Shakeemah Smith isn’t staying at home on Valentine’s Day just because she’s single.
“I’m going to treat myself to a weekend in Dubai,” said the solo travel expert known as The Passport Abuser on social media. “I’m going to be living my best life.”
In a survey of 2,000 Americans last year, travel search engine Skyscanner found that more than 60% said they plan to take between two to five solo trips this year.
Like Smith, they aren’t waiting on companions to explore the world. She has visited 84 countries on her own and taught 12,000 others how to successfully solo travel through her Travel Like a Bawse courses.
“My Valentine’s Day gift to myself every year is looking at myself and smiling in the mirror and saying, you know what? I had the courage to do something for myself that no one else could give to me,” she said.
Nevertheless, solo doesn’t have to mean alone. Here’s how solo travelers can connect with others this Valentine’s Day and beyond.
Group trips for solo travelers
There are group trips specifically designed for solo travelers by companies like Flash Pack, Intrepid and Group G.
Skyscanner’s survey found that Millennials and Gen Z take the most solo trips, while Millennials and Gen X are most likely to take part in group travel as solo travelers.
Flash Pack co-founder Lee Thompson said the average age of their customers is 39 years old and many have prioritized their careers over relationships, but they’re now ready to travel and build new connections.
“Our mission’s all-around friendship, because (travel is) a great way to meet like-minded solos and make friends. It fast-forwards the friendship-making process when you share dinner, share experiences together,” he said. “Rather than Valentine’s Day, you can be kind of taking amazing pictures of yourself in the reflections of the salt water with your new friends.”
So far, this year, Flash Pack is seeing Chile, Finland, Greece, Japan, Morocco, Tanzania, Thailand, and Bali, Indonesia among its most popular destinations. Last year’s top 10 included Portugal, Japan, Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Morocco, Costa Rica, Belize, Argentina and South Africa, which Thompson called a mix of bucket list destinations and places that may be perceived as hard to visit alone.
“It’s like the trips that perhaps in the past, like Tanzania, maybe you would have waited until you had like a partner and gone on that trip, maybe you would have done your honeymoon to those types of places, but it’s those destinations that win within our demographic,” he said. “They’re like, listen, I’m just going all out here.”
Where to meet people traveling
Solo travelers can also make connections on their own.
“I always make this joke that’s like, did I find my next ex-husband in this city?” said Ravi Roth, an award-winning LGBTQIA+ travel content creator known for Ravi Round the World online. “I’ve met so many incredible friends.”
The outgoing extrovert can make friends even on a rideshare, but they enjoy finding dive bars in new cities and chatting with locals.
“I’m not saying that you have to go to a bar to make new friends,” Roth said. “There are so many community elements that are engulfed in so many destinations, especially around the United States. For example, I went to Columbia, South Carolina – major red state … And they have cafes that are queer owned. They have an LGBT center. They have events throughout the year that are not alcohol related, so there’s a great way to find community there.”
Roth and Smith also suggest joining group tours and experiences through companies like Airbnb and Viator, to meet people with shared interests.
“I booked a perfume class workshop in Paris, which was amazing. When I went to South Africa, I did a Zulu head wrapping class, and I got to meet other solo travelers who were also visiting Cape Town,” Smith said. “If you’re going on a museum tour, and you just so happen to strike up a conversation with another solo traveler who wants to do the same museum tour too, you guys can say, you know what, why don’t we link up for coffee after this?”
Best places to travel solo
Roth, who’s been solo traveling for 12 years, recommended Puerto Rico, Dallas, Palm Springs and New Orleans among the best places to visit solo.
“New Orleans is an amazing place, because immediately you find community,” they said. “It is a place where you can authentically be yourself.”
Smith recommended Paris, Bali, and Antigua and Barbuda, where she lives currently, for solo travel.
“We are 11 miles long, 18 miles across, and we have 365 beaches,” she said, describing the Caribbean destination as beautiful, safe and a few hours’ flight from the East Coast. “If you are anxious about taking your first solo trip, try somewhere that’s close to home. Make sure that they’re English speaking or they receive so much tourism that you know that communication with them would not be a problem.”
By occupancy rate, Orlando, the Florida Keys and Austin, Texas are among the most popular destinations for solo travelers this Valentine’s weekend, according to vacation rental revenue management platform Beyond. Allianz Partners USA’s 2025 Top Valentine’s Day Destinations report shows travel bookings are up 42% overall compared to last year’s Valentine’s Day timeframe.
Roth is planning to visit Quebec and Montreal shortly after Valentine’s Day. No matter the destination, they said, “Just take the leap. Get out of your comfort zone. It’s going to be a little intimidating. It’s going to be a little scary, but it is invigorating …You learn so much about yourself when you travel. You learn so much about your patience, your appetite, your drive, and you kind of can navigate it however you want to do it.”
