‘I was hooked’: the rise of the intrepid feminine solo traveller | Travel

UK journey corporations have reported a rise in bookings for solo travellers, primarily older girls, typically leaving companions behind to “explore on their own terms”.

Last month, the tour operator Jules Verne mentioned solo travellers accounted for 46% of bookings for its journeys departing subsequent yr, up from 40% in 2023. Just beneath 70% of its present solo bookings are made by girls.

We spoke to some feminine solo travellers on the ups and downs of going it alone.

‘My grownup kids are used to it now’

When Linda’s husband died in 2016, she determined to make use of the cash she had saved by checking out probate herself to hitch a pictures tour of Cuba.

“Although I knew no one on the tour, our shared passion for travel and photography sparked friendships that continue to this day,” says Linda, 75, from Oxford. “I was hooked and have been doing it ever since, joining tours to far-flung places: Bolivia, Ethiopia, Namibia, Brazil, India. I’ve travelled solo around Europe with an Interrail pass twice, staying in hotels and accommodation along the way.”

Linda, who’s retired, makes certain to stipulate her journey for her family members earlier than she departs.

“My grown-up kids are used to it now and don’t worry about me as long as I give them an ‘in case I get lost’ itinerary before I go,” she says. “I also check in with them at each location on arrival with a photo of my accommodation and post images of my travels on Instagram and/or Facebook as I go. I also let them know when I’m home safe.”

Her subsequent journey can be to India.

“I am going to Rajasthan next year with a photography group,” she says. “I would encourage other women to experience solo travelling. It is scary at first, but if you take that step, you realise you can do it and have amazing experiences.”

‘Waiting 40 years to solo backpack across Europe meant I appreciated it all the more’

Claudia had hoped to solo backpack round Europe in her teenagers, however that dream was blocked by her “concerned mother”.

Fast ahead 4 a long time, and she or he lastly bought to fulfil that teenage want.

“The backpacking trip in Europe was everything I dreamed of,” says Claudia, 63, a registered nurse from Ontario, Canada. “I slept on overnight buses, stayed in 20-room mixed dorms – the full experience sans bar-hopping as I’m teetotal.

“The fact that it took easily 40 years for me to go on this trip meant I appreciated it all the more. The things that some people were complaining about seemed irrelevant to me. I had all those years of life experience to problem solve when situations don’t work out quite the way you planned.”

Claudia recollects conversations with a colleague on their nursing evening shifts, discussing how they needed to journey as soon as they retired. Sadly, the colleague died earlier than these plans could possibly be realised.

“I did travel with others, going to twentysomething countries before marriage and even had a six-week honeymoon,” says Claudia. “Life got busy, and before I knew it I was in my 50s. But it was the sudden death of my co-worker that kicked me back into travel action. I resumed travelling in 2016, first with my husband, but the itch to travel solo quickly re-emerged. My most recent birthday in September was spent in Poland and Lithuania for almost four weeks. October was Ecuador, November was the Dominican Republic. Travel has taught me that ‘not now’ doesn’t mean ‘never’.”

Her subsequent journey in 2026 is a three-week keep in New Zealand.

She provides: “So many women are caregivers in some shape or form, and it’s just the freedom to be able to go and do something where you’re not negotiating with children or a spouse or a friend. What I love about solo travel is that I am in my own essence, free of societal roles of wife, mother, employee …”

‘There is no limit to what I want to do and can do’

RoseMary’s curiosity in South Korea was sparked when she started watching a TV collection set there.

“I was very fragile after the death of my partner of 20 years, seven years ago,” says RoseMary, 77, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “I realised there was so much on television about unhappy situations, and I came across this very gentle and sweet series. It turned out to be from South Korea, and it really piqued my interest, so I decided to visit the country.”

RoseMary, who’s retired, has made two journeys to South Korea, staying in Seoul, firstly in a lodge, then she discovered a spot by a house-sitting scheme.

“For my third trip to Seoul, which will be for over a month, I’ve found accommodation staying in a person’s home,” says RoseMary. She will use this as a base and is trying ahead to visiting South Korea’s many dolmens (burial websites constructed of stone in the course of the prehistoric period).

