why more and more French are taking the plunge

On December 31, Dominique found himself on the side of a mountain in the south of India, in the middle of a plantation, in the company of the owner and a worker. It is these unexpected situations that give their flavor to solo trips that she has been making for over forty years. “I feel alive, I take risks,” says this former professor of universities.

Like her, more and more French people are tempted by these solo escapes. In 2023, 47 % of our compatriots felt ready to go alone, against only 25 % in 2019 (1). The image of the 1970s Baba Baba backpacker, taking the road with its baluchon, is over. Leaving alone no longer makes you a marginal. In 2024, a quarter of vacationers left solo (2). The myth of the great lonely traveler is old, but this way of living his holidays is trivialized.

Burning at his own pace

Often, we take the plunge for lack of a loved one or a friend available to complete his suitcases at the same time as you. Last January, Titouan flew a week in Morocco. “I had a lot of vacation to pose, which was not the case with my friends and I didn’t want to spend my vacation in Paris,” says the 26 -year -old. The increase in the number of singles partly explains the vogue for solo trips. In 1975, 22 % of French households had only one person, according to INSEE. Today they are 35 %.

It is because she is single that Sarah started traveling alone. She quickly got a taste for it and, today, this thirties working in communication would no longer see herself arrested, even with a spouse. “Being able to travel at your own pace” is the first reason invoked by amateurs (1). “With my friends, we don’t necessarily have the same desires, leaving together can cause conflicts. “The young woman, passionate about strong experiences and sports activities,” benefits thoroughly “and” exceeds her limits “during her excursions all around the world. She makes dream memories before diving back into her hectic daily life. “Loneliness allows you to live the experience more intensely; We want to experience an initiation form of travel, ”observes sociologist Rodolphe Christin, author of several trials on tourism.

Daily cutting

The formula also has the advantage of raising new meetings. “You are never alone for a long time,” says Samantha, 31, employed in an American French heritage restoration association, which has traveled Bali, the United States, or recently Greece, solo. Dominique confirms: “When I went alone to the United States, I only slept at the hotel until a ten month old, otherwise I was with people. Loneliness also promotes an authentic dive into the place visited and this time taken for yourself helps to better find your loved ones.

The day after her return from Japan – her latest journey to date – Dominique felt “much lighter” when she visited her sick mother. The sixty -something man thus sees it as a way to “get out of the loop of everyday problems”. Samantha, she systematically reserves one week a year alone, which she lives as a real cut; The only time she really rests. She can then step back on her life and take stock. “I am confronted with a kind of solitude, of boredom that allow me to analyze my shortcomings, to understand what I am looking for in relationships with others,” analyzes the young woman.

Sometimes relative loneliness

The hyperconnection of our societies accentuates this need to “cut the bridges” temporarily. So when Samantha escapes, she is much less riveted on her phone. Not everyone makes this choice. During his Moroccan excursion, Titouan did not drop social networks. Reclaiming his trip made him win 2,000 subscribers on his Tiktok account. In fact, some web influencers even make the chronicle of their wanderings their main activity. And the trend extends from networks to bookstores, where guides and stories have multiplied.

Travel agencies specializing in this niche, too, have flourished. Which increases the number of amateurs. No need to widen your head to build your journey while trying to combine discoveries, minimal comfort and optimal safety conditions: the program comes to you. This summer, Sarah is participating in a Los Angeles road trip in Las Vegas, with five strangers. “I could never have organized this on my own,” she enthuses. Founded almost thirteen years ago, the agency Coconnets offers everything, from traveling between women to weeks for singles in search of a partner. “Vacationers go through us to reduce costs – because it is more expensive to book for one person than for two,” explains its founder. Some also seek to avoid the feeling of loneliness. »»

Because not all of them come back convinced of the solo experience. “I went back to Morocco with three friends in a road trip, and it was better,” says Titouan. It all depends on what we expect: an opportunity to find yourself internally, meet the other, or pass the time, while waiting to be able to leave, accompanied this time.

(1) ONEPOLL survey for EDRÉAMS ODIGEO.

(2) Survey of the World Tourism Fair.