Australians are packing their bags, booking flights, and – most importantly – leaving everyone else behind. Solo travel is booming, and according to new research, it’s not just TikTok teens chasing sunsets in Bali. Grandma and Grandpa are doing it too – only their trips come with better hotel rooms and a suspicious lack of guilt about dipping into the family fortune.
A YouGov survey commissioned by budget carrier Scoot found that 8 in 10 Aussies took a solo trip in the past year, with more than half going twice or more. And the wanderlust shows no sign of slowing – almost 90% plan to go it alone again in the next 12 months. “It’s no longer just about ticking off bucket lists,” said Scoot’s Adam Kelly. “It’s about reconnecting with yourself.” Translation: less group selfies, more existential beach walks.
But perhaps the most surprising travellers jumping aboard the solo train are those over 50. The so-called “Grey Gap Year” is here, with almost a third of seniors already travelling alone in the past five years, and more considering it. Unlike uni students, though, they’re not funding the trip with casual shifts at Macca’s. Nope, they’re SKI-ing – Spending the Kids’ Inheritance – and they don’t even feel bad about it. In fact, 69% said they had zero guilt watching their kids’ future house deposits dissolve into mojitos and Mediterranean cruises.
When asked why, 43% of seniors said creating travel memories mattered more than leaving behind an inheritance. That’s right – Nana would rather have a selfie in Santorini than leave behind a slice of suburban real estate.
Not that everyone’s going it completely alone. The Grey Gap Year often comes with multigenerational trips, with 40% of seniors taking the kids (and sometimes grandkids) along. Presumably, this is so they can watch in real time as their inheritance turns into “quality time” and “shared memories”.
Meanwhile, Gen Z and Millennials are still driving the trend, with over a quarter of 18 to 24-year-olds and nearly as many 25 to 30-year-olds keen on solo trips. Regional holiday operators are reporting spikes in single bookings, proving that whether you’re 21 or 71, sometimes the best company on holiday is yourself.
Image: Pexels / RDNE Stock Project
