Christmas or the joy of family reunions… Well, not for everyone.
Whether by choice, spite or obligation, those who spend New Year's Eve away from their loved ones are more numerous than one might think.
Shared custody, seasonal work, children abroad... While in 2021, one in five French people believed that they were going to spend Christmas Eve alone (Ifop poll for Dons Solidaires), or all the same nearly 10 million people, 34% were not "rejoicing" at this period that others celebrate as a time of family reunion, magic and sharing.
So you might as well take a plane ticket and go on an adventure, alone.
Who hasn't dreamed of it at least once?
Those who have taken the leap know how precious and rare these moments are.
Gray too.
Is this an effect of Covid?
Less than a month from New Year's Eve,
KAYAK.fr
, the world leader in flight and hotel search, is seeing an increasingly shared desire to experiment with this type of trip.
This year, searches for solo trips for the Christmas holidays have
increased by almost 20%
on average compared to 2021. But that's not all.
The search engine specialist announces a crazy increase in flight searches by possible solo travelers of
275% over the Christmas and New Year period 2022-2023
compared to 2019.
Direction Tokyo, Sydney and Bangkok
Tokyo is the hot end-of-year destination for solo travellers.
Adobe Stock
One question remains: where are they going?
Obviously far!
Roaming alone with a tour operator has long cost more, especially because of the famous
single
room supplement , but in recent years the situation has changed, especially in Asia.
Today, all that is often needed is an affordable plane ticket price to take the plunge.
Thus,
Tokyo
is emerging as the most popular destination for solo travellers, with flight searches up around 270% year-on-year.
Very surprising then that flights have never been so expensive or so long - due to the avoidance of Russian airspace.
On the spot, on the other hand, the yen fell to its lowest level for 24 years (1 euro was equivalent to 144 yen at the time of writing these lines) is nevertheless in favor of the European traveler.
Sydney
and
Bangkok
are not to be outdone, with respective increases of around 253% and 240% in flight searches.
Finally,
Madagascar
and
Seoul
complete this top 5 searches.
Read alsoStay in Tokyo: our advice and tips for staying there at a good price
Cheaper ticket and safe travel
To pay less, Kayak.fr recommends taking departure tickets on December 29 and 30 in order to benefit from preferential prices: from €403 for a departure on the 30th - just in time to enjoy New Year's Eve under new horizons!
Travelers departing on these dates have the opportunity to save hundreds of euros compared to a flight on December 31 or January 1, which will cost €555 and €706 respectively on average.
The comparator specifies that “
all the prices indicated are average prices for round-trip tickets in economy class.
Prices may vary and savings are not guaranteed.
Search change percentages are approximate.
»
Another usual precaution: do not skimp on travel insurance (and repatriation).
We check that of his bank card – you often have to pay for the plane ticket with it to be covered abroad.
Otherwise, take out another term insurance.
A ba-ba: the PDFs of the passport and visa in your mailbox can be very useful in the event of theft or loss of the originals.
First solo trip?
The important thing is to follow your instincts, to use common sense without falling into paranoia.
Keep your senses awake and put away your isolated headphones for a while.
Last advice, book at least the first night in a hotel and locate the address in advance on the map or on Google Maps.
The important thing is to know how to get there either by public transport,
either by having pre-ordered a taxi or by using an app like Uber – because it avoids unpleasant surprises from the meter of certain malicious taxis.
One certainty: traveling alone is not easy or easy, but you always come back with stars in your eyes.
Read alsoTravel abroad: nine insurance companies scrutinized
