Millionaires, they're just like us.
03.10.2024 - 19:11 / skift.com / Dawit Habtemariam / Yves Marceau
G Adventures launched a new brand on this week, targeting solo travelers interested in group tours and looking to connect with others.
Called “Solo-ish Adventures,” the brand is for travelers who don’t want to wait on friends, relatives, or significant others to book a trip or feel like a “third wheel” on group tours filled with couples and pre-existing friends.
“The barrier to travel for a lot of solo people was the fear of being bored or alone, surrounded by other couples,” said Yves Marceau, vice president of product. “They’re afraid they won’t connect with people.”
Itineraries include activities, tours, and community projects designed to bring travelers together. Trips average 12 days. Instead of the traditional welcome dinner, trips will feature events, such as a cooking class, a food walking tour, or another activity that encourages interaction from the first night.
“We designed this travel style with the idea that people will bond within the first three days,” said Marceau.
Travelers will share rooms with those of the same gender. “From our years of experience, people who room together on a trip often become lifelong friends,” said Marceau.
G Adventures’s new brand comes as travel becomes an increasingly important source of connection amid the ongoing loneliness crisis, a Skift Megatrend this year, which Marceau said partly inspired the idea.
Currently, 12 destinations are available under the Solo-ish brand, with 13 more to be unveiled in the coming weeks. Over the next two years, G Adventures plans to expand to 60 destinations.
All Solo-ish tour leaders will be female. G Adventures wanted to empower women because the tour guide industry is dominated by men, and most solo travelers are female.
“We decided to take a stand and say, we will only hire female CEOs for Solo-ish,” said Marceau. “Since 70% of solo travelers are women, we wanted to give them the opportunity to connect in their destination with someone of their own gender.”
Amid the loneliness crisis, people are looking to the travel industry to help them meet new people and build lasting connections.
Millionaires, they're just like us.
During my last hours at the beloved Blackberry Farm in eastern Tennessee, honored in this year's Readers' Choice Awards as the number six hotel in the South, I piloted my golf cart past a grassy hillock with a little white dollhouse of a church peeking over the top until I reached a trailhead. From there I plunged into the latticework of hiking paths that crisscross the southern swath of the property. I huffed and puffed up Horse Slide Trail, which is called that for a reason, until I reached Blackberry's boundary with Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There was not a soul in sight—just sun-dappled forest, the whir of insects, and me alone with my footsteps and my thoughts.
Koh Samui was voted one of The Top Islands in the World in the 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards. To find out all the winning islands, read here.
One of the best things about running is the low barrier to entry—throw on some sneakers and you’re ready to go. But as you start to increase your mileage, whether you’re training for the New York City Marathon, a Rock 'n' Roll half, or a local 10k, you start to realize that what you wear, how you fuel, and the accessories you carry are all critical to your success—in other words, there comes a time when you'll want to upgrade your road running shoes or swap out that old gym shirt for a moisture-wicking option.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, October 4, 2024 and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
Low-cost airline Breeze Airways will launch four new Florida routes this winter.
Amtrak launched a national marketing campaign on Tuesday to convince travelers that trains are a smarter alternative to planes and cars.
Norwegian Cruise Line is launching a new brand positioning and upgrading its popular inclusive package.
Delta Air Lines announced five new routes from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, starting in March 2025.
Travel advisor consortium Ensemble has announced the launch of its first-of-a-kind Hotel Cruise Amenity Program offering exclusive hotel benefits and private port transfers for cruise clients.
Carnival Corp. said Monday that Alaska has emerged as one of the cruise line operator’s top destinations this year, especially for first-time cruisegoers.
Indian online travel agency EaseMyTrip has partnered with Bank of Baroda to introduce the first co-branded travel debit card by a public sector bank in India. This is the latest in the trend of new travel cards in India.