![In the age of social media, you have to ask, are we ever really alone?](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/2019/August/cliff.jpg?imwidth=680)
Why more women than ever are exploring the world alone
![In the age of social media, you have to ask, are we ever really alone?](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/2019/August/cliff.jpg?imwidth=680)
There are some things in life that only happen when you travel alone. For me, it was hitching a ride on a tour bus with British band The Levellers. I was 19 and inter-railing around Europe, and had spontaneously gone to see them play on a freezing night in Bratislava.
When the show ended, I noticed the singer was ordering a drink at the bar, so went over to talk to him. Hours later, I was invited to continue my journey to Prague with the group, stopping off at Brno in the Czech Republic for a gig.
Whether it’s free-solo backpacking, taking a yoga retreat in Thailand or a city break in Barcelona, the number of women choosing to travel alone is on the up. Hostelworld research shows there has been an 88 per cent increase in solo female bookings over four years.
American women are the boldest, with 20 per cent travelling alone, followed by 11 per cent from Germany and 10 per cent from the UK. Flashpack, a solo adventure company for people in their 30s and 40s, says 60 per cent of its clients are women, while a survey from online editorial platform Culture Trip found a third of women would consider travelling alone in the near future.
So what’s motivating them? A recent YouGov poll revealed that 46 per cent of people like the freedom to choose their itinerary, while 37 per cent say they find it easier to unwind when alone (there’s nothing like spending all day in a hammock reading a book with no one else to interrupt).
Millennial women (41 per cent) say they like to travel alone because it boosts their self-confidence. Adventure is also a big driver, with 72 per cent of women (according to Culture Trip) saying that “it’s worth taking a few risks”.
This is especially true for modern-day explorers such as Sarah Outen, the first woman – and the youngest person – to row solo across the Indian Ocean. It took her 124 days. How did she cope?
“Out on the ocean I talked to the fish and the stars and the boat,” she says. “So I never felt lonely. Except when I was terrified in some of those big storms. When times were hard, I often imagined an invisible peloton of all the people I know and love around me, pushing and pulling me on.”
One of the main concerns about travelling alone as a female is safety, and there are some sad stories of gap years gone wrong. Violence against women is real, but for most, with a degree of caution and planning (luckily, my groupie experience was wholesome enough – apart from all the beer), solo trips are hugely rewarding.
In a time when women are enjoying more liberation and empowerment than ever, it makes sense that many are seeing solo travel as a vehicle for new experiences and self-discovery. “Don’t let the fears of others get in the way of your own courage,” Outen says.
More travel companies are organising group activities and tours for those looking to meet other like-minded women. This year, Dawn Simone launched Elle Voyage, which specialises in experiential trips for solo women to destinations such as Jordan and Mexico. Como resorts in Bali offer women-only surf retreats, while Intrepid Travel is selling female expeditions to places such as Nepal.
In the age of social media, you have to ask, are we ever really alone? With thousands of followers for company, privileged Instagram influencers such as Kiersten Rich (@theblondeabroad) have not only turned posing in exotic locations into a profitable enterprise but are inspiring a new generation of girls to pack up and go.
But there is a definite self-awareness and commodification that has come as a result of travelling for an audience. With concerns about its impact on mental health, over-editing, fake accounts and reckless selfie-taking, there may well be a counter-trend emerging for “anti-social” travel.
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