Solo travel has long been framed as the ultimate act of independence, particularly for women. Book the flight, choose the destination, answer to no one. But what if going solo doesn’t actually mean wanting to be completely alone?
Enter “solo-ish”. Hilton’s 2027 Trends Report, backed by a global survey of more than 14,000 travellers (including more than 1,000 Australians), reveals a quieter, more flexible take on the solo trip. It’s a holiday that lets you do things entirely on your own terms, while still leaving space for the connection that makes a trip meaningful. Nearly one in three Australian travellers (32 per cent) have travelled solo to meet up with friends or family at their destination in the last 12 months.
Three ways to go solo-ish
Fly solo, land social. Arrive on your own schedule, then meet the friends or family waiting at the other end. You get the independence of planning your own journey and the joy of a shared reunion.
Book a little time for you. Add a few days alone before or after a group trip: a quiet morning, a slow coffee, an itinerary built entirely around your interests and pace.
Design a holiday around you. Choose the museum, the market or the spa because you genuinely want to, not because it’ll look good on your feed.
That last point is where the research gets interesting. While 55 per cent of Australian travellers feel pressure to get every detail right, 64 per cent now plan experiences based on what they genuinely want to do, and only 28 per cent try to accommodate a group and keep others happy. The report calls it “the rise of ‘ish'”, a growing willingness to let go of the picture-perfect trip.
Why hotels are paying attention
The hospitality industry is already responding. Hilton’s Motto brand found that more than half of its worldwide reservations over the past year were for solo guests, and the company recently announced the signing of Motto by Hilton Sydney City Centre, which will bring its social, flexible, locally connected style of stay to Australia.
The rest of the 2027 forecast
The solo-ish shift sits within a broader trend Hilton calls “The Great Rebalance”, a move from passive tourism to travel with personal purpose. Here’s what else the report says Aussies are into.
Travel as a reset. Half of Australian travellers (50 per cent) actively seek experiences that calm the body and reset the nervous system, and 75 per cent say fresh air and the outdoors are essential to how they relax on holiday. More than half (52 per cent) spend more time immersed in nature while travelling than they do at home. For a taste, Conrad Bali offers a forest bathing and foraging experience in the Jatiluwih rice terraces and Bedugul rainforest, pairing mindful time in nature with locally sourced food.
Travel as a skill. Dubbed “skillcations”, this is travel that sends you home with more than memories. Thirty-seven per cent of Australians say travel has helped them discover new interests or passions, and globally, Gen Z travellers are twice as likely as Baby Boomers to want to return with a new hobby.
Travel with a countdown. Three in four Australians (75 per cent) say having a trip on the calendar gives them something to work towards. The report calls it the “beforeglow”.
Short trips, big plans. Fifty-eight per cent of Australians like to pack a lot into a short time, and 78 per cent consider anything under three to four days a short trip.
Whose advice we trust. In an age of AI-powered planning, 74 per cent of Australians trust hotel staff as a planning resource. Among those who trust their family most, one in five non-parents name their mum as their most trusted source of travel advice. And loyalty status carries weight: 34 per cent say they’re more likely to trust a recommendation from someone who has it, and 22 per cent admit to being jealous of friends with higher status than their own.
So whether you’re flying out solo to meet your sister in Bali, tacking a weekend to yourself onto a girls’ trip, or finally booking the cooking class your friends would never choose, the message for 2027 is simple: it’s your holiday, and “ish” is perfectly fine.
