Think back to one of your most memorable travel experiences: how many people were you with? If you’re like most travelers, your best memories will likely be those made in a small group, those that felt the most personal.
According to the latest Arival research, travelers increasingly remember — and seek out — experiences with smaller, even private, groups. That’s one of the standout findings in Arival’s latest consumer report on The 2026 Day Tour Taker, based on a survey of 2,550 U.S. and European travelers. The report explores how travelers choose tours, what they value most and how preferences differ across markets and traveler segments.
Two findings in particular point to the same underlying shift: travelers want smaller, more private experiences — and solo travelers are driving the demand.
Small is the New Aspiration
When asked to describe a specific tour they took, nearly half of both U.S. (48%) and European (46%) travelers chose a tour with a group of fewer than seven people. Fewer than one in 10 picked a tour of more than 20 participants.
Large-group tours still represent real booking volume — plenty of travelers take them, and operators shouldn’t read this as a signal to abandon them. But when travelers reach for the tour they remember most vividly, it’s disproportionately a small group tour.
What these results show, is tour takers value intimacy. Intimacy is closely tied to the qualities travelers say they value most: personal attention, flexibility and a higher-quality experience overall.
It’s no surprise, then, that private tours tell a similar story. Roughly half of U.S. tour takers (50%) took a private tour in the past year. What was once a luxury niche has become a mainstream product category, and operators should take note: small-group and private options aren’t just an upsell for the few — they’re increasingly what defines a memorable experience for the many.
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Solo Travelers are All About Small Groups
If small and private is the direction the market is heading, solo travelers are already there. This segment over-indexes hardest on small groups: a third of solo travelers took a tour with three people or fewer, and two-thirds booked a private tour — more than any other cohort in the study.
But solo travelers pair that preference for intimacy with a demand for flexibility. They’re the most likely to book via mobile phone (27%, higher than any other traveler group), a quarter book their tour the same day they take it. Solo travelers can most easily go with the flow, and flexible booking options make this spontaneous style of travel possible.
Put together, solo travelers want an experience that feels personal and human — but on their own timeline, discovered and booked however is most convenient for them in the moment.
Operator Takeaway: Design for Intimacy and Flexibility
- Make small-group and private options visible, not buried as an add-on: travelers increasingly see them as the main event.
- Build for last-minute, mobile-first booking, especially for solo-friendly products: a same-day, easy-to-book private or small-group option can capture a traveler segment other operators overlook.
Explore the latest Experiences Traveler research with Arival
Dig deeper into the latest research on the U.S. and European experiences travelers – who they are, what they want, what are they looking for in 2026 – and some key trends shaping the tours, activities and attractions sector for the coming year with Arival’s 2026 Experiences Traveler research series.
Find the full list of publications in this research series here:
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Header photo: Pexels / Chermiti Mohamed
