The Bachelor Richie on solo travel this V Day

Intrepid Travel has launched a range of solo trips, with former The Bachelor star Richie Strahan, now single, taking an Intrepid trip to Vietnam.

“There is something poetic about being in a foreign city alone – you learn a lot about yourself,” Strahan said.

“Cheesy Valentine’s Day advertising can make even the least cynical singles want to escape from smug couples,” Intrepid Regional Director Asia Pacific Brett Mitchell said.

“While the travel industry focuses on romantic getaways, solo travel is becoming increasingly popular as singles realise that you don’t have to have a partner to get out and explore the world,” Mitchell said.

The 8-day Vietnam trip struck a balance between free time and company with other tour travellers.

“You never know the people you will be travelling with – we had an Irish couple, an English couple married 40 years and a New Zealander who lost his leg in a motorbike accident but still climbed 8oo steps at one of the sites,” Strahan said.

Most solo travellers are jetting off in small group adventures with fellow singletons, not to meet someone new, but to connect with themselves (according to Intrepid Travel statistics, women rate at 58 per cent and men at 52 per cent).

Our tour guide Ha was fantastic. Sometimes there can be a language barrier but his understanding of Aussie banter meant he was giving it as much as we gave back,”

“He was passionate about telling the story of history and heritage – I was enthralled the whole time. He had all the answers to give,” Strahan said.

“A highlight was living off the $3.50 pho.”

“Hoi An too was a beautiful place. I remember arriving, and was blown away by the architecture, the pastel colours, and it comes alive at night with lanterns, the marketplace, and it was a photographer’s dream.”

The Intrepid Travel solo range includes a 9-day Classic Peru for Solo-Travellers, a 9-day Beautiful Bali for Solo Travellers as well as the Best of Morocco for Solo Travellers.

Vietnam Locals