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Single travelers are on the rise. Research by online UK travel agency reveals that more than one third of people in Britain now go on holiday alone, and women in particularly are flying solo. It is predicted that 38% of all holiday bookings will be made by people traveling alone. The average age of the single traveler is set at 54, which is a more independent age. The most popular holiday destination is Greece.

Research released by UK based online travel agency has revealed that singles holidays are becoming more popular, particularly for those who are over 50. Indeed, it is reported that some 35% of all travelers holidayed alone last year and it is believed that this figure will be up to 38% this year. This is based on bookings that have already been made.

The results of the research released by Sunshine.co.uk is making various holiday companies create new incentives for people who are more likely to travel alone. This includes the widowed, divorced and otherwise singles. Some of the packages that are now being offered include dedicated singles holidays, as well as the scrapping of the single supplements.

The travel agency analyzed some 100,000 bookings. Various very interesting and at times unexpected results came forward. It was expected that changes would be seen in the 18 to 30 age group, as they are still taking gap years or backpacking around the world. In reality, however, it seems that the majority of single bookings are made by independent people in their 50s. What was also very interesting was that many of these bookings were made by women, who are feeling more comfortable about traveling alone.

At the same time, the face of the singles holiday is changing. No longer is it exclusive for people who are not in a committed relationship. Rather, it is also for those people who simply want to tick things off their bucket list while their partner stays at home. The research clearly demonstrated that the demographics of the UK are changing and that people are healthier, older and wealthier.

A very interesting factor in the research was that 58.3% of the single vacationers are women. Looking specifically at active trips, this number rises. 64% of single walking holidays are completed by women and 60% of African safaris. Men, by contrast, prefer sailing trips and cycling.

By far the most popular single holiday destination was Greece, with Turkey in second place. However, single people seem to search adventurous destinations. This includes trekking in Nepal, cruising the Nile, gorilla trekking in Rwanda and viewing the Northern Lights.

While these figures seem staggering, it appears that the actual amount of people who travel alone remains quite small, standing at 13%. However, this is a rise. Additionally, when looking at the over 65s, the figure rises to 21%, which shows that older people are feeling more independent.

More and more, we are seeing that travel companies are starting to cater to single travelers, says Chris Clarkson from Sunshine. Indeed, it is big business, which means better offers should be made available soon. And we also believe that this trend is on the rise now and will continue to rise for the foreseeable future.

We also see that there are more single parents and that they are taking solo holidays, too, adds Chris Clarkson. Various travel companies have now scrapped the single supplement, so that holidays do not become unaffordable for single parents traveling with children. Added to this the fact that people want to learn and develop themselves on holiday, something we see particularly strongly among single people, and we know that the face of holiday making is truly changing.