Travelers are ready to ditch their friends and go out on their own – according to new surveys.
According to tourism market research firm Future Partners, nearly 40 percent of female travelers have expressed interest in taking a solo trip in 2025, up eight percent from last year.
The survey noted that men were more likely to travel alone for fun, but there was a greater demand for women, which had not been seen before.
Travel organizations have reported that concentrated female-focused travel has increased in popularity over the past 12 months.
Of these female travelers, 40 percent admitted to seeking a ‘sense of belonging’, with 27 percent desiring an ‘expedition’. Almost half of these women are widowed, divorced or separated from their partners, the research found.
For example, Virtuoso, a lush travel company, 71 percent reported of their solo travel customers are women.
According to data from the Adventure Travel Trade Associationwomen now make up more than half of the bookings at adventure travel companies – and many of those women are over 50 years old.
Another tour group, Natural Habitat Adventures, has boosted its capacity by 75 percent in the past year and has plans to double it by 2025.
According to tourism market research firm Future Partners, nearly 40 percent of female travelers have expressed interest in taking a solo trip in 2025, up eight percent from last year
The Boulder, Colorado-based company, which started in 2023 as a small-group nature travel group called Women in the Wild, and which works closely with the World Wildlife Fund for conservation-driven tourism, said it has particularly high demand among older women.
“There is an emerging space that normalizes and encourages travel for older women, especially for those whose partners may not be able to travel with them, or for women who have lost a partner,” said Renata Haas, head of adventure operations for North America said. NBC.
Oliver Winter, CEO and Founder of a&o residences, added that they have seen an increase in demand for female dormitories in the past 12 months.
‘There has been a remarkable increase in solo travelers since last year across the portfolio. In particular, we’ve seen a significant bump in solo female travellers,’ he noted.
He continued: ‘This trend continues to grow at such a rapid pace that we have added a significant additional number of female residences to our residences. As the largest hostel chain in Europe, female travelers can stay at our hostels in leading 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 eat – but when it comes to women in their 50s, especially when it comes to travel, there’s a big gap,” she explained. .
Melissa added that as a woman in her 50s and a mother of three, she often travels alone for business, and finds the opportunity to explore new places on her terms ‘incredibly liberating’.
Virtuoso, a lush travel company, reported that 71 percent of their solo travel customers are women
“Unlike the prescriptive marketing 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 the mother of three daughters, I’ve seen firsthand how the journey of self-identity is crucial to personal growth, and it’s no different for women at midlife,” she continued. ‘The rising trend of women-focused travel aligns beautifully with this – helping women build resilience, adaptability and independence. Travel becomes a powerful tool to shape us into well-rounded individuals and global citizens.’
In 2024, avid traveler Cherlynn Ng, assistant digital editor of Singaporean newspaper The New Paper, wrote an article titled Things I (Should Not) Have Done as a Solo Female Traveler, candidly recounting her experiences and the lessons learned have, reflect.
In her article, Cherlynn describes three significant 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 highlights the importance of being cautious, trusting her instincts and setting clear boundaries when interacting with strangers.
