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Hilton released their 2025 travel trend predictions, and there are quite a few curious terms in it.
One of them is “MeMooners,” which refers to travelers who treat themselves to a vacation that’s as good as a honeymoon.
The term may be new, but the sentiment has always been there. In fact, nearly half of global travelers often go it alone (55% for Gen Z, 51% for Millennials). There’s also a 4m strong subreddit dedicated to it.
Source: Google Trends, six-month rolling average
We did some napkin math:
- In 2023, 25% of Americans (~83m) were considering taking a solo trip
- Even if only 5% actually do it, that’s still 4m+ solo travelers in a single year
Here’s the kicker: Most solo travelers spend ~$3k on average per week. That’s a ~$12B market.
Need we say it? Solo travel is packed with cash opportunities. Here are three of our best…
1. Provide Customized Tours
Traveling alone doesn’t mean being antisocial.
Solo travelers still crave companionship and community, and an astonishing 90% join tours to find it.
But traditional tours, filled with folks from all walks of life, might not suit those seeking peace of mind or a safe space to self-explore.
The tours and activities sector is expected to hit ~$300B by 2025. You can tap into the experiences market, and design customized tours that match solo travelers of similar preferences.
The Solo Female Travel Network (SoFe Travel) offers all-inclusive, female-only tours. Founder Amanda Black grew it from a small Facebook group into a business with 12 global destinations and 500k+ members.
Her tours sell out months in advance because they meet the needs of women who want independence, self-discovery, and community.
Niche down and build tours for groups with more specific needs, such as:
- LGBTQ+ history tours (and other demographic tours)
- Neurodivergent group tours
- Breakup tours (59% of divorcees are ready for a solo vacay in 2023)
- Grief tours
If logistics aren’t your forte, you could advise solo tour groups on creative ways to attract and retain customers.
2. Build AI Travel Buddies
Solo exploring is a great opportunity to learn about a location’s history, culture, and more.
But who has the time to consume hefty educational content on the go?
As AI chatbot apps get millions in funding, entrepreneurs could build an AI companion/guide that breaks down these learnings into conversational snippets for solo travelers.
You could design an AI companion to chat with travelers day and night via messages, like texts from a real friend.
Other things it could do:
📍 Give personalized recommendations of local spots to visit.
🎏 Notify users of events and festivals happening around the area.
🦄 Tell stories about local myths and legends.
Cash is already flowing into the space. Autio, an audio app that narrates location-relevant stories for travelers, recently raised $5.9m.
An AI travel buddy could be the perfect “micro-teacher” for solo travelers who yearn for knowledge as much as adventure.
3. Simplify Traveling with Pets
Solo travel could also mean that you’re the only human on the trip.
Hilton reported that 25% of solo travelers are bringing their fur babies along for the ride, and searches for pet-friendly hotels on its website doubled from 2023 to 2024.
You could start businesses that make it easier for folks to travel with pets. A few options:
- A travel concierge that helps apply for pet travel insurance, obtain health certificates, plan out meals during flight, etc.
- Design and sell pet carriers for airplanes (22k searches/mo. but only 1/100 keyword difficulty), and other travel accessories
- Offer dog walking services or fun activities with pets in popular tourist destinations
- Build an app to help find and book pet-friendly establishments in a new city
4. Leverage Social Trends
Social media is a huge driver for the solo travel trend (the #solotravel hashtag has 5B+ views on TikTok).
We see three paths you could take to leverage the social-led travel mania:
📱 Provide one-off tour guide services, or a place to get’em. Focus on TikTok and Insta-famous spots, and offer photography packages. Unlike full tours, these one-off experiences are relatively easy to organize and don’t require high upfront costs.
🌾 Go against the grain and produce content on the paths less traveled. Destinations like Saudi Arabia, Italy, and London opened up previously inaccessible destinations to attract tourists. There’s also forage tourism, which takes folks deep into the woods.
🤳 Social media travel guide: In 2024, 58% of Millennials and Gen Zers are looking for travel advisors. And where are they looking? Social platforms. You can boost your career by sharing videos of your professional travel tips and tools.
The experience economy is here to stay, and solo travel is an attractive, growing niche. Entrepreneurs who get on board now could cash in on that sweet wanderlust.