Solo Travel Research Articles

Males or females in solo or group travel: how do they impact travel intentions of potential tourists with different self-construals?

ABSTRACT Despite the growing popularity of solo travel, there is a limited understanding of males or females in solo or group travel, and how such perceptions impact observers’ travel intentions. Based on travel experiences shared online, this research investigates the effects of sharers’ travel mode and gender on travel intentions of potential tourists with different self-construals. With a 2 × 2 × 2 experiment, the study found that people with independent self-construal are more likely to emulate males’ solo versus group travel, while females’ solo or group travel won't influence their travel intentions. And, people with interdependent self-construal are more inclined to follow females’ group versus solo travel, while males’ solo or group travel won't impact their travel intentions. The research revealed that psychological distance is the underlying mechanism. This research contributes to gender research in tourism, solo travel, and travel experience sharing, and offers guidance regarding online content management and social media marketing.

중국 Z세대 여성 개별관광객의 특성

The impact of COVID-19 has led to shifts in the tourism patterns of Chinese visitors to Jeju. Traditional group tours, commonly associated with package tourism, are rapidly giving way to individual or small-group tourism involving solo travelers, friends, or families. Notably, there is a relatively higher proportion of young female tourists compared to males. This study aims to comprehensively grasp the tourism preferences and behaviors of individual female tourists from China's Generation Z through extensive Indepth interviews. The goal is to draw implications for Jeju's tourism infrastructure to adapt to the increasing demand from Chinese individual young female travelers. Participants in the study are individual female tourists in their twenties from China, and their psychological and behavioral characteristics related to tourism preferences are thoroughly analyzed. The subjects of the in-depth interviews were individual Chinese female tourists in their twenties. The study meticulously described their psychological characteristics and behavioural traits related to tourism demand. It is hoped that the results of this research will serve as useful foundational data for developing marketing strategies aimed at attracting more individual Chinese female tourists to Jeju Island in the future.

Exploring Transformative Travel Experiences of Southeast Asian Female Solo Travelers

The focus of the tourism industry has shifted to travel experiences that transform self-values, perspectives, and behaviors to positively contribute to an individual’s well-being and society. This study aims to explore the transformative travel experiences of Southeast Asian female solo travelers. It focuses on understanding how transformation happens from the perspectives of female solo travelers. This study adopted a qualitative semi-structured interview method to explore the perspectives of 15 Southeast Asian female solo travelers. Three themes were identified: the need for solitude, differences as a transforming catalyst, and self-realization and self-improvement. The findings of this study not only contribute to the growing research on travel transformation and Southeast Asian female solo travelers but also highlight critical factors of transformative solo travel experiences to assist practitioners in designing tourism experiences.

A PEEP INTO THE FUTURE THROUGH THE PAST: A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS ON WOMEN TRAVELERS

The research explores the progress of studies on women travelers, examining publication trends, top contributors, collaborations, and thematic areas, while also exploring ways to make travel more convenient. For the achievement of these research questions, a bibliometric analysis has been conducted using data from the articles published in 41 journals dating from 1982 to 2023. For bibliometric analysis, collected data was analyzed with descriptive analysis, science mapping as bibliographic coupling, citation metrics, prestige analysis, keyword co-occurrence metrics; and network analysis as co-author analysis and co-citation analysis. The study reveals the top ten authors, organizations, and countries in women traveler-related literature, but a low total publication count suggests the need for comprehensive research. Five major themes that emerged were Women Travelers and Solo Travel, Women Travelers and Travel Motivation, Women Travelers and Purchase Intention, Women Travelers and Girlfriend Getaways, and Women Travelers, and Sexual Behaviour. The study identifies research gaps for future studies and suggests managerial actions to make women's travel more convenient. The study's values lie in enhancing the understanding of women traveler research, raising awareness of research frontiers, and guiding future directions in business travel niche market segments.

Social support and travel: Enhancing relationships, communication, and understanding for travel companions

AbstractThis study explores the multifaceted relationship between travel patterns and mental health (MH) in China, offering a novel integrative approach that synthesizes various factors such as mode of transportation, cultural distance, financial implications, and trip planning. Utilizing a descriptive research design, 622 tourists were surveyed using a pen‐and‐paper questionnaire at designated tourist destinations in China. Findings reveal that travel positively influences MH by providing new experiences, socialization, and relaxation, leading to reduced stress and improved well‐being. Duration, frequency, and active travel modes are associated with better MH outcomes. Solo travel fosters personal growth, while group travel enhances social support. Natural environments offer greater MH benefits than urban settings, and leisure travel surpasses work‐related trips in promoting MH. Greater cultural distance, poor trip planning, and financial burdens negatively impact MH. This comprehensive framework offers insights into public health and tourism policies, advancing the understanding of how travel elements collectively influence MH.

