Rise of the solo female traveller
The single travel bug is catching with a new world of solo female travellers realising the freedom to step out of their comfort zone and spend some alone time on the road. The leading experts in healthy holidays worldwide have seen a rise in the diversity of travellers choosing to go it alone for the wonderful opportunity to focus on their individual goals and personal development. Whether in Paris with no agenda, on a yoga retreat in India or fitness bootcamp in Europe, with solo travel having almost doubled amongst affluent and first-time travellers in 2015, more retreats are banishing hefty single supplements to welcome this new wave of solo wellness warriors.
Issuing in a new era of single female travellers, the freedom to choose how you spend your trip alone is attracting a new and broader following, from recent grads with no idea of what to do after college or health conscious baby boomers looking to keep active in retirement, to divorced single parents wanting to rediscover a healthier lifestyle. Having shaken-off the lonely hearts stigma it once carried, even those in relationships are now looking to travel solo and focus on their goals, instead of compromising on a holiday with their other half.
Entering the era of solo female travellers, in a TripAdvisor survey of more than 9,000 women, 74% had either already travelled alone or were planning on travelling solo in 2015, a fact which is supported by Pinterest pins focused on female solo travel rising by 350%. A growing phenomenon fuelled by the ease with which social media allows us to stay in touch with loved ones, the option of staying connected allows solo female travellers to feel safer when travelling on their own.
Whether this is your first solo trip or your 10th, here are a few tips for travelling solo:
1. Join a tour
For solo travellers looking to feed their wanderlust, active excursions from adventurous white water rafting and zip lining, cooking classes and educational eco hikes, are a great way to meet fellow solo travellers with similar interests.
2. Forgo Facebook, if only for a little while
Keep in touch with family and friends to let them know you’ve arrived safely, but please leave your phone in your room for the day, allowing you to take the time to really disconnect on a digital detox.
3. Focus on your goals
Whether it’s learning a new language, making friends with the locals, doing an internship or discovering new ways to manage stress, take the time to escape distractions and focus on YOU, your personal development and your goals.
4. Join in with group fitness classes
One of the best ways to meet like-minded solo travellers on the road, group fitness classes are a great way of breaking the ice whilst mixing with a fantastic array of people with shared goals and passions.
5. Don’t dine and hide with room service
Avoiding the prospect of dining solo by using room service is a tempting option for many first-time solo travellers, but don’t dull down your culinary experience by hiding away.
