Solo Travellers

Indian Solo Travelers Take the Spotlight this Valentine’s Day Weekend

Published

5 months ago

February 11, 2025

Airbnb

Travel trends on Airbnb this year for getaways around Valentine’s Day reveal how Indian travelers are embracing newer ways of spending traditional escapes. In India, there has been a notable increase in year-over-year searches for Valentine’s Day weekend across all types of travelers —solo, duo, and group¹.

In 2025, solo trips have stolen the spotlight, with over a 185% increase in searches for Valentine’s Day weekend this year compared to last year². As this set of travelers embrace the joy of their own company, seeking freedom and adventure on their terms, Dubai emerged as the most searched destination with an approximately 220% year-on-year (y-o-y) increase in searches for the Valentine’s Day weekend, compared to the same period last year. It is followed by domestic favourites like Mumbai, New Delhi, and Goa, and international hotspot, Bangkok³.

Duo travelers are embracing the romantic spirit, with an over 60% spike in searches with Dubai continuing to lead as the most sought-after destination. Other romantic destinations such as Tromsø, Paris, New Delhi, and Goa rounded out the top five⁴.

Group travel is also making a splash with an almost 40% increase with Dubai topping the charts again followed by Mumbai, Goa, Rovaniemi and Jaipur⁵.

Dubai’s versatile appeal, proximity and ease of access have made it a preferred favourite across a wide spectrum of travelers, from adventurous solo explorers to romantic couples and lively groups.

No matter how you choose to travel, here are some Airbnb homes for an unforgettable Valentine’s weekend.

Dubai, UAE:

For couples looking for the perfect escape, this chic and comfortable home on the 13th floor can be the best place to unwind this Valentine’s Day weekend. Being at a prime location in Downtown Dubai, guests get to experience the urban and beach life in this exquisite getaway.
For solo enthusiastic travelers, this home in Dubai would be the perfect spot. With a beach just a short walk away, stunning views, a fully equipped kitchen, and a central location, it offers the ideal mix of convenience and comfort.

New Delhi, India:

This minimalistic and cosy apartment is the place for solo travelers to enjoy their solo Valentine’s Day weekend! Having several restaurant joints, spas, grocery stores around the locality – making it an easily accessible space for solo travelers.

Goa, India

When planning the ultimate Valentine’s Day weekend getaway, guests can create shared wishlists and share their favourite listings with everyone in their group to make choosing the perfect listing easier. To enjoy the weekend with a group of friends, this stunning villa amidst a farm can be your best bet. With a private pool, minimal interiors and a relaxing outdoor space, this can be the most relaxing weekend with the best company.

All listings included in this article are intended to inspire and illustrate. Airbnb does not endorse or promote these listings or any other accommodations or Experiences on the platform.

¹ Couples is referring to duo travelers and groups is referring to groups of 3 or more travelers.

² Based on year-over-year increase in trip searches by India guests for February 14-17, 2025 compared to February 16-19, 2024.

³ Based on trip searches increase by India guests for February 14-17, 2025 compared to February 16-19, 2024.

⁴Based on trip searches increase by India guests for February 14-17, 2025 compared to February 16-19, 2024.

⁵ Based on trip searches increase by India guests for February 14-17, 2025 compared to February 16-19, 2024.

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Solo Travellers

India’s ancient and mysterious ‘dwarf’ chambers

Published

4 hours ago

July 18, 2025

Bansari Kamdar

During his research, Menon encountered similar legends referring to an ancient race of “small people” who allegedly constructed megalithic sites across southern India, such as at Moribetta and Morikallu nearby in Karnataka, Sanna Moriyara Thatte in Telanganaand Moral Parai in Tamil Nadu. He speculates that such folklore could be a far-reaching cultural memory of ancient Indians recalling an extinct human-like species, akin to Homo floresiensis, the so-called “hobbit” species discovered in Indonesia who likely lived alongside Homo sapiens 60,000 to 100,000 years ago.

“We know the megalith builders were humans like us,” Menon said. “But stories of these little people persist across the region.”

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Solo Travellers

Ruth Orkin’s girl and the gauntlet

Published

6 hours ago

July 18, 2025

Killian Fox

For decades people have speculated about this image: American Girl in Italy, by the great US photographer Ruth Orkin. On Florence’s Piazza della Repubblica in 1951, a tall young woman in a black dress walks the gauntlet between clusters of suit-wearing men. A few of them are leering at her. One man grabs his crotch, his lips pursed around some presumably unprintable utterance. Almost all of them are following her with their eyes. The woman’s face is hard to read, though she seems aggrieved by the attention – if not outright fearful for her safety.

In fact, according to the woman herself, Ninalee Allen Craig, there was something altogether more playful going on – though she insisted, to counter another assumption, that the photograph wasn’t staged. Craig, 23 at the time, was travelling around Europe when she encountered Orkin, who was staying at the same dollar-a-night hotel as her in Florence. The two women shared notes on solo travel and Orkin proposed a photo essay on the subject.

The next day they jaunted around the city, Orkin snapping the younger woman as she gazed at statues, chatted across café tables and rode shotgun in an open-top sports car.

At the Piazza della Repubblica, Orkin asked Allen to walk the gauntlet twice. The first time, Allen “clutched at herself and looked terribly frightened”, Orkin recalled in 1979. “I told her to walk by the second time, ‘as if it’s killing you but you’re going to make it’” – and that’s the shot that was used.

Allen’s memory of the scene was much sunnier. “I was having the time of my life,” she told CNN in 2017, the year before she died aged 90. “I was Beatrice walking through the streets of Florence.” In an interview with the Guardian she said the image “has been interpreted in a sinister way but it was quite the opposite. [The men] were having fun and so was I.”

Orkin’s photographs of Allen were published in Cosmopolitan in 1952. The article, featuring tips on “money, men and morals to see you through a gay trip and a safe one”, was entitled Don’t Be Afraid to Travel Alone.

New York – New York, a show of photographs by Ruth Orkin, will be at CDIS / PhotoEspaña in Santander from 18 July to 18 October

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Solo Travellers

10 Countries With the Best Work-Life Balance

Published

8 hours ago

July 18, 2025

Connor Sturges

Stressed about your office commute? Burnt out from long weeks at your desk? Maybe you need to move to one of the best countries for work-life balance. Remote, a global HR platform used by some of the world’s largest brands, has studied the working culture of the 60 highest-GDP nations around the world, to highlight countries that seemingly get it right when it comes to a healthy “life-work” balance. While you’re more likely to see the term styled as “work-life balance,” the stylistic choice reflects Remote’s view that this is a miscalculation: “The attitude should be life first, work second.”

Remote’s study factors in statutory annual leave, minimum statutory sick pay percentage, paid maternity leave and payment rate, minimum wage, healthcare system, happiness index, average hours worked per week, and LGBTQ+ inclusivity. Below are the 10 countries in the world right now that perfectly strike the balance between life and work.

A version of this article originally appeared on Condé Nast Traveller UK. For the full list of results, visit remote.com.

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