Once upon a time, leaving alone might have seemed like a makeshift solution: no available friends, holidays that didn’t coincide, a relationship that had just ended. Today, solo travel is increasingly chosen intentionally. Not as an escape from the company of others, but as an opportunity to regain control of one’s time, follow one’s own rhythms and decide without having to constantly negotiate.
It is above all this promise of autonomy that conquers Italians. According to a survey conducted by OnePoll for eDreams, 42 percent would choose to travel alone to enjoy maximum freedom of movement: the highest figure among the countries analyzed and higher than the international average, which stands at 38 percent.
The charm of only travelIn short, it does not necessarily consist of wanting to remain isolated. It means waking up without having to agree on a breakfast time, changing plans at the last moment, spending three hours in a museum without feeling guilty or giving up a visit to sit in a bar and observe the city.
It’s a simple but increasingly rare luxury: being able to choose.
Not just freedom: leaving to test yourself
However, behind the desire to travel alone there is not only the desire to avoid compromises. One Italian in four considers this experience a way to get to know each other better, while the same percentage would leave because friends and family are not available.
21 percent see travel as an opportunity to meet new people and 18 percent would choose it to experience something different. What is therefore emerging is a form of tourism that combines independence and openness: you leave without company, but not necessarily to avoid contact with others.
Indeed, the absence of a group can force you to better observe what is happening around you, to talk to unknown people and to enter more easily into the daily life of the place visited. Without the small comfort zone represented by friends or partners, even asking for information, ordering in a foreign language or facing an unexpected event becomes a test of self-sufficiency.
In fact, 38 percent of those interviewed believe that traveling alone can make you more independent. 32 percent associate this choice with a greater openness towards different cultures and ways of thinking, while 27 percent consider it useful for clearing their minds and better understanding their personal goals.
Freedom requires organization
The romantic image of the traveler who sets out with a backpack and decides everything along the way continues to fascinate. In reality, however, those who travel alone tend to prepare with great attention.
For 36 percent of Italians, planning is essential: itineraries already saved, maps also available offline, tickets purchased before departure and useful applications for orientation or booking activities.
28 percent put safety first, preparing emergency contacts, first aid kits and systems to protect money and documents. 21 percent consider comfort a priority.
It’s not a contradiction. Moving freely does not necessarily mean improvising everything, but creating the conditions to be able to undertake the journey without depending on anyone. Knowing where you will sleep, how to reach the hotel or which transport to take after landing allows you to experience even the less predictable parts of the experience with greater serenity.
Women pay more attention to safety, men to comfort
The survey also shows some differences in how men and women imagine going solo.
Men attach greater importance to freedom of movement: 45 percent indicate this, compared to 39 percent of women. They are also more likely to consider travel an opportunity to meet new people, with 23 percent of responses compared to 18 percent of female travelers.
Women, on the other hand, seem to attribute a more personal dimension to travel alone. 41 percent believe it can strengthen self-sufficiency, compared to 36 percent of men, while 28 percent would leave to clear their minds, compared to 25 percent of the male sample.
Female travelers are also more attentive to safety, considered a priority by 32 percent compared to 23 percent of men, and slightly more oriented towards planning. Men, on the other hand, give more weight to comfort.
Differences that are not entirely surprising. For many women, the possibility of traveling alone represents an achievement of autonomy, but it also requires further evaluations: the location of the accommodation, evening journeys, the reliability of transport and the possibility of asking for help in case of need.
Younger people are looking for independence, but do not underestimate the risks
Age also changes expectations and priorities. Among travelers aged 18 to 24, 74 percent consider a solo departure a way to discover that they can feel good about themselves and know how to manage different situations.
The youngest, however, are not necessarily the most reckless. 43 percent consider safety a fundamental element, the highest share among the age groups examined. 39 percent also associate traveling alone with developing empathy.
Between the ages of 25 and 34, however, the need to plan grows: 43 percent consider planning essential. 41 percent see travel as an opportunity to become more open and flexible, while 38 percent hope to return to their goals with greater clarity.
For travelers between 35 and 54 years old, the importance of comfort predictably increases. Gen Z especially attributes the value of self-sufficiency to travel; Millennials most frequently link it to open-mindedness and personal reflection.
Italians, Americans and British: three different travel ideas
The international comparison reveals different motivations. Italians are the most attracted by freedom of movement. Americans mostly see solo travel as an opportunity to experiment, get to know each other and meet new people.
Britons and Germans are more likely to travel alone when friends and family are unavailable. The Portuguese lead the planning ranking, while the British pay particular attention to security tools. Spaniards and Germans are the most sensitive to comfort.
Motivations change, but a common trend remains: traveling alone is no longer perceived only as a necessity. It has become a specific way of being in the world.
The difference between being alone and feeling alone
Of course, solo travel isn’t suitable for everyone. There are people who prefer to share every experience, others who may feel vulnerable away from home and still others who only discover during the trip how challenging it is to make every decision alone.
Even freedom can become tiring: constantly choosing where to eat, how to move, what to visit and how to react to unexpected events requires energy. Furthermore, without someone to split the costs with, a room, taxi or rental car can cost more.
Yet it is precisely this responsibility that makes the experience meaningful. Leaving alone forces you to distinguish between solitude and independence, between the need for company and the fear of not knowing how to cope.
The survey was carried out in June 2026 on 9 thousand people in France, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom; the Italian sample included one thousand interviewees.
In the end, the success of solo travel tells something that goes beyond tourism. In a daily life made up of shared agendas, continuous messages and decisions made together with others, going alone means giving yourself a space in which you don’t have to please anyone.
Not even your travel companion.
