New Delhi, Not long ago, a table for one drew awkward glances from fellow guests and zero attention from servers while a solo travel itinerary invited quiet pity. It’s very different today.
And it’s not just about burying your nose in a book or working on a laptop in a coffee shop or co-working space. Indians, led by millennials and Gen Zs, are out and about, busy rewriting the rules one solo plan at a time.
Be it 25-year-old student Kanika Saluja or 72-year-old retired banker Amit Gupta, one is enough. And they are making it count.
Most important, for both, going solo does not translate to being lonely. In fact, it is a statement of liberation. Unapologetic and entirely by choice.
“I’ve done the years of running around for work and family. Now, if I step out alone, it’s for pleasure a meal I enjoy or a short trip at my own pace. There’s no coordination, no pressure. Just peace,” Noida-based Gupta told PTI.
Gupta, who is going the solitary way quietly and without hashtags, added with emphasis that he loves going out by himself for food, travel or quiet recreation.
Saluja said she would feel awkward eating out alone. Her concerns were the usual: the place, the people, the service. But one day she tried it, and she was hooked.
Since then, solo lunches and dinners have become her little “me-time” ritual.
“I remember trying it because my friends were busy. And I just loved it. I could take my time, try new dishes, just be in the moment, and even do some good people watching. It isn’t about being alone anymore; it’s doing things my way, on my own terms,” said the Delhi-based student, now looking forward to a ‘me only’ trip to Meghalaya.
Armed with disposable income and endless options at their fingertips, the growing not so young brigade is on the move, reclaiming time for themselves and turning it into a full blown lifestyle choice.
Cafes, restaurants, boutique hotels and even travel apps are noticing the shift with spaces and services increasingly designed to cater to solo patrons.
According to The Bar Consultants , a hospitality advisory firm with over 400 assignments across India and abroad, the mindset has indeed shifted.
For instance, solo dining from bar seating and cozy single tables to flexible menu portions and attentive service that understands guest preferences is now part of early planning conversations, no longer an “afterthought”.
“A few years ago, it happened incidentally. Today, we design for it… Clients are starting to see that solo diners often become their most loyal guests,” said Angad Chachra, founder of TBC.
Restaurants across the spectrum are taking note.
At Zuki, the new pan-Asian hotspot in Noida, solo dining isn’t a trend. It’s freedom for individuals to choose “to eat what they want, when they want, without negotiating portions, preferences, or pace”.
Menus are recalibrated with tasting formats, half portions and mix-and-match add-on choices. Seating is deliberately designed to work intuitively like counter seats with a kitchen view, cozy tables, and layouts that never isolate solo guests from groups.
“Even service style matters our team is trained to read intent. Some solo diners want interaction; others want silence and focus… We design food that doesn’t rely on sharing to feel complete. A solo diner should never feel like an exception. They should feel like the most intentional guest in the room,” said chef Vaibhav Bhargava from Zuki.
On the other hand, Arjun Sagar Gupta, founder of The Piano Man, doesn’t see solo dining as a trend so much as a long-standing habit. One that’s only grown bigger in scale, driven by “urban lifestyles, flexible work hours, and a comfort with doing things alone”.
It also makes business sense, he argued.
“It leads to higher table utilisation during off-peak hours, more predictable ordering patterns and often stronger repeat visits. It also pushes us to be more disciplined about portion control and pricing, which ultimately improves operational efficiency without compromising guest experience,” Gupta added.
Anuj Sethi, a true blue solo enthusiast, with five domestic and international solo trips under his belt and someone who often visits his neighbourhood café alone with a laptop and endless coffee refills, is convinced this isn’t a passing fad.
For him, the movement is only heading one way: “forward”.
“Once you get comfortable spending time with yourself, there’s no going back. Travelling alone, at your own pace, making every decision right or wrong on your own, hits differently. And somewhere between quiet meals, and unfamiliar streets, you meet not just new people, but a different version of yourself which you didn’t even know existed in the first place,” said the 35-year-old Bengaluru-based techie.
And his claim is not off the mark, because travel, with numbers steadily climbing, is perhaps at the forefront of the solo movement.
According to travel-banking fintech platform Niyo’s 2025 report, for instance, solo travel has emerged as the dominant preference among Indian travellers, with “63.8 per cent” of trips undertaken by individuals.
Hotels are seeing the shift up close.
Sarovar Hotels, one of the country’s leading chains, reports a “12–15 per cent year-on-year rise” in solo guests in 2024–25 compared to the previous year, largely driven by young adults and working professionals aged 25 to 40.
“Perceptions around solo travel have changed significantly. We are also observing a significant rise in solo women travellers, fuelled by greater confidence, increasing financial independence, and improved safety infrastructure across the hospitality sector.
“We have consciously enhanced our guest experience to support the needs of solo travellers, with a strong focus on safety, comfort, and convenience,” said Akshay Thusoo, senior vice-president at Sarovar Hotels.
The momentum is even stronger for vacation rental platform Airbnb, which recorded an impressive 35 per cent jump in solo travel bookings in India during the first half of 2025.
Amanpreet Singh Bajaj, Airbnb’s country head for India and Southeast Asia, said that what was once seen as unconventional has now gone mainstream, with solo travel increasingly celebrated as a symbol of “empowerment, personal growth and independence”.
He also credits social media for helping normalise the trend.
“The platform notes that a growing number of travellers are also sharing their solo experiences online and on social media, helping normalise the practice and turning it into an aspirational, widely accepted way for Indians to explore the world on their own terms,” he said.