ECONOMIC FACTORS IN ESTABLISHING A COMFORTABLE URBAN ENVIRONMENT TO PROMOTE THE GROWTH OF ECOTOURISM

The ecotourism market is experiencing significant growth thanks to the increasing number of solo travelers, which is driving the expansion of the tour and travel industry worldwide. Ecotourism is currently a flourishing and rapidly expanding sector in the tourism industry, with a significant role in the global economy. The tourism industry currently contributes to 10.3% of the global GDP, highlighting its substantial role in the economy. All ecotourism projects typically commence in the city, serving as the primary base for tourists and the starting point for their recreational activities. Specific strategies for placing monuments in city settings are designed to enhance psychological and emotional well-being. It is essential for them to become part of the public space system and serve as a crucial element, fulfilling the role of enhancing the urban environment with an aesthetic aspect. This study explores the placement of several sculptures within the open public areas of the Armenian cities.

The impact of social media influencer's age cue on older adults' travel intention: The moderating roles of travel cues and travel constraints

The global aging population brings a growing older traveler market. This study applies social comparison theory to explore how travel influencers' age cues affect older adults’ travel intention through a dual process of assimilation (direct effect) and contrast (mediated by age identity). The moderating effects of travel cues (activity type and presence/absence of companions) and travel constraints are investigated as boundary conditions. Data were collected from older U.S. travelers through three online experiments. The results indicate that older travelers are inclined to visit destinations featured by old (vs. young) influencers, especially those with low intrapersonal or high interpersonal travel constraints. The marketing message is more effective when it features an old influencer pursuing a challenging (vs. relaxing) activity and a young influencer with companions (vs solo travel). The study findings provide valuable insight into leveraging social media influencer marketing for destinations and tourism businesses.

Women journeying alone: exploring solitude across the life stages

ABSTRACT An increasing number of women of all ages are travelling solo. Drawing on discussions from solo travel forums collected from TripAdvisor, this study examines the experiences of women travelling solo across various stages of the lifespan. Thematic analysis of discussions indicates that solitude shapes the motivations and experiences of solo female travellers. The life stage theory is applied to understand women’s perceptions, interpretations, and utilisation of solitude across various life stages, reflecting how age, developmental tasks, challenges, and life events intersect with the experience of solitude, impacting the way solo travel is perceived and experienced. This study provides a meaningful theoretical contribution to the broader discourse on the solo female travel experience.

Motivations, Needs, and Perceived Risks of Middle-Aged and Senior Solo Travelling Women: A Study of Brazilian Female Travellers

AbstractThe trend of senior women travelling alone is increasing as they feel empowered and independent. With more resources available at this stage of life, they choose to travel without the company of acquaintances, but rather with strangers in similar circumstances. Although senior women travelling solo is an important market segment in tourism, few studies have been conducted to better understand this group. This study aims to address the gap in knowledge by exploring the motivations, needs, and perceived risks of senior women who travel alone or with other women. We conducted a qualitative empirical investigation using semi-structured interviews with a group of Brazilian senior women who travel solo. The results demonstrate that travellers’ motivations and needs have a significant impact on their choice of accommodation and activities. Meanwhile, their choice of destination is influenced by perceived risks, with safety and health being prioritised. Additionally, this demographic is more demanding in terms of services offered and prioritises comfort, amenities, and accessibility. Furthermore, our findings demonstrate that female solo travellers of advanced age are more affected by gender-related concerns than by their age during their journeys

Utilizing BiLSTM For Fine-Grained Aspect-Based Travel Recommendations Using Travel Reviews In Low Resourced Language

