Fully independent travelers (or FIT) is a term that stems from independent foreign tours. The independent foreign tour is no longer used, and you will often find these tourists addressed as FITs. The F in this acronym stands for ‘fully.’
What are the features of Fully Independent Travellers?
We’ve already established that FITs work out their itineraries independently and arrange travel plans to reflect their unique needs. They also don’t travel on group tours. But is there anything more that these travelers share in common? Below you can find all the features of FITs.
Traveling solo, in couples, or in small intimate groups
When we talk about FITs, we refer to a group of travelers who are not interested in being part of big groups surrounded by people they don’t know. Many of them prefer to go on a trip by themselves. However, some of them don’t exclusively travel solo.
FITs are also known to travel in couples. They can also plan trips as a small group. These groups are intimate, meaning they usually include friends and family members.
It’s a diverse demographic group
Usually, travelers with specific travel behavior, needs, and wants, are found in the same demographic segment based on age. This is not the case with FITs. It’s quite a diverse demographic group. Most often, the youngest members are millennials, but they are soon to be joined by Generation Z (those born in the mid and late 90s). 30% of Gen Z prefer to travel alone, and 20% of the same generation plan to go on a solo backpacking trip.
On the other side, you can also find retirees as one of the most active FITs. They are more experienced in travel and know what they want to get out of a trip. It enables them to custom-tailor their experiences and travel entirely independently.