'Move at my own pace': Gen Z, Aussies to lead solo travel trend in 2025

Find out the most popular destinations for adventuring alone.

A solo traveller. Picture by Shutterstock

By Sarah Falson

Updated April 1, 2025, first published November 21, 2024

More Australians plan to travel solo in 2025 than travellers from any other country, according to a new report.

SiteMinder's Changing Traveller Report 2025 found 19 per cent of Australians polled will go on solo adventures in the new year, the highest globally, and this included 24 per cent of Gen Z travellers.

Melbourne's Ricki (last name withheld) first travelled solo when she was 19 and now, at 29, she is planning to travel by herself to Oman in the Middle East.

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Her first solo adventure was to Vienna, Austria which she described as "amazing" because it gave her agency to travel as she wished.

"It was a good time to kind of just explore, take things slow," she said.

"It gave me a lot of freedom in terms of being able to just move at my own pace, and do whatever my body wanted to do at that time."

Ricki's last solo trip was to Finland and she liked being able to "take it slow". Another recent trip she took by herself was exploring her family's heritage in Vietnam.

"I am a little bit of a slow traveller. It's important for me when I am travelling that my experience with the places I visit is as nourishing for me as it is for the people of the land that I visit," she said.

Ricki also finds she connects with the local community more when she's on her own. She speaks to locals to find out what's interesting to see and do in the area and speaks to restaurant staff while dining alone.

"When I'm out and alone I can go to a bar and put in the effort to meet new people, make new friends," she said.

SiteMinder's report showed more Gen Z travellers were planning solo travel than any other generation.

The company's regional vice president of Asia Pacific, Bradley Haines, said he thought it was because the COVID-19 lockdowns hit them particularly hard, since they are young and love to socialise.

He termed it "revenge travel".

"[Young] people want to get out, want to see the world, but not necessarily have to try and organise a lot of friends and family and coordinate between multiple stakeholders to enjoy their trip," Mr Haines said.

A woman travels solo. Picture by Shutterstock

"There's also an opportunity for them to connect on a human element with other people and have that experience after growing up in very much a social media-driven type of world."

The Changing Traveller report found the most popular domestic destinations for Aussie solo travellers in 2025 will be Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

The most popular international destinations for solo adventurers will be the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand, Thailand and Japan.

The report drew on a Kantar survey from August 2024 which polled over 12,000 travellers across 14 of the world's largest tourism markets, including Australia, about their accommodation habits.

Words bySarah Falson

Sarah is ACM’s travel producer. She believes regional travel is just as fun (if not better) than staying in the big cities and loves any travel experience to do with nature, animals and food!.

My all-time favourite destination is ... Cornwall. From the giant seagulls to the blustery beaches, Cornish pasties and fishing villages, it stirs something romantic and seafaring in me.

Next on my bucket list is … Mongolia. I want to go somewhere really unique that feels totally foreign and challenges my way of life.

My top travel tip is … Don’t plan too much. Walk the streets and let it happen. And make sure you check out what’s within a few blocks of your hotel - sometimes the best local food is found that way.