Ian’s Story – Founder

The idea for One Traveller came from the solo travellers I met when I was working for other holiday companies. They were paying the single supplement and telling me, “Ian, this is really unfair. I’ve paid more money than everyone else, but I’ve ended up with a worse room than everyone else.” I also realised something important: solo travellers travel by themselves, but they don’t travel to be by themselves.

For me, the answer was simple: make the groups smaller, give everyone a double room for sole occupancy, take care of every detail, include as much as possible and have a really good tour manager at the front of the coach to help everyone settle in. When people are travelling by themselves, that’s how you create camaraderie and companionship. Guests can feel looked after, the arrangements are taken care of and, most importantly, it’s all included.

I think One Traveller has resonated with so many people because of the sense of community and friendship we aim to create. We choose our tour managers carefully, and our holidays are built on service, trust and friendship. At the end of a holiday, I hope our guests feel a sense of fun and achievement, and have made friendships they’ll keep in touch with long after they get home. Most of all, I hope they realise that booking wasn’t quite as daunting as they might have imagined.

If you’re thinking about travelling by yourself for the first time, give us a call when you’re ready. We’ll talk you through it, and when it feels right, you can take the plunge, make the booking and enjoy what’s about to happen.

Hear the thinking behind One Traveller and the belief that travelling solo needn’t mean missing out on companionship, comfort or adventure.