the fun, says a growing band of travellers venturing out, sometimes into the unknown, to holiday and just get some me-time while they're at it. It's about doing what you want when you want, an increasing trend riding on disposable incomes and the need for independence. So, make -- or change -- your itinerary on the go, be touristy one day or simply chill the next, eat at Michelin-star restaurants or snack on street food. You are your own tour guide and 'your wish is your command'.

The idea of enjoying your company while discovering a new place was so appealing that Delhi lawyer Priya Singh happily ditched her girl gang for a solo bachelorette trip to Japan shortly before she was to get married.

"I didn't want to go somewhere with my girl friends, get drunk and play some stupid games. I wanted to experience something else, I wanted to do something I had never done before. That's how my first ever solo trip happened," Singh told PTI on World Tourism Day on Wednesday. "It's an experience like no other... visit different cities, do pub crawls, meet new people, all by yourself. I wish I had taken more solo trips before my marriage," Singh, who later went on a solo trip to UK, added. Seeking solitude, reconnecting with oneself or simply stepping out of one's comfort zone... the trigger factors for going on a solo trip are as varied as the list of destinations to pick from. For Delhi-based Nabiha Tasnim, who has been going on solo backpacking trips since she was 17, the trips are a "personal development course".

"This form of travelling is very empowering. It gave me a lot of self-confidence about doing things on my own, approaching a new person. It is like a personal development course in itself. It is a different addiction of sorts. I, in fact, find planning trips with friends and family very difficult now," said the 27-year-old. She is project manager in a media company and has recently returned from a two-week solo trip to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The solo tribe is rapidly growing in numbers. According to travel agency firm EaseMyTrip and travel fintech SanKash, solo travel has emerged as a standout travel trend of 2023 and has seen an astonishing "250 per cent increase" in popularity.

No year was mentioned "In 2023, we've observed a significant shift in travel patterns, especially in the realm of solo exploration. This year, there has been an unprecedented surge in intrepid solo travellers embarking on personal voyages to uncharted destinations," Nishant Pitti, CEO and co-founder of EaseMyTrip, told PTI. "We anticipate this trend will persist with solo travel becoming even more immersive and finely tailored to individual preferences in the foreseeable future," he added. According to internal data from vacation rental company Airbnb, solo travel in India "nearly doubled" between March 31, 2022 to March 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2021-22. It did not offer exact figures.

Airbnb even rolled out a dedicated safety-focused solo traveler safety feature on its app last year for guests in over 50 languages, including English and Hindi. The key component of this new feature is the ability for the solo traveller to easily share, with one-touch, their reservation itinerary with important and trusted people in their lives for added peace of mind and in the rare event of an emergency during a stay, explained Amanpreet Bajaj, general manager, Airbnb India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Of course, travelling alone does not translate to being lonely. In fact, according to Tasnim, solo travelling is a great way to find people sharing same interests. "I have made friends on my solo trips, and have travelled with them again. It is a great way to meet new people, make friends sharing similar interests.

They don't know anything about you, there's no judgement, you are on your own. So, you are alone but never lonely that way," she added. The challenges are many. For instance, there are safety issues and no one to share your expenses with -- be it room or taxi fares. "Solo travelling can certainly be an expensive affair. If you are staying in a hotel you are paying for two people and if you are travelling in a cab you can't split. So yes, it is a trade off between having your own independence and being able to do your own thing," Tasnim said. Singh and Tasnim offer some handy tips for safety. "The reason I chose Japan as my first solo trip destination was also to do with the fact that it is a very safe place in general. They say try something out of the blue, but I suggest doing that when you are in a group. Spend a little more, but don't stay in a dingy place, stay in a place like 'Khan Market of Tokyo'," Singh said. Tasnim suggested that the first trip could be to some familiar place so you ease into the experience of travelling alone. (September 27 is observed as World Tourism Day).