'Godsaeng Living' of Solo Travelers Changing Travel Trends of MZ [Youth Report]

Increase in 'Honhaengjok' Traveling Alone
Popularity Rises Alongside 'Gat Saeng Salgi' Trend

[Image source=Pixabay]

Han Mo (27), a third-year employee working at a marketing company in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, recently took a solo trip to Jeju Island. It was because it was difficult to coordinate schedules with acquaintances, and he needed some quiet time alone to organize his thoughts. Han said, "Due to frequent overtime at work, I felt a sense of burnout and needed time by myself," adding, "When I travel with acquaintances, I can't freely adjust the schedule, and I have to consider the other person from the food menu to the accommodation, which was exhausting." He continued, "It was my first time traveling alone, and I was able to truly heal without worrying about others' opinions."

Recently, the so-called 'honhaengjok'?people who enjoy solo travel?have been increasing. In the past, solo travel was often perceived as risky, but after the COVID-19 pandemic, the desire to travel has increased, and combined with the rising 'Gotsengsalgi' (living a disciplined and fulfilling life) trend among young people, the number of honhaengjok has grown. In particular, solo travel has diversified beyond general trips to include solo camping (honcamp), solo hiking (hondeung), and solo vacations (honkangs).

The Era of Hyper-Personalized Travel... Solo Travel on the Rise Amid 'Gotsengsalgi' Trend

Recently, the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute identified 'the era of hyper-personalization and nano-scale travel experiences' as a tourism trend for 2023?2025 in its report "Tourism Trend Analysis and Outlook 2023?2025." With the increase in single-person households and more people traveling alone after COVID-19, travelers who prioritize personalized trips have increased.

The report states, "Solo travel is expected to increase in conjunction with the MZ generation's 'Gotsengsalgi' lifestyle. The MZ generation's 'Gotsengsalgi' manifests in travel as the diversification of solo travel. As seen in key solo travel keywords such as life experiences, emotional fulfillment, mind and body healing, and travel documentation, leisure, aesthetics, and self-reflective travel are emerging as major solo travel trends." In other words, more people are traveling alone to suit their own lifestyles.

Jung Mo (27), an office worker who took a solo trip to Inje, Gangwon Province last winter, said, "It was a bit disappointing not having someone to take pictures, but it was a time I could fully focus on myself," adding, "I intend to travel alone again in the future."

In fact, demand for solo travel has been increasing annually alongside the rise in single-person households. According to the National Travel Survey released by Statistics Korea and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the proportion of single-person households (29.3% in 2018 → 30.2% in 2019 → 31.7% in 2020) and the demand for solo travel (2.5% in 2018 → 4.1% in 2019 → 4.8% in 2020) have been steadily increasing.

Interest in Solo Travel Continues on SNS... Travel Creators Gain Popularity ↑

Travelers are lining up for check-in at Gimpo Airport domestic terminal. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Some choose solo travel due to economic burdens. As travel expenses rise with inflation, more people seek affordable accommodations and transportation to enjoy travel without worrying about others. Lee Mo (28), an office worker, said, "I want to travel to create special memories, not just to show off on SNS."

Youth interest in solo travel is also evident on social networking services (SNS) like Instagram and YouTube. Searching the hashtag '#honhaeng' on Instagram yields over 100,000 posts. On YouTube, travel creators 'Ppanibottle' and 'GwakTube' have attracted attention with subscriber counts of 2.01 million and 1.77 million, respectively. Notably, Ppanibottle ranked 10th in YouTube's 'TOP10 Most Popular Creators' announced last year.

Meanwhile, the solo travel trend is expected to continue. Jin Bora, a senior researcher at the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, said, "Travel behaviors reflecting individuals' nano-scale preferences will develop into more segmented travel content," adding, "Customized travel tailored to individual tourist demands, from luxury tourism to everyday life travel and themed trips, is expected to become more active."