A Solo Travel Birthday Milestone. Happy 18th.

Today marks a momentous milestone for us—our 18th birthday. It’s not just a celebration of the years gone by but a tribute to every solo traveller who has been a part of our story. Over the years, we've had the privilege of being a part of countless adventures, guiding solo travellers from one extraordinary destination to another. As we reflect on the past year, we’re filled with gratitude and excitement.

A Year of Resilience and Transformation
The past few years have been a whirlwind for the travel industry, from a pandemic to a recovery. The pandemic presented us with challenges that seemed insurmountable, testing our limits and reshaping our operations. Yet, amid the turbulence, we found our strength. Being a nimble and adaptable team allowed us to pivot quickly, bringing more domestic tours to life across Australia. This not only kept the spirit of solo travel alive and kept our wheels turning, but while our borders were closed, also supported local economies and allowed our Australian travellers to discover more of our own backyard.

We understand that the pandemic era was not without its difficulties when it came to our service delivery. Many of you experienced longer wait times for replies, and our processes were stretched thin. We truly appreciate your patience and understanding during this period. It was a challenging time, but your unwavering support and enthusiasm kept us motivated to push through. 

Rebirth and Renewal: The Last Year
Now, as we celebrate our 18th birthday, we are thrilled to share that we have emerged from this phase stronger than ever. The past year has been nothing short of extraordinary. After navigating the challenges of the pandemic, we’ve successfully reassembled our travel team—our front line of adventure enthusiasts and travel experts. It was one of our biggest challenges ever since the industry faced a mass exodus of talent. It took time but we are excited to share the icing on our birthday cake - our travel team is now back in full force.

We are brimming with expertise and ready to make new, and more solo travel experiences come to life. We’ve worked hard to bring back a complete team. On the front line is our travel team of six, passionate and dedicated team members. It’s also the unwavering support of a loyal travel team for many years that we’ve been able to stand the test of time and more recent challenges. It’s this 18^th Birthday that a special message of gratitude to our long standing team members, goes out to Cathy, Liza and Elaine. They are a big part of our story and mine.

Looking Ahead: A Brighter Journey

We’re excited to offer innovation with new destinations including Malta, Sicily and France, and a few others in the pipeline. Our commitment remains unwavering—to provide exceptional experiences for solo travellers that don’t want to travel alone.  

We extend a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you who has been part of this journey. Your support, your stories, and your adventurous spirit have been the cornerstone of our success. Here’s to the many more journeys we’ll share together and to the continued growth of our wonderful solo travel community.

We coined the phrase ‘Solos Only’ and our longstanding trade mark, Encounter Travel, Travel Solo, Not Alone are our foundations that have stood the test of time.

To celebrate, we invite you to revisit some of our past birthday reflections

• 2023: Happy 17^th Birthday – A year in review
• 2022: Happy 16^th Birthday – A year in review
• 2021: Happy 15^th Birthday – A year in review
• 2020: Happy 14^th Birthday – A year in review
• 2019: Happy 13^th Birthday – A year in review 

 Thank you for being a part of our story. Here’s to the next chapter of adventure, resilience, and incredible solo journeys!

 Happy 18th birthday to us and to all of you who make this journey worthwhile!