NEW ORLEANS - Astrid Solo Travel Advisor has launched its new website for solo travelers looking for affordable luxury ideas worldwide. According to Visa, one in five are now traveling solo, so the site features tales from past and current trips, videos tips and planning resources designed for this growing group of travelers. Astrid Solo Travel Advisor has a vision to help solo travelers feel confident, safe, inspired, engaged, and never like a tourist. To kick off this venture, CEO and founder, Astrid R. Clements, will embark on a trip around the world, visiting seven countries and traveling 22,000 miles in only 50 days.
"I've been traveling with family, friends and solo for more than 40 years both domestically and abroad," said Astrid R. Clements, CEO and Founder of Astrid Solo Travel Advisor. "Traveling solo is truly a transformative experience, and I want to bring that understanding to my readers. Being a senior hasn't slowed down my thirst for new experiences. My unique approach to travel, with a tech-savvy edge, will show solo travelers new ways to explore other cultures with character and class, or how to just get away for a memorable weekend trip!"
According to the AARP, solo travel represented nearly one third of all travel in 2015. Research from TripAdvisor also showed that 62% of travelers feel solo travel helped them become more independent and self-reliant. This trend is on the rise with those that travel solo having taken an average of 10.9 trips alone, and 58% of the women in that group planning more than one solo trip in the same year.
Affordable Luxury with a Tech-savvy edge
Unlike budget travel, or less accessible luxury sites, Astrid Solo Travel Advisor focuses on affordable luxury ideas for solo travel worldwide. The site follows the travels of its writers who visit solo-friendly hotels with top notch concierges, shop at one-of-a-kind boutiques or flea markets, eat at hot new restaurants or take specialty tours of landmarks and gorgeous local gardens. Astrid Solo Travel Advisor also leverages technology to get around efficiently and recommends the best in location, menu, and safety apps along with gadgets that take the worry out of traveling solo.
Around the World in 50 Days
On January 31st Astrid will embark on an around the world trip. Over 50 days she will travel 22,000 miles and operate on an affordable luxury budget. The base cost of the trip is $25,000, with another $3,000 for shopping and general miscellaneous expenses. She will be flying business class internationally and staying in five star rated luxury hotels with this $560 per day budget. Also included is a luxury cruise down the Nile River with Uniworld.
Visiting six cultures in seven countries including Portugal, Morocco, Egypt, UAE, India, Thailand and Vietnam, Astrid will share tips on when to book travel, how to dress and where to go. Each location will be a first for Astrid, who chose destinations she hadn't yet seen in her 40 years of travel. Unlike many luxury travel tours focused on multiple destinations where you're leaving as soon as you're unpacked, Astrid will take her time in each - a week on average - to navigate the culture and identify that special something about each place.