The flexibility of solo journey has been a selected attraction for her.

“It allows me to set the agenda completely,” she says. “There is no limit to what I want to do and can do. No negotiating over where to eat with a squeamish travel partner.”

She says the response to her first journey to Seoul was met with “blank stares” from family and friends.

“Martial law was declared the night before I got on the plane for my second trip to South Korea in December of 2024,” says RoseMary. “The family and friends’ worry level rose to new heights of chicken head loss. The first thing I did after landing was get into the thick of it.”

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‘I try new things because I want to, not because I feel I have to’

Caelin says she began solo travelling “almost by accident”.

“At 21, I flew to Peru for a friend’s wedding and decided to spend a bit of time exploring on my own,” says Caelin, who’s now 22 and works in advertising and marketing in Wellington, New Zealand.

“I thought I would just fill the days, take some photos and tick a place off my list. What actually happened was much bigger. I am a naturally social person, always around people, always talking, and suddenly I had nothing but my own company. At first, there were moments when I felt a little lonely, but that slowly shifted into something grounding. It was the first time I realised that being alone did not have to feel like being left out. It could feel peaceful.”

Since that journey, she has travelled solo to Chile and Spain.

“Every time I go I feel myself learning something new about who I am,” she says. “There is no pressure to perform or keep up or apologise for wanting a slower pace. That lack of pressure ends up pushing me to do more. I try new things because I genuinely want to, not because I feel I have to.

“Even something as small as flying alone has become one of my favourite parts. It is peaceful to sit with myself, no distractions, no conversation I feel obligated to make. It reminds me that I can be comfortable in my own company. That has been one of the biggest lessons.”

It has given her one other enhance.

“There is a kind of quiet confidence that comes from relying on yourself and realising you are capable,” she says. “My parents were extremely worried at first. I understood their fear, but after two successful trips, they started to see how positive it has been for me. I come back calmer, more centred and more confident. They can see that solo travel is not me running away from anything. It is me choosing a version of life where I trust myself fully.”

‘Single supplements make solo holidays unaffordable’

Judith says she travels solo however would like to share the travelling expertise with somebody.

She has shut household in Denmark, Switzerland and Germany, in addition to connections with Spain and France, and has gone on solo journeys round Denmark and France.

“I’d rather not be travelling solo, but I don’t have anyone to share my journeys with,” says Judith, 69, who lives in West Sussex and works in a yacht chandlery. “The truth is, if I don’t go solo, I won’t go at all.”

Judith, who has three grown-up kids and has been single for 25 years, says it may be costly whenever you journey alone.

“I have been searching for a solo holiday to the Norwegian fjords to celebrate my 70th, but the single supplement makes it almost double the price and frankly not affordable. There are an awful lot of us who would do solo travelling more if the prices were fair.

“My last solo trip was on my birthday this year. I didn’t want to be home alone, so I went by train from the south of England to Edinburgh. I explored that wonderful city and visited some other lovely places in the area, like Rosslyn Castle, which is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I liked that I was free to come and go as I pleased, but do you want to sit and have your meal on your own and feel like Billy no mates? Although I met some very nice people along the way and had a really good time, it would have been nice to share it with somebody.”

‘I struck up some great conversations with strangers from all over the world’

Becky says she has actually loved the prospect to fulfill and join with different folks on her solo travels.

She has travelled extensively on her personal for each work and pleasure, both utterly solo or becoming a member of group journeys.

“I love it,” says Becky, 53, who works in schooling and lives in Leeds. “If I’m honest, I’ve had a few trips where I’ve felt a bit lonely, had a few hassles or joined a group that I didn’t really gel with, but in the main it’s been fantastic.

“I’ve had safe and amazing experiences, met some wonderful people and gained incredible cultural insights. I find going solo enables you to connect with more people as they see you as more approachable than when in a group.”

She has simply returned from her first-ever solo interrailing journey.

“I highly recommend it,” she says. “I used the night trains with women-only compartments to travel the length of Italy, took a pasta-making class with a group of boisterous and hilarious Italian-New Yorkers discovering their roots, and struck up some great conversations with strangers from all over the world while sitting on benches waiting for my next connection.”