Embracing travel as a solo female

Single women are heading out on their own in larger numbers to hit that road more or less traveled. A 2013 poll of travel agents by Travel Guard Worldwide, Inc., found that, ‘Agents reported that it’s much more common for woman to travel alone than men, with 73% of agents polled noting that more female travelers embark on solo trips than their male counterparts.’

Even with an ever changing world, women are realizing that they can safely see the world solo. And that world can be a short drive, train ride or flight away for short getaways to re-energize or the longer, further distance, life journey that many women are embarking on.

‘According to the Travel Industry Association, there is an estimated 32 million single American women who have traveled at least once in the past year, and some three in ten travel five or more times a year. The average adventure traveller is not a male but a 47-year-old female. Fueling this travel desire is the growth in single women. One-third of all women are now single “indies” – a new term for those over 27, not married, not living with a partner and without children,’ as noted in a post on Business2Community.com.

Even with this kind of data, marketers are still not talking to this solo female traveller. And it’s not just about talking to them about a beach vacation or a getaway with the girls, these travellers are looking for adventure, and they’re choosing to do it on their own.

In an article on AdventureTravelNews.com, TourRadar CEO Travis Pittman says, “Many financially secure women have the urge to travel and no longer feel the need to wait for the right partner to accompany them.”

Being solo is not holding these travellers back from experiencing the world. They have the money for travel and adventure and are ready to find or build the right experience for themselves.

Everything from pre-packaged adventure tours to building their own trip is on the dance card for solo women these days.

For example, I treated myself to a fully self researched and planned, six-week milestone birthday trip to Vancouver, Australia, New Zealand and Los Angeles a few years back.

Saving and planning for my journey was an important part of the entire experience. And no opportunity was going to be missed on this milestone journey. When I think back to some of my memorable experiences it was more than just the climax, but the path I took to get there.

Today’s search for information goes much further these days than the traditional travel book, or a simple online search. When the solo female is researching for information and advice, they go to many sources from friends, family, online, social media and even traditional methods of travel books and brochures. They are thoughtful planners who need more than a few pretty pictures to send them on a trip.

Research can range from online searches to spark ideas and find social media feeds, to searching hashtags and reaching out in 140 characters or less to other like-minded travellers. They are visiting sites like TripAdvisor.com, considering Airbnb, searching on Pinterest and sifting through Instagram pics. The solo female traveller is looking for info, inspiration and intelligence from a much larger variety of locations than travellers ever have in the past.

Whether that solo female traveller is joining a group of like-minded solo travellers she has found online, to add a sense of safety and camaraderie, or hitting the road on their own, open to new experiences and making international connections, the world of solo female traveling is growing. And with that the tourism industry has many opportunities to grow, change and adapt.

UPDATE: Just came across this great video about Solo Travel from Rough Guides and it really speaks to Solo Travel.