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Women held back from travelling solo by safety worries, according to new data

Monday 11 March 2024

Women are growing bolder when it comes to their travel habits: more than one in five (21%) now say they’d feel confident enough to go on solo trips, according to new research by HolidayPirates. However, it seems many are still being held back by concerns about their safety – a huge 48% say they’d be worried about feeling unsafe if on a trip alone. When compared to just 21% of men who say the same, it seems there is a way to go until we reach ‘solo travel equality’.

The poll of 1,003 UK adults also highlighted other significant obstacles standing in the way of women looking to travel independently. Many say they would face financial barriers: a quarter (25%) don’t want to be faced with the 'single supplement' for accommodation, and 13% think their daily expenses such as food and activities would be higher if alone. However, many of the reasons why women are put off are also related to self-confidence – over 1 in 3 (36%) would worry about feeling lonely, and 16% say they might feel embarrassed or judged for travelling alone. Furthermore, 15% of respondents feel that the travel industry does not cater well enough to solo travellers and 14% say there aren’t enough solo accommodation options.

Yet with growing numbers of women who do want to take the plunge and fly solo, the survey also uncovered some of the motivations behind the trend. Almost a quarter of women (23%) are attracted to solo travel for the potential for personal growth and reconnecting with themselves, a sentiment that is twice as important to them when compared to men (12%). Other motivations include wanting to meet new people and make friends (20%), to see the world without waiting for others to join them (20%), and reclaim control over their travel schedules (19%). Notably, 18% of women want to force themselves out of their comfort zones through travel, compared with only 11% of men.

Solo travel is seen as a bucket list item for many women, and when asked about the experiences they would love to try alone, some dream experiences came to light. Cruising the Norwegian coast to visit the Northern Lights claims the top spot with 32% saying they’d love to go for it, while visiting a retreat in Bali (22%), volunteering at a responsible elephant sanctuary in Thailand (18%), a road trip along the Great Ocean Road in Australia (15%), and going on safari in the Serengeti (15%) rounded out the top five.

In particular, women are very clear about what they expect from travel providers if the solo travel trend is to continue. Almost a third (32%) want offers on discounted rates for solo travellers outside of peak seasons and 31% want providers to sell specific solo travel packages. Almost 1 in 3 (31%) would also want advice and tips on safe places to travel solo, and over a quarter (27%) want accommodation providers to allocate a quota of more affordable single rooms for solo travellers to avoid the dreaded ‘single supplement’.

Almost a quarter (24%) also want providers to have dedicated pages on their websites for solo travellers. Given this, and to encourage the solo travel trend, HolidayPirates has launched its very first ‘Solo Travel’ selection, where its team of travel experts have curated a collection of incredible deals for one. Included are categories such as:

  • City breaks

  • Beach holidays

  • Adventure

Phil Salcedo, Head of Market, UK & North America at HolidayPirates, says: "Empowering women to embrace solo travel is not just about wanderlust; it's about fostering independence and enabling them to fulfil their own personal goals. Our research at HolidayPirates reveals that while over one-fifth of women are now keen to pursue solo adventures, there are still concerns that the travel industry has not quite caught up and provided women with what they need to feel confident going it alone.

That’s why we’re proud to launch our ‘solo travel’ selection, where our team of travel experts have curated not only the best-value solo deals catered to all types of trips and budgets, but also important advice and information for anyone considering embarking on a solo journey. Ultimately, our aim is for everyone to have the opportunity to travel, explore and holiday more for less.”

Click here to explore HolidayPirates’ Solo Travel selection.

About HolidayPirates:

HolidayPirates, the UK arm of the HolidayPirates Group, is a travel deals platform with a mission to make travel accessible and affordable for everyone.

Our team of travel experts find and curate the best value-for-money deals from packages, flights and hotels, through to car hire, holiday homes, luxury stays and weekend breaks. We also work with leading travel brands to source exclusive offers that simply cannot be found anywhere else.

HolidayPirates takes the time and hassle out of finding genuine travel bargains by sharing deals directly across our website, WhatsApp, newsletters, mobile app, and on social media. 2 million travel enthusiasts visit our website every month, plus we have over 2.2 million followers on social media – the largest of any travel brand in the UK.

Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Berlin, the HolidayPirates Group operates in 10 countries – the UK, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and the United States. Our expert editorial teams around the world inspire over 20 million consumers every month to travel, explore and holiday more for less.

Press contact

Annabelle Rennie
PR & Communications Manager UK

E-Mail: [email protected]

E-Mail: [email protected]