According to new surveys, travelers are willing to leave their friends and travel alone.
According to travel market research firm Future Partners, nearly 40 percent of female travelers expressed interest in embarking on a solo trip in 2025, up eight percent from last year.
The survey noted that men are more likely to travel alone for fun, but there has been greater demand from women, something that has not been seen before.
Travel organizations have reported that women-focused trips have skyrocketed in popularity over the past 12 months.
Of these travelers, 40 percent admitted they were seeking a “sense of belonging,” and 27 percent longed for an “expedition.” Almost half of these women are widowed, divorced or separated from their partners, according to the research.
For example, Virtuoso, an exuberant travel company, 71 percent reported of their clients who travel alone are women.
According to data from the Adventure Travel Trade Associationwomen They now make up more than half of the bookings made by adventure travel companies, and many of those women are over 50 years old.
Another travel group, Natural Habitat Adventures, has increased its capacity by 75 percent over the past year and plans to double it by 2025.
According to tourism market research firm Future Partners, nearly 40 percent of female travelers expressed interest in embarking on a solo trip in 2025, up eight percent from last year.
The Boulder, Colorado-based company, which started as a small-group nature travel group called Women in the Wild in 2023, and is now partnering with the World Wildlife Fund for conservation-driven tourism, He said he has seen particularly strong demand among seniors. women.
“There is an emerging space that is normalizing and encouraging travel for older women, particularly those whose partners may not be able to travel with them, or for women who have lost their partner,” said Renata Haas, chief operating officer of adventures for North America. NBC.
Oliver Winter, CEO and founder of a&o hostels, She added that they have seen an increase in demand for women-only dormitories in the last 12 months.
‘There has been a notable increase in solo travelers since last year across the portfolio. “In particular, we have seen a significant increase in the number of women traveling alone,” she said.
He continued: ‘This trend continues to grow at such a rapid rate that we have added a significant additional number of female dormitories to our hostels. As Europe’s largest hostel chain, female travelers can stay in our hostels in major European cities such as Berlin, Venice, Salzberg and more.
Melissa Krueger, CEO of Classic Vacations, said women traveling in groups, whether as lifelong friends or complete strangers, is on the rise.
“Marketing to women often revolves around telling us what we need (how we should look, act or consume), but when it comes to women in their 50s, particularly when it comes to travel, there is a glaring gap.” “he explained.
Melissa added that as a woman in her 50s and mother of three, she often travels alone on business and finds having the opportunity to explore new places on her own terms “incredibly liberating.”
Virtuoso, a lush travel company, reported that 71 percent of its solo travel clients are women.
“Unlike the prescriptive marketing that women are used to, this stage of life is less about being told what we need and more about embracing our self-expression and autonomy,” she explained.
“As a mother of three daughters, I’ve seen firsthand how the journey toward self-identity is crucial to personal growth, and it’s no different for middle-aged women,” she continued. ‘The growing trend of women-focused travel aligns beautifully with this: helping women develop resilience, adaptability and independence. Travel becomes a powerful tool to become well-rounded individuals and global citizens.”
In 2024, avid traveler Cherlynn Ng, deputy digital editor of Singapore newspaper The New Paper, wrote an article titled Things I (Shouldn’t) Have Done as a Solo Traveler, candidly reflecting on her experiences and lessons learned.
In her article, Cherlynn details three major mistakes she made that could have jeopardized her safety, along with the strategies she now uses to protect herself.
She advises solo travelers to share their location with loved ones, avoid walking the streets alone at night, and be open but sensible when meeting new people.
Her experience underscores the importance of using caution, trusting your instincts, and setting clear boundaries when interacting with strangers.