Almost Nobody
Brings A Friend
We pulled every booking from our own system and counted. This is what the data says about who books a group trip, and why.
Across 849 completed trip bookings, 98.7 percent were a single person booking only themselves. Eleven bookings were pairs. None were groups of three or more. Meanwhile 55 percent of those bookings came from someone who had already travelled with us or someone they told directly, against 14 percent from Google search. The median traveller is 35 years old, the split is 60 percent women to 40 percent men, and one in five people come back for another trip.
The Headline Numbers
Every figure below comes from our own booking system. Method is at the bottom.
| What we measured | The number | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Bookings that were one person, alone | 98.7% | 838 booker and trip combinations |
| Bookings from a past guest or their referral | 55% | 849 completed bookings |
| Bookings from Google search | 14% | 849 completed bookings |
| Bookings from all social media | Under 9% | 849 completed bookings |
| Median traveller age | 35 (middle half 32 to 39) | 838 travellers with a birth year |
| Women to men | 60% to 40% | 843 travellers |
| Travellers who booked more than one trip | 21% | 649 unique travellers |
| Most trips taken by one person | 7 | 649 unique travellers |
Nobody Is Bringing A Plus One
This is the finding that surprised us and it is not close. Out of 838 combinations of booker and trip, 827 were a single person booking a place for themselves and nobody else. Eleven were pairs. Zero were groups of three or more. The mental image of a group trip as a pack of friends who already know each other is simply wrong, at least for this kind of travel. Every room is full of people who arrived on their own, which is also why the fear of being the only one who did is misplaced.
The Business Runs On People, Not Ads
55 percent of bookings trace back to a human. Returning guests account for 21.2 percent, plain word of mouth 16.8 percent, and named referrals from a previous guest another 16.7 percent. Add trips booked through one of our leaders and the relationship-driven share reaches 65 percent. Google search brings 14 percent. Every social platform combined brings under 9 percent, which is worth sitting with given how much of the travel industry is built on Instagram. Press and articles account for less than half a percent.
Who Is Actually In The Room
The median traveller is 35. The middle half sit between 32 and 39, and the full range runs from 22 to 65, so the twenty-somethings and the fifty-somethings are both real rather than theoretical. The split is 60 percent women to 40 percent men. About one in five people book a second trip, 138 of 649, and the person at the top of the list has now done seven.
How We Counted
The data covers 849 completed bookings across 26 international trips from our own booking system, with departures running from 2024 through 2026. We deduplicated to one record per person per trip, keeping the most recent version of each. Add-on purchases such as airport transfers, surfboard rental and room upgrades were excluded so they could not inflate the counts. Cancelled and pending bookings were excluded from all figures. Age is derived from the birth year on file, and 838 of 849 records had one. Gender was recorded for 843. We have not adjusted or weighted any of it.
Real Questions
What percentage of people book group trips alone?
In our data, 98.7 percent. Of 838 booker and trip combinations, 827 were one person booking only themselves and 11 were pairs. Not a single booking was a group of three or more.
Where do group trip bookings actually come from?
Overwhelmingly from people, not advertising. Returning guests are 21.2 percent, word of mouth 16.8 percent, and referrals from another past guest 16.7 percent. That is 55 percent relationship-driven. Google search accounts for 14 percent and all social media combined for under 9 percent.
What is the average age on a group trip?
The median is 35. The middle half of travellers are between 32 and 39, and the full range runs from 22 to 65.
Are group trips mostly women?
In our data, 60 percent women and 40 percent men, from 843 travellers who gave a gender. That is a real skew but a long way from the women-only operators.
How many people go back for a second trip?
About one in five. 138 of 649 unique travellers have booked more than one trip. The highest count for a single person is seven.
Can I cite this data?
Yes. Please link back to this page. If you want a cut we have not published, or a quote from the founder, email mantas@surfyogabeer.com.