“Everything We Do Is About Solo Travel”, Solos CEO Says, as Solos Expands Into the North American Market

Solely focused on the solo traveller

Founded in the 1980s, Solos is seen as a pioneer in solo travel. Today, the company offers more than 400 itineraries to over 45 countries. With ambitious goals to expand into North America, Burt says they’ve seen increased demand for solo travel, as well as a gap in the market.

“There are a lot of tour operators or travel businesses that ‘do’ solo travel as an add-on,” she says. “But for us, everything we do is for the solo traveller.”

For Burt, that starts with having no single supplement on all Solos trips. JourneyWoman’s research shows that 78% of women over 50 see the single supplement fee as a barrier to solo travel, something that Burt intends to remove.

“We’ve got a specification that is all about the solo traveller — it’s very black and white for us,” she says. “Our partners know that we want no single supplement from day one. We want to pay the same as a double room. My team is really committed to keeping the price low for the consumer. Sometimes there has to be a negotiation and we’ll go on slightly different dates to accommodate that.”

Sometimes, Burt says, to accommodate her specifications, hotels may suggest a sister hotel that’s more remote. Burt says that may be an option for other companies, but it doesn’t work for her, particularly hotels that make women feel uneasy. Safety, she says, is non-negotiable.

“Unfortunately, we have to walk away from certain relationships or partnerships if it isn’t right,” she says. “When you look at it through the eyes of a solo traveller, it wouldn’t be good for us as a business, or for the customer if we take second best. That isn’t what we do.”