“They’re traveling this way because they genuinely enjoy it.”

A year after her husband died, a woman flew to France alone for a writing retreat with Girls’ Guide to the World. Setting off, she was unsure if she had made the right choice. As the week went on, she found herself among other women working through divorce, retirement, career changes, and grief. Between the shared conversations and explorations, she had a realization: she was going to be okay.

Doni Belau, founder of Girls’ Guide to the World, a premium women-only travel company, has watched this happen countless times. “It’s one of the best things about travel. It can act as a reset in your life,” she says.

Across the world, solo female travel is surging. Women make up nearly three-quarters of the solo travel market, and searches for solo female travel have jumped five-fold since the pandemic. But the statistics only tell part of it. The real shift isn’t just that more women are traveling solo. It’s that “solo” now means something else entirely.

Not long ago, solo female travel carried a certain stigma, or at least an assumption. Women traveled alone because a partner couldn’t get away, friends weren’t interested, or nobody’s schedule lined up. Traveling alone was a last resort, not the goal.

That’s not necessarily the case anymore. Women are traveling on their own because they want to and also because the ways to solo travel are broadening. From women-only departures and small-group journeys to hotels incorporating more solo traveler-friendly offerings, women have more options and opportunities to truly choose their own adventures.

Solo Adventures for All Ages

Since first launching Girls’ Guide as a digital resource back in 2009, Belau’s come to recognize nearly every version of the solo traveler. There’s the woman tired of waiting for friends and family to clear their calendars. The seasoned explorer who wants someone else to handle logistics. The woman processing a life change or looking to learn more about themselves. The range, and reasons, are endless. “Each person has a different story,” she says.

Now, there’s also a younger generation approaching it differently. “They think, ‘I want to go to Japan’, and here’s a trip heading there,” Belau says. “They don’t think traveling solo or joining a group of women they haven’t yet met is unusual.” For many younger women, the desire to travel solo doesn’t require explanation or justification. It’s just another way to see the world, and Belau thinks that’s changed the nature of the thing itself.

It’s not just younger women. Older women are traveling solo more too, often after years of putting trips aside for partners, kids, or work. For a lot of them, traveling alone is something they’ve only just discovered, not something they got to enjoy earlier in life. For instance, in the U.K., travel companies are seeing more solo bookings, with older women making up a large section. 

Independence, Not Isolation

Whether they’re younger or older, female travelers aren’t choosing between independence and companionship. They expect both, which is why women-focused travel groups and experiences are on the rise. From smaller independent outfits like Girls’ Guide and Wild Terrains to dedicated departures by major tour operators like Intrepid, these trips offer the best of both worlds. Women get the benefit of support, with trip planners and guides handling the mental load and logistics. But it’s still independent; instead of picking a destination that appeals to the whole family, women can go where they want. 

While traveling, itineraries offer a mix of group and solo activities. On every Girls’ Guide to the World itinerary, Belau builds in at least two hours of free time each afternoon. “No matter how social you are and how much you enjoy your fellow travelers, everyone needs time to recharge,” Belau says.“As we get older we need time to decompress. The itinerary is not a military exercise.”

They also offer connection; for all its fun, solo travel can be lonely. Knowing a community is there when wanted is often what gives women the confidence to book the trip and start their journey into solo traveling. Belau jokes that Girls’ Guide to the World is “the gateway drug to going totally solo.”

When Women Choose Themselves

The idea that solo travel can build community rather than replace it defines India’s WOW Club (Women on Wanderlust), which has run women-only journeys for 21 years.

“When I started WOW, the biggest reason women joined us was because they simply didn’t have anyone to travel with,” recalls founder Sumitra Senapaty. Today she sees a very different woman walk through the door. Many WOW members could easily travel with family or friends; they just don’t want to.

“This is time they set aside for themselves,” Senapaty says. “They don’t want to spend the holiday worrying about everyone else’s schedule, preferences, or expectations. They want to experience a destination at their own pace, with women who enjoy the same things they do.”

For many, there’s real relief in not fitting someone else’s idea of a perfect holiday. “Whether it’s lingering over a memorable meal, losing track of time in a local market, spending an afternoon in a museum or simply sitting quietly with a view, a solo trip lets me put myself first,” says Helen Burford, a teacher from Surrey, U.K.

Pooja Dutta, a Singapore-based IT professional, now takes a trip once every two years. “I always return home from my ‘solo’ trips with more than memories: new friendships, renewed confidence, and the certainty that the world is still mine to explore, on my own terms,” Dutta says.

Senapaty calls this the biggest change she’s seen over the years. “Women are no longer traveling alone because they have no option. They’re traveling this way because they genuinely enjoy it.”

Beyond the Itinerary

Hotels and destinations are adjusting too. Japan offers women-only hotel floors and capsule hotels built for solo female travelers. Travel organizers O.A.T. and Solos have dropped single-supplement fees for solo bookings. Places like The Ode Hotel in Toronto and Banyan Tree AlUla are actively marketing themselves to women traveling alone. 

The message is the same everywhere: solo is no longer an afterthought. 

In Sri Lanka, Resplendent Ceylon’s collection of luxury properties, including Cape Weligama, has embraced this shift firsthand and caters experiences and activities to the solo traveler set. Shared supper tables, group yoga at Kayaam Wellness, and surf lessons at Cape Weligama create chances to connect without forcing it.

“Every solo traveler has different expectations. Some seek solitude and quiet reflection, while others are looking for conversation, shared experiences, and a sense of belonging,” says Chamindra Goonawardene, the Senior Vice President of Brand & Marketing. He believes hospitality’s job isn’t to decide which kind of traveler someone should be; it’s to build spaces where both can exist.

Guests also want more than attractions ticked off. They want to actually understand the place: Sri Lanka’s tea heritage, Ayurvedic wellness traditions, the local communities they pass through. That thinking shapes the properties themselves and helps hoteliers plan activities and amenities. “While comfort and safety remain fundamental, we’ve seen a clear shift towards travelers seeking deeper, more meaningful experiences,” says Goonawardene.

The New Wave of Women Travelers

When asked what women take home with them after a trip is done, Belau and Senapaty both have the same answer: confidence and fresh friendships. 

“The biggest change isn’t when the trip begins. It’s when it ends,” Senapaty says. Over 21 years, she’s seen hesitant first-timers turn into WOW’s most adventurous members. Strangers become lifelong friends. Women who spent years putting everyone else first finally do something for themselves.

Belau has seen versions of this too: “Walking away from a trip with a new friend or three is the best souvenir you can bring home.”

Perhaps that’s why the old definition of solo travel doesn’t hold up anymore. Women aren’t rejecting companionship; they’re choosing when and how to find it.