What women traveling solo is. I hope you remember Elizabeth Gilbert in “Eat, Pray and Love”. A seemingly successful woman settled in life yet not quite happy. In a quest to find meaning to life, she decided to go on a travel binge. She chose to find herself again through exploring new places and experiences. I bet many of us wished to be in her place, and do what she did but could not go further than dreaming of it. This is for you, solo travelling is nothing outlandish anymore.
Many find travelling alone is not so fun specially who love companionship. For women, it is even more precarious. However, more and more women now prefer to travel alone. Solo travelling for women has been a fairly recent trend. Even then, it is captivating to see how impactful this industry is in the travel business.
Travel alone or Travel Solo?
Solo travel literary means travelling alone without friends or families but travelers prefer to call it ‘solo travelling’. This adds more meaning to the term itself by broadening its’ interpretation. A traveler meets people, communicates with fellow travelers and locals they come across, and experience new stuffs everyday while exploring a new place. Thus, a traveler is never alone rather spending a very little time in actually being alone. A journey of meaningful experiences sometimes outweighs the fear of being lonely, hence travelling solo is more appealing and sounds relevant than travelling alone.
For women, travelling solo is even more emancipating particularly when many of them still rarely get to have new experiences due to social bindings and roles.
More Women Travelling Solo
ROAD Scholar shows that post pandemic, 85% of total solo travelers are women said by the travel companies. Survey data says while only 4% women travelled solo in 2019, it increased sharp at 18% by 2022. Unlike old times, women now slowly learning to take risks for achieving what they desire.
Travelling to explore new places is something women used to do with a male partner or other family members. We care to understand what had triggered the women to push in the boundaries and stereotypes. Professor Heather Gibson,(University of Florida) has been researching solo women travelers for decades. She talked to many solo travelers who at first started travelling alone for taking refuge from loneliness or monotonous life routine.
Taking a break from life and Experience Unknown
- Taking a break from a monotonous day-to-day life: this is your chance to take a break from your roles as mother/wife or other. Throwing off your responsibilities and enjoy your liberty. Your relaxation hours are promised when you travel and peaceful when you travel solo.
- Experiencing unknown, embracing unseen: Do you know that you have an interest to try out new cuisine? Or you love paragliding? You will only know if you follow your desire to explore those events. Often when we travel with friends or families, we are forced to go with the flow. The itinerary may skip things your companions do not like even if you are interested to try. Being solo, your travel plan can be more flexible and changeable as you like. Solo travelling will help you unite with people culturally, or nationally different from you but similar in many other ways.
- Find a new meaning to self-independence: Solo travelling can make a profound impact on your inner thoughts on life. That urge you feel to understand your feelings deeply without any interference is endorsed by solo travelling. Moreover, you will be dealing with issues i.e. finances or public communication which usually women leave to their partners. This is your chance to see yourself from a different perspective. This is when you reveal your strengths and weakness as you have no one but you only to rely on. Have new exposure to life offers self-discovery or figuring out a new perspective to own self.
- An opportunity to meet people, make friends: Travelling alone sometimes can end you up with strangers who then turn to friends. This may help you find a partner for your next trip.
- Individualistic approaches towards own lifestyle: People these days are digging into the new meanings of ‘being alone’ in order to understand own desires and thoughts. Finding solace in solitude is becoming more acceptable and popular more than any time in the past. Technological advancement also is responsible because you are always connected to your families and friends through internet.
Solo trips are not Solo Anymore
Women travelers are not stopping with travelling and gathering experiences only. They are taking their passion to the next levels by taking it as a profession. Many of the experienced travelers have become travel agent and tour guide who created agencies for women travelers. Now-a-days, if you check online, many women are travelling in a group with other solo travelers, creating memories with strangers but like-minded women friends. These travel groups are very professional and provide stout safety to the women. One of them is Nabila Ismail who runs a travel group called ‘Does of Travel Club’. She takes women groups to visit places infamous for different reasons. She is also a top travel influencer with more than 100,000 followers sharing and exchanging information and advice about travelling. Travelers like her are now icon and inspiration for women who would not have thought about it otherwise.
Planning to join the team of women travelling solo? I have few tips for you from the solo women travelers. Keep these advices in mind while you are a woman travelling solo. They will help you plan a safe and organized tour.
- Plan your stay well, ensure safety.
- Your backpack should carry only must-have items.
- Secure your passport, cash, ID and other important documents required for your travel in a safe place.
- Communicate with the locals for accommodation and protection.
- Always and always keep contact with your closed ones in a way. Internet is a good option.
Scope for Business in Tourism Industry
Solo travel is fueling up now, and so is tourism. Many companies, hotels and airlines are offering packages to attract women travelling solo in particular. For example, Air India is introducing separate rows reserved for female travelers. Travel companies like Trafalgar offers only-women tours. Hotels are also keeping pace with inventing solo packages named “oney-moons”. These packages offer services as like honeymoons for the women travelling alone. Besides, women travel groups have reputation as more ‘well-organized, safe and considerate’ comparatively than other common tours.
The whole article above can be summed up with what writer and traveler Priyasha Bhalla said in one of her article. it says “Solo travel can be an incredibly empowering and enriching experience, offering opportunities for personal growth, self-discovery, and adventure”. In addition, women travelling solo never found regretting the choices or decisions they make along the way. It can be either a failure or success but always an opportunity to educate themselves about life and the world.
