Enjoy a break alone
It’s not just singles choosing to go solo according to new research by Leger Holidays, which has revealed that couples are not willing to compromise when it comes to their annual break.
Half of the population have chosen to travel alone irrespective of whether they are in a relationship or not, according to the poll of 1,000 people, with many couples citing differences of opinion on where to go as one of the main reasons for temporarily parting ways.
And it seems that contrary to the stigma that has surrounded single travellers in the past, single holidays are on the rise. A further 56% of people who have never holidayed alone to date, revealed that they would be happy to do so despite their relationship status.
When it comes to differences between the sexes, women are still more cautious of holidaying alone due to security or safety concerns, according to the data. Men, meanwhile, are more likely to travel alone, admitting that the only thing stopping more doing so is their fear of being bored.
Now, Leger Holidays, a specialist provider of escorted European tours for solo travellers, has joined forces with relationship expert, Jenni Trent Hughes, in a bid to understand their single traveller customers further.
Jenni Trent Hughes said: “Even though the world still spins at the same speed it always has, for many of us it seems in 2010 that it is spinning out of our control. No matter how much we enjoy our jobs or love our partners, friends and families it sometimes gets to be too much. For some of us the idea of a week where we are in sole control of where we go, who we see, who we talk to, what we eat, when we sleep is total bliss!
“Time away on your own gives you distance and therefore perspective on your life back home. It is not unusual to come back feeling regenerated and better about it all because sometimes ‘absence really does make the heart grow fonder’.”
Further findings revealed that on average the longest people choose to put up with their own company is a maximum of seven nights (66%) and individual travellers have a tendency to stay closer to home with 34% holidaying in the UK and 42% venturing into Europe and the immediate vicinity. Just 24% said they would opt for long-haul.
In some camps a stigma does exist amongst those who have never tried travelling alone. Nearly a quarter of people saying it was a bit sad to do so and they actively avoid single travellers when away. However the majority, 68%, now think it is normal for people to go solo.
With over 25 year’s industry experience, Leger Holidays offers tailored packages for single travellers. Leger’s specialist Singles Travellers brochure offers 11 Single Traveller holidays and 14 tours with no or low single room supplements to destinations across Europe.
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