Recommender systems have become an essential tool for enhancing user experiences by providing personalized recommendations. In this study, we present a novel approach to constructing a recommender system specifically tailored for Malayalam travel reviews. Our objective was to extract relevant features from these reviews and employ a bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) architecture to construct a robust and accurate recommendation model. We focused on four key features extracted from the travel reviews: travel mode, travel type, location climate, and location type. The travel mode feature encompassed the mode of transport opted for the travel such as bus, car, train, etc., while the travel type captured the nature of the trip, including family, friends, or solo travel. Additionally, we considered the climate of the location, including rainy, snowy, hot, and dry, among others, and the location type, such as beach, hilly, or forest destinations. To construct our recommender system, we implemented a BiLSTM architecture, a powerful deep-learning model known for effectively capturing temporal dependencies in sequential data. This architecture allowed us to process the extracted features and learn the underlying patterns within the Malayalam travel reviews. Our experiments were conducted on a comprehensive dataset of Malayalam travel reviews, carefully curated for this study. The dataset encompassed a diverse range of travel experiences, enabling our model to learn from a wide variety of user preferences and recommendations. The performance evaluation of our recommender system yielded promising results. With an accuracy of 83.65 percent, our model showcased its ability to accurately predict and recommend travel options based on the extracted features from the reviews. The high accuracy achieved by our model underscores the effectiveness of the BiLSTM architecture in capturing the nuances of the Malayalam language and understanding the subtle preferences expressed in travel reviews. The practical implications of our work are significant, as it offers a valuable tool for travelers seeking personalized recommendations based on their travel preferences. The use of the Malayalam language in this context expands the reach of recommender systems to a wider audience, catering specifically to individuals who prefer to consume content and make decisions in their native language.

When the road is rocky: Investigating the role of vulnerability in consumer journeys

Journey research has primarily analyzed agentic, solo travelers making rational single-purchase decisions. In contrast, we examine a journey where consumers and their traveling companions are vulnerable and must navigate an unfamiliar service system. We explore how vulnerability shapes consumer journeys, how service and system factors impact vulnerability, and how traveling companions influence agency and vulnerability. Using data from an extensive study into end-of-life care, our results reveal novel insights into the role of consumer vulnerability throughout a journey. We show how the ebb and flow of consumer vulnerability shapes the journey, and how the journey shapes vulnerability. Traveling companions, themselves vulnerable, play a major role in influencing vulnerability and the journey itself. We offer managerial implications for organizations whose consumers are in vulnerable situations.

Exploring the determinants of solo female travel intention among millennials: a comparative study from rural and urban perspectives

Purpose This study aims to investigate the factors that impact the solo travel intentions of millennial women in rural and urban areas. By exploring these factors, this research also sheds light on the similarities and differences in travel behaviors and motivations of women in different geographical contexts within India.

Empowering Safety-Conscious Women Travelers: Examining the Benefits of Electronic Word of Mouth and Mobile Travel Assistant

Male solo travelers tend to be more frequent and mobile compared to female solo travelers. This difference can be attributed to travel constraints and safety issues. Social media connects like-minded people and serves as an inspirational resource for deciding where to go and what to do. Numerous netizen travelers are actively sharing their journeys and experiences on their social media profiles. Exciting dining options, diverse locations, recommendations for restaurants, accommodations, and personal experiences are all shared on social media platforms. Millennials rely on electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) to form perceptions about a destination. Thus, the study aims to gain insights into the experiences of solo female travelers who are active on social media platforms. Sentiment analysis is performed on Twitter data by analyzing the latest and trending tweets, which helps in gaining valuable insights regarding the safety of women travelers. Furthermore, research is being conducted to analyze the positive aspects of the travel experience using the Experience Economy model, which provides opportunities for self-discovery and personal growth.

Solo traveler typology based on personal value: Incorporating cluster analysis into means-end chain

In recent years, the number of solo travelers has been steadily increasing, attracting more attention from the tourism market. However, both the tourism industry and academia have limited understanding of this group. This paper aims to delve into the decision-making process of solo travelers and establish a typology of solo travelers based on personal values. This research combines cluster analysis with means-end chain analysis to categorize solo travelers into four types: pleasure-seeking solo travelers, social solo travelers, exploratory solo travelers, and escape-oriented solo travelers. Each type of solo traveler emphasizes different attributes, consequences, and values in their solo travel experiences, and they also hold different views and attitudes towards solo travel phenomenon. By synthesizing the opinions of different types of solo travelers, this research reveals the key characteristics of solo travel, namely, “departing alone” and “enjoying one's own company.” These findings may provide insights for market segmentation and marketing strategies in the solo travel industry.

