Solitary Travellers in the Norwegian Lofoten Islands: Why Do People Travel On Their Own?

This study examines why people travel on their own. Based on a preliminary study of 7 solo travellers in the Norwegian Lofoten islands, 13 socio-psychological justifications are empirically identified: ease, experience, flexibility, freedom, exploration, absence of travel companion, prestige, sex, spontaneity, temporal considerations, guilt avoidance, solitude and selective contact. From these responses a taxonomy of non-institutionalised solitary travellers is inductively constructed. It consists of two basic types: First, those who have to travel alone because they simply have no travel companion, referred to as “solitary travellers by default”, and second, those individuals who deliberately travel on their own, regarded as “solitary travellers by choice”. The data further suggest that justifications for travel also relate to the specific travel style chosen. The articulation of these justifications provides insights for demand-based tourism research and has implications for the supply-driven tourism industry.