More Women are Traveling Alone: Here's Why & Where Solo Travel is Heading

Solo travel has only grown more popular in the last few years. The prospect of dropping everything and taking a trip alone, untethered by responsibilities to others, is quite enticing, and this rising trend is understandable. An increasing number of women are taking solo trips, thanks to the wealth of resources available for planning safe adventures, whether through dedicated websites or apps designed for female solo travelers.

The Solo Female Travelers Club is an organization that over 245,000 women belong to and use to plan their solo trips. More than just a Facebook group, the Solo Female Travelers Club uses its website to offer advice to women traveling alone, and they even help organize tours led by other women.

Empowering and helpful, organizations like these provide women with the chance to take a trip without the influence of men or outside sources. This is quite appealing in a world where most industries, including the travel industry, are dominated by men.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, solo travel has increased by 716%, and the trend shows no signs of slowing down. The desire of many women to take back some control after being trapped indoors and restricted from traveling has driven the rise in solo trips.

International travel in particular has become more popular among female solo travelers. Places like Bali, Finland, Taiwan, and Japan are among the top solo travel destinations for women. Women traveling abroad have never had more resources to feel comfortable as translation apps and smartphones have made it much easier. International travel agencies like Up Norway have seen a 50% increase in women booking solo trips.

Online resources like Greether can connect you to other women in key travel locations. Having another woman guide you on your vacation can make you feel more comfortable during your solo trip. This can work wonders in making women feel safer on their solo trips, and it also provides a better context for the places you visit.

Their network of guides, or Greethers, spans everywhere from Bali and Costa Rica to Chicago and Orlando. Greether founder Vanessa Karel founded a company “where women empowerment is the goal and where female travelers can leave their economical thumbprint in an ethical way”. Organizations like the Female Solo Travelers Club and Greether are signs of where the solo travel industry is headed.

While it’s great to have such helpful resources, women traveling alone understandably have safety concerns. According to WayAway, 24% of prospective solo female travelers have canceled trips because they weren’t confident that they’d be safe. Luckily, there is no shortage of safe cities throughout the world that are largely considered safe for women traveling alone.

Boston, Seattle, San Diego, and Orlando are among the safest solo travel destinations for women in the United States. The safest international cities for solo women travelers include Reykjavik, Iceland, and Budapest, Hungary. However, it’s important to do your homework when planning your solo trip, especially if you travel abroad.

Women should carefully consider traveling alone to South Africa, Egypt, Russia, Brazil, Iran, and Mexico, according to Forbes. Each of these countries has a high volume of crime directed toward women. Gender-based violence is a longstanding epidemic that has dissuaded many women from traveling alone. While it’s important to exercise caution, the empowering experience of taking a solo trip is worth the effort of researching safe locations.

According to Condor Ferries, 84% of all solo travelers are female. The United States is reportedly home to the most solo female travelers as 72% of women from the country have taken trips alone. Solo travel is a key part of the travel industry, and women are the biggest contributors.

Many hotels and resorts now offer “alonemoon” packages catered toward solo travelers. The rise in solo travel has opened the door for hotels and travel agencies to cater to women traveling alone. However, it’s the “by women, for women” organizations like the Solo Female Travelers Club that have their best interests in mind.

Whether it be a quick getaway or an international adventure, there are more resources than ever for women to safely travel alone. The future of solo travel lies in companies like Greether putting the power in the hands of women while ensuring their safety and comfort. Traveling alone is empowering and it offers a respite from the everyday stresses of life. The wealth of resources that make it easy to safely travel alone as a woman is more than enough reason to plan your next trip.