WHAT MAKES A TRAVELER GO SOLO?
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Over past few years, Indian society has been generating numerous solo travelers, both men and women, who exhibit a new-found passion for exploring the world outside their comfort zone, all by themselves.
Asking about “when and where to was their first solo trip?”, 31 percent solo travelers preferred foreign locations like Europe and East Asia as their first solo trip destination, 29 percent found Indian mountain beauty specially in Himachal as their first solo trip expedition while 27 percent preferred to visit coastal beaches of South India as their first place to explore as a solo traveler. Rest 13 percent chose to visit Rajasthan, MP, AP and North eastern cities.
When enquired about what made them travel solo, a whopping 25 percent attributed it to self-discovery and travel for recreational purposes or lack of company, 35 percent said a simple getaway or a sabbatical from the mundane job or simply to feed the curiosity, while 21 percent just wanted to break free of self-imposed shackles and meet like-minded people.
Among top Indian and International destinations, solo travelers showed a higher preference for Northern, Southern and Western India within the subcontinent. For South-East and Eastern Asia, Indian neighboring countries like Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh are chosen as preferred locations and Europe, US and western Asian countries for international travel. Some travelers confine themselves to exploring the remote pockets of India and country life alone.
When asked about their reaction to people asking questions like “what makes you want to travel solo?” or “Log kya kahenge?” the travelers seemed unperturbed and said they don’t really pay attention! They supplemented the answer with few tips to the budding solo travelers to indulge their solo travel desires with gay abandon such as travelling light, befriending the locals for a better insight of the destination, staying alert, being armed with safety gear, travelling with a zest for exploration and relishing every moment of the experience!
When asked about the challenges faced during journeys, 32 percent solo travelers said that feeling lonely in terms of lack of support, homesickness, feeling alienated from co-travelers and the localities. Another 17 percent were female solo travelers who felt insecure due to eve-teasing, ogling and suspicious behavior. Then there were 21 per cent solo travelers who felt the budget pinch! Other challenges included following culture codes, dealing with unpleasant eventualities, finding vegan food items, overcoming boredom etc.
When asked about places they’d like to be stranded in, about 17 percent travelers preferred mountains (Himalayan ranges) followed by 10 percent of them longing to be marooned on an island like Jeju Island and Golapogas island. Among other places of interest, were the countryside to revel in the bucolic beauty of the enthralling landscapes, countries like North Korea, Beunos aires, Italy and intriguingly enough, Haunted places!