What motivates Generation Z to travel independently? Preliminary Research of solo travellers

Nowadays, the segmentation of solo travel in the tourism market is growing faster than other categories of travel, particularly among those classified as Generation Z. However, few studies have examined solitary travel experiences and motivation. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine Generation Z's motivations for solo travel. This research employs a quantitative survey method with a Likert scale and a quantitative approach. In this investigation, 30 young people participated as respondents. The technique applied to data analysis is descriptive statistical analysis. According to the findings of this study, the majority of Generation Z solo travelers are female, work as students, and have traveled solo 1-2 times. The results of the study also indicate that the primary tourist motivation for solo travel is to enjoy the destination's tourist attractions. Furthermore, they consider various factors such as value for money, looking for an inspiration, interaction with local citizens, healing purposes, the influence of social media, and self-actualization. This study's findings can be adopted by destination managers to develop recommendations for responding to the necessities of Generation Z tourists, the largest proportion of tourists at this time.

Exploring the transformative travel process: testing the moderating role of travel motivation and the mediating role of self-reflection of solo travelers

ABSTRACT This study focuses on understanding how transformation happens and the emergence of different dimensions, including existential transformation, learning transformation, and behavioral transformation from solo travelers’ perspectives. The hypotheses were drawn from sparse literature review and were tested based on validated measurement scales. A questionnaire was distributed and successfully collected 336 valid online responses, which was then analysis using SmartPLS 3.0. The findings reveal significant direct relationships between transformative travel experiences and their dimensions. The paper provides useful insights for transformation theory about the influence of different dimensions, namely, travel motivation, self-reflection on the transformation process of solo travelers.

“With a Home Nowhere, I Belong Everywhere”: Travel as a Heterotopic Space of Feminist Resistance in Shivya Nath’s The Shooting Star (2018)

Abstract In India, male dominance historically prevailed in the realms of travel and travel writing due to their alignment with ideals of masculine courage and sexuality. However, in the post-millennial era, Indian women began to emerge as solo travelers in the tourism industry, facilitated by increased access to higher education and diverse professions. By analyzing the travel memoir of Shivya Nath, a prominent Indian female travel blogger, titled The Shooting Star (2018), this article explores the concept of solo travel as a heterotopic space—a realm of resistance and negotiation that empowers women and offers an alternative form of liberation. Nath’s memoir celebrates female emancipation, defying narratives of victimhood. The argument presented is that solo travel represents an active form of resistance against gender stereotypes, enabling women to overcome personal fears and logistical obstacles.

One pie, many recipes: The role of artificial intelligence chatbots in influencing Malaysian solo traveler purchase intentions

Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are pervasive in the travel industry and have significantly alleviated solo travelers' concerns in trip planning and booking. However, many existing AI chatbots have yet to meet the expectations of solo travelers, especially when they demand more personalized information to assist in travel decision-making. Based on complexity theory, this research examines the factors that stimulate solo travelers' purchase intentions when using AI chatbots, particularly covering the three main aspects of marketing efforts, communication quality, and affective characteristics. Drawing from a sample of 281 solo travelers, partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) are used to examine the proposed relationships. The PLS-SEM results illustrate that interaction, entertainment, trendiness, communication competence, and satisfaction have significant direct effects on purchase intentions. The fsQCA results further revealed four solutions exhibiting high purchase intentions among solo travelers. Different core, peripheral, and necessary causal conditions in each configuration path were identified. The findings enrich the AI chatbot literature by examining the underlying reasons why solo travelers react differently to this emerging technology and produce practical recommendations for designing AI chatbot systems.

Examination of Published Articles About Solo Travel with Bibliometric Mapping Technique

While the number of solo travelers is increasing, there is limited research on this topic. This study aims to analyze the articles published on solo travel by using the bibliometric mapping method. Using the Web of Science database, all fields were selected in the search tab and "solo travel" was scanned. Article was selected as the document type, 170 journals were determined without any year or other limitations within the scope of the study, and 266 articles published between 1990-2023 were examined. Articles were analyzed using VOSviewer in terms of publications, authors, countries of authors, keywords in the publication and citations, using bibliometric analysis methods and visualized with network analysis. In line with the findings of the study, it was determined that the articles about traveling alone started to be published in the literature as of 1990 and showed fluctuations after 2005. It has been determined that the most cited journals are "Current Issues in Tourism" and "Tourism Review International", respectively. In addition, it was determined that the most frequently cited keywords were "solo travel", "motivation" and "pressure" in the articles examined, and Little and Wilson were the most cited authors. However, it has been determined that the most productive countries for solo travel are Australia, New Zealand, England and the USA, respectively. This study reveals that solo travel still offers unexplored areas for academic research and provides a basis to inspire future studies.

What motivates Generation Z to travel independently? Preliminary Research of solo travellers

What motivates Generation Z to travel independently? Preliminary Research of solo travellers