Photo of a Copines de Voyage trip in Namibia, October 2024. PAULINE SIMON/COPINESDEVOYAGE
A young professional in accounting, Marine dreamed of a big trip to Bali: "But my friends either didn't have vacation time, wanted to travel with their partners or didn't have the money." She was then tempted by a small group tour on the Indonesian island, with 10 strangers. "The fact that it was women-only reassured me. Before Bali, I had never traveled very far, so it was nice to have everything organized," explained the 35-year-old from Marseille, who did not give her last name. She has fond memories of the experience and continued to travel this way, joining tours organized by Copines de Voyage in the Balearic Islands and then the Maldives. From these holidays, she kept friendships forged through sharing unusual experiences on the other side of the world: "I was even a bridesmaid at the wedding of a friend I met in Bali."
Could this be the secret behind the renewed appeal of small group travel in recent years? As a response to the ultra-modern loneliness of contemporary life and digital fatigue, these tours are marketed as a way to discover the world through shared interests. At Copines de Voyage, most participants are between 25 and 55 years old. "They are mostly women from higher socio-professional backgrounds, and the vast majority sign up alone. We have single women, but also many who are in relationships but, for one reason or another, aren't traveling with their partner," said Emilie Straub, manager of the brand, which is part of the Altaï group.
