Travel tip #146: Solorettes, Set-jetting, Shelf-discovery & Hidden seasons

Hi Reader,

After a month in Vietnam and Cambodia, I am finally back home. Stay tuned for our new trip launching soon and keep up with last days in Cambodia on Instagram stories, where I am sharing the behind the scenes of the trip, a few days delayed.

This week I wanted to share a few travel trends that have funky names. You may have heard some of them but maybe not all.

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Solorettes, Set-jetting, Shelf-discovery & hidden seasons

Have you heard of a Solorette? What about shelf-discovery?

Travel industry people and the media are pretty inventive when it comes to new trends and names, so this week I wanted to chat about some of them, perhaps you will find a new way to name your travel style!

Solorette

Women are ditching bachelorette parties for a solo trip as a pre-wedding preparation and a great way to devote some time to oneself.

This is a trip designed for the bride-to-be to enjoy some last moments of solitude and reflect on the new life ahead.

We've had some guests travel with us to celebrate they were about to get married. Instead of wasting money on a silly night out complete with penis hair bands and embarrassing aprons (I see them every weekend), they decided to put the money towards a solo trip.

This is not meant to be the last solo trip ever, marriage does not have to be the end of solo travel, and in fact, about 40% of our guests are married and still traveling solo or with friends with us, but a pause to reflect and think about the changes coming ahead, take care of themselves and have some me-time before the big day.

Set-Jetting

Have you ever wanted to visit a place because of a movie or book you read? You are not the only one.

Books, shows and movies are big contributors to making a destination famous.

New Zealand became a really popular destination after Lord of the Rings, Bali and India thanks to Eat, Pray, Love, Dubrovnik because of Game of Thrones and Scotland because of James Bond Skyfall, Harry Potter and Highlander among other.

Set-jetting is the travel designed around movie or show sets or even books. It's a growing business and many companies exist entirely devoted to this.

Shelf-discovery

Have you ever been inside a local market or supermarket when you travel? They are sooooo fascinating!

I love to visit them and checking out what kinds of fruits and vegetables are available and also what snacks people eat locally.

Food is such a defining trait of a destination, and what people eat and how is always a great insight. My favorite are the convenience stores in Japan, designed for healthy and varied full meals, I love them!

Hidden season travel

Away from peak season, travelers have been going for the shoulder season for months. This trend is so well established that many parts of Europe are busier in the shoulder season than in the peak season. This is the case in Barcelona or Tuscany.

But there is an even better season to score great prices and lowest crowds: the hidden season, a fancier word to call the low season.

This would be visiting South East Asia during the Monsoon season or the Caribbean during hurricane season. Or most European cities in the winter (safe for the Xmas markets time). You will enjoy empty landmarks and cheapest prices, but will also have to content with worst weather.

The month I spent in Malta was in the hidden season, despite falling during Xmas time. There were barely any tourists, practically no cruise ship visitors and the island felt like it was essentially for the locals.

Since we were there to work, and had plenty of time and no interest in the water activities, it was a great time to be there, but I will return in the summer to see how it feels like and finalise our itinerary since this is an island and beach / boat life is the best part of it.

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2026 / 2027 Full calendar of tours See the full list of our future trips below. We are working on 2027 tours already so stay tuned for our Swedish Arctic, Tanzania, Kilimanjaro and Ecuador & The Galapagos' 2027 dates coming out real soon! ✅ = Trip is confirmed ☑️ = SOLD OUT 💃 = I or Meg will co-host these trips 🚗 Cuba: ☑️ 14 to 22 Mar || 12 to 20 Dec || 29 Dec 2026 to 4 Jan, 2027 (New Year's Eve) >> Book here​ 🧘‍♀️ Bali: ✅ 20 to 28 Jun || ✅ 3 to 11 Oct >> Book here​ 🌮 Oaxaca: 11 to 17 Oct || 8 – 14 Nov || 29 Dec 2026 to 4 Jan 2027 >> Book here​ ⛩️ Japan: 💃 ☑️ 28 Mar to 7 Apr [Photographer onboard] || ✅ 13 to 23 Jun || ✅ 13 to 23 Oct (Fall colors) >> Book here​ 🐑 Iceland: ✅ 11 to 18 Oct || ✅ 25 Oct to 1 Nov >> Book here​ 🍝 Tuscany: ✅ 13 to 20 Jun [1 SPOT LEFT] || ☑️ 5 to 12 Sep >> Book here​ 🎄 Xmas markets: ✅ 21 to 29 Nov || 5 to 13 Dec >> Book here​ 🍷 Georgia: ✅ 5 to 13 Sep >> Book here​ 🇦🇲 Armenia: 💃 ✅ 13 to 19 Sep >> Book here (200 EUR off if you book Georgia + Armenia) 🇦🇶 Antarctica: 💃 ☑️ 13 to 27 Dec >> Book here​ 🦪 Croatia & Montenegro: ✅ 31 May to 6 Jun >> Book here​ 🏰 Scotland: ✅ 10 to 18 Oct >> Book here​ 🦘 Australia: 💃 ✅ 11 to 22 Oct >> Book here [Meg will host this trip] 🥘 Barcelona & Beyond: ✅ 20 to 28 Jun >> Book here​ ⛵ Greek islands sailing trip: 💃 ☑️ 29 May to 5 Jun >> Book here [Meg will host this trip, Photographer onboard]​ 🌴 Caribbean island hopping: 💃 💃 ✅ 13 to 20 Feb, 2027 [Photographers onboard, both Meg and I will host this trip] >> Book here​ 🐪 Morocco: ✅ 2 to 12 Oct [Photographer onboard] || ✅ 6 to 16 Nov [1 SPOT LEFT] >> Book here​ 🐒 Madagascar: ✅ 20 Sep to 3 Oct, 2027 [1 SPOT LEFT] >> Book here​ 🇪🇬 Egypt: ☑️ 3 to 12 Apr || ☑️ 30 Oct to 8 Nov || 4 to 13 Dec >> Book here​ 🦁 Tanzania Value safari + Zanzibar: 28 Aug to 7 Sep (Great Migration) || ☑️ 11 to 21 Sep (Great Migration) || 23 Dec to 2 Jan, 2027 (Xmas + NYE) >> Book here​ 🇹🇿 Tanzania Luxe safari + Zanzibar: ☑️ 25 Sep to 5 Oct, 2026 (Great Migration) || ✅ 1 to 10 Nov, 2026 >> Book here​ 🦭 Galapagos sailing: ☑️ 5 to 12 Dec >> Book here [Photographer onboard]​ ❄️ Swedish Arctic: ☑️ 28 Mar to 3 Apr >> Book here (2027 coming soon)​ 🐬 Ecuador & The Galapagos: 💃 ☑️ 5 to 17 May >> Book here (2027 coming soon)

I hope you have an amazing weekend ahead!

Solo Female Travelers Co-Founders