Editor's Letter: The Hard Work of Solo Travel

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tobi Oluwole, a 30-year-old former sales manager at a Big Tech firm who recently relocated to France. His former employer is known to Business Insider but is not named for confidentiality. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Over the past decade, tourism has boomed in and around Asheville, N.C., with visitors drawn to the temperate climate, green mountains and beautiful waterfalls of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The number of second homes in the area has multiplied, as have the number of short-term home rentals.

G Adventures launched a new brand on this week, targeting solo travelers interested in group tours and looking to connect with others.

Last week, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm before ripping through six states leaving a path of destruction in its wake and killing more than 100 people. The record-breaking storm – which clocked 140 mph winds and a storm surge that reached more than 15 feet above ground in the Florida Big Bend region – has left millions to deal with flooded roads, flattened homes and buildings, and power outages. North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina and Alabama have all made disaster declarations as emergency responders work to rescue missing persons and more than 1.2 million are still without power as of Wednesday, according to PowerOutage.us. Popular North Carolina mountain towns – including Asheville – which have become top tourist destinations in the fall, have been reduced to debris as residents are left to rebuild their lives. Carrie Tucker of Charlotte, North Carolina, told Travel + Leisure in the wake of Hurricane Helene, western North Carolina is “completely cut off from life – no roads, no gas, no food.”

Oct 1, 2024 • 6 min read

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida on Thursday and started her devastating path up through the southeastern United States.

Sep 30, 2024 • 6 min read

I love going on cruises, but I go alone because my wife of 33 years does not. Fortunately, she encourages my travels.

The Skift Global Forum brought travel’s most powerful people to New York, where they discussed some of the industry’s most important issues. What stood out from the event?

Yet another list: The group behind this one, The World’s 50 Best Hotels, says the picks come from an anonymous panel of 600 industry leaders. Despite my general aversion to such roundups, I was generally pleased with the selections. 

A huge shake-up could be in store for the world of points and miles.

Much of the Southeast has been under a hurricane warning Wednesday as Florida and Georgia brace for Hurricane Helene. It's expected to make landfall as a Category 4 storm late Thursday near the Big Bend of Florida.