Though riddled with its own challenges, solo travel provides unparalleled opportunity to build confidence and create friendships on the road.
A woman traveling in Thailand. Daniel Foster. CC BY-NC 2.0
The popularity of solo travel has skyrocketed in recent years, especially among female travelers and Millennials. As of 2019, solo travel accounted for 18% of travel bookings. Solo tour bookings have also seen significant increases and the number of travel companies that are specifically geared towards solo women travelers has increased by 230% since 2015.
The reasons to embark on a solo trip are as endless as the potential destinations.
The 2022 Solo Female Travel Survey found that 87% of respondents sought out solo travel to seek freedom and flexibility, with 76% of respondents seeking it out as a means to challenge themselves and 83% to escape routine and responsibilities. Ninety percent of Gen Z respondents sought out solo travel to push their boundaries, while 41% of Millennials used it to heal from a life transition or to cope with a traumatic experience.
Psychological Benefits
The age-old fantasy of seeking out an adventure to center and find oneself has a real psychological basis. Travel has been linked to reduced work burnout, stress, and depression. Furthermore, not only does the change of environment inherent to travel help form new mental associations, but studies have found that experiencing day to day changes in scenery tends to make people happier.
Solo travel not only opens one’s travel experiences up with increased flexibility and independence, but teaches self-sufficiency and builds confidence.
Traveling Safely
One of the biggest deterrents for solo travel is fear for personal safety, which are especially palpable for women. According to The Solo Female Travel Survey survey, 64% of respondents worry about safety when traveling solo. However, feeling safe and comfortable while traveling alone increases with experience, and reported concerns regarding safety decreased from 75% to 53% among respondents that had embarked on more than 10 solo trips.
Getting comfortable around solo traveling can begin within the familiarity of one’s own home country, with 18% of survey respondents recommending domestic travel within their country of origin as the best first-time solo travel experience.
Creating Community on the Road
Solo travel hiking. Rajarshi MITRA. CC BY 2.0.
While the world of solo travel is an experience inherently individualistic and involves a degree of solitude, it by no means must be a lonely one. By staying in hostels, exploring local tours, or opting to work in coffee shops and shared co-working spaces, solo travelers can widen their sphere of possible connections with locals and fellow travelers,
Online resources also provide an opportunity to build connections. Apps like Travello connect individuals to local activities, while Couchsurfing helps travelers find accommodations and fellow globetrotters staying nearby. Backpackr facilitates meet-ups with other travel buddies, and World connects users to host families for work exchange.
Social media also plays a major role in meeting up on the road. Instagram and Facebook build virtual connections that can then turn to real life meetups. Such social media platforms also allow solo travelers to find specific groups they want to be a part of and take advice from, important given that 76% of women who travel solo trust the advice of solo female travel Facebook groups. With over one million active women travelers, the Facebook group Girls Love Travel provides resources and empowerment to female voyagers by emphasizing safety and empowerment. Other Facebook groups specifically geared towards female travelers include Girls Who Travel, The Solo Female Travel Network, Solo Women Travellers and Conde Nast’s Women Who Travel.
Connect with Solo Traveler Groups
The Solo Female Traveler Network allows women to book tickets for group trips that are “by women for women.”
FTLO Travel typically sees a younger crowd of 20- to 30-year-olds. FTLO’s bookings increased by 225% from 2019 to 2022, and 75% of them were made by women.
For group travel opportunities geared specifically at young adults, Under 30 Experiences seeks to make travel more accessible for young people while making a positive impact on local communities and embracing the road less traveled on.
G Adventures also strives to open up travel opportunities for young people by offering Roamies trips — experiences for “18-to-Thirtysomethings” involving travel groups of 22 people or less.
Jessica Blatt
Jessica Blatt graduated from Barnard College with a degree in English. Along with journalism, she is passionate about creative writing and storytelling that inspires readers to engage with the world around them. She hopes to share her love for travel and learning about new cultures through her work.