80+ Solo Travel Statistics and Trends | 2022

The solo travel trend is growing steadily. Even as uncertainty around the pandemic continued last year, many travelers planned solo trips. Check out the latest statistics to see the latest solo travel trends.

If you are looking for more statistics on travel, find more here:

• 80+ Female Travel Statistics and Trends | 2022

Why Should We Care About Solo Travel Statistics?

• Solo women spent $3,000 per week on accommodations pre-pandemic
• The search term “solo travel” increased by 761.15% in the UK during the pandemic
• While group travel is projected to grow, the solo travel segment has the highest growth rate of the forecasted leisure travel market.
• 35.1% of women who travel alone spent more than $1,000 on their trip

As a segment of the travel market, solo travel is on the rise. Internet searches initially fell at the beginning of the pandemic, but are on the rise. And this part of the market spends money. The tourism industry is taking notice in return.

Sources: journeywoman.com, hrnews.co.uk, astuteanalytica.com, Travelzoo survey

Breakdown by Age Groups & Gender

• 40% of baby boomers took a solo trip in the last year
• 21% of baby boomers are planning to take one in the future
• 86% of solo travelers are over 35
• 20% of female travelers and 20% of male travelers in the US intend to take a solo trip as of July 2021.
• 65% of solo travel customers for Exodus Travels in the UK are women
• 70% of solo travel customers with Overseas Adventure Travel are women
• 86% of solo travelers are women according to one study by solotravlerworld.com
• 57.5% of men have traveled alone
• Women are more likely to travel alone for leisure than men
• 85.7% of women have travelled alone for leisure
• 79.4% of men have travelled alone for leisure

Older generations and females make up a large part of the solo travel market. When men travel solo it is typically for business. Women travel solo for leisure more often than men.

Sources: Statista.com, aarp.org, astuteanalytica.com, travelzoo.com, Travelzoo survey

Solo Travel and the Pandemic

• 38% of women aged 45+ will travel solo in 2022 according to Journeywoman.com
• 51% of women now book closer to their departure date than they did pre-pandemic
• Tour operators report bookings for group trips have increased by 20% since the pandemic, with 29% of the participants solo travelers.
• People are traveling solo in part now because regular travel partners are hesitant to travel
• In 2020 70% of solo travelers wanted no quarantine at their destination
• In 2021 66% of solo travelers wanted high vaccination rates at their destination

The pandemic has rocked our world for the past year or two. As people have tired of the pandemic, they have begun to travel more. The travel industry is seeing a definite uptick of solo bookings. Plus, travelers are wanting to go to destinations that have a high vaccination rate.

Sources: Journeywoman.com, aarp.org, solotravelerworld.com

Solo Female Travel: How Many Women are Traveling Solo?

• Single women aged 35 and above is increasing and now totals 28 million according to the Census Bureau.
• 32 million single American women traveled at least once in the year 2019.
• American women rank first in solo traveling and are more likely to take three trips or more in a given year.
• One in three single American women took five trips during the year.
• 72% of American women are taking solo vacations.
• 74% of women surveyed in 2015 have traveled alone or are planning to travel alone this year.
• 91% of women surveyed from Germany and France traveled alone or plan to travel alone in 2015.
• 81% of women surveyed from Australia and UK traveled alone or plan to travel alone in 2015.
• 79% of women surveyed from Southeast Asia traveled alone or plan to travel alone in 2015.
• 65% of women surveyed from Russia traveled alone or plan to travel alone in 2015.
• 63% of women surveyed from US traveled alone or plan to travel alone in 2015.

Sources:GutsyTraveler,The Wandering RV,Condor Ferries,Booking.com, TripAdvisor

What ages of women are Traveling Solo?

• The average UK solo traveler in 2017 was 57 compared to 2014 which was 54.
• Women over 50 represent the biggest growth area for solo travel.
• 26% of Millennial women have traveled solo before and 27% have not but would consider doing so in the future.
• 81% of solo female travelers are over 45 years old.
• 13% of solo female travelers are between 35-44 years of age
• 6% of solo female travelers are between 25-34 years of age
• 1% of solo female travelers are 18-24 years of age
• 27% of women have said they would consider taking a holiday by themselves.

Women taking a solo trip spans across the generations but is heavily skewed to women over 50. Younger Generations often lack the money or have family obligations that prevent them from being able to travel as much as women who are empty nesters and beyond. You will find women traveling 100% on their own or sometimes taking group tours so they more easily can meet people along the way.

Sources: The Cashlorette,Condor Ferries, Lonely Planet,

Growth in Solo Female Travel

• Solo female travel companies increased by 230% in recent years.
• ‘Solo female travel’ returns more than 218 million results from Google Searches in Jan 2022.
• Pinterest searches for “solo female travel” increased by 600% in 2018
• The term ‘female solo travel’ increased in search volume by 62% across all search engines over the past few years.
• 73% of travel agents found that female travelers take on more solo trips than males.
• 59% of women solo travelers say that they would go alone again within the next 12 months.
• Solo trip bookings have grown 45% in the last few years in this market.
• Booking.com stated that 54% of British females are more likely to take trips alone than they were five years prior (2014 data).

The solo female travel space is undeniably growing. The data are sparse, but there are some articles online that speculate that the solo travel market will be the first to recover out of the pandemic. Regardless, in years prior to Covid-19, female travel showed solid growth.

Sources:GutsyTraveler,Condor Ferries,Girl Power Marketing,Booking.com -1, Booking.com -2, travelzoo

Solo Travel and Social Media

• 62 percent of female British travelers between 25 and 45 years of age used social media to keep in touch with home
• 75 report that social media help find great places to eat and activities to do.
• Women’s travel group on Facebook called Solo In Style: Women Over 50 Travelling Solo & Loving It! has 70.8K members as of 1/2022.
• The oldest women’s solo travel group on Facebook is called Solo Female Travelers and has 131K members as of 1/2022.
• A third Facebook group dedicated to solo travel for women over 60 is called
• Over 60 Solo Women Travelers and has 18K members as of 1/2022.

Social Media is an important part of female solo travel. Women use social media to keep in touch with their loved ones while traveling. And beyond that, social media is an excellent resource to get inspiration of where to go and what to do. Plus, women connect with like-minded travelers on social media and can meet up at home or far away.

Sources: Skift, Facebook.com

Where Do Women Travel Solo and Why?

• In a search for the safest country, the top 10 safest destinations for women in 2019 were New Zealand, Uruguay, Canada, Finland, Belgium, Switzerland, Iceland, Japan, Chile, and Austria.
• In a search for the most popular destinations, the top 10 countries for US female solo travellers were Cuba, Macedonia, UAE, Nepal, Egypt, Albania, Finland, Mexico, Guatemala, and Luxembourg.
• 45% of travel agents surveyed say Europe is the most popular destination for female travelers.
• Japan is the top country to visit when solo women travelers consider culture, safety, scenery, women’s rights and adventure. France, Spain, USA, Indonesia, Italy, Australia, Canada, Portugal and the Philippines also ranked high for female solo travelers for these criteria.
• 27% of travel agents surveyed say the most popular reasons for women traveling alone are shopping and sightseeing.
• 46% of women traveling solo said they travel alone for freedom, independence, and the chance to do what they want, when they want.
• 61% of British women polled say they are more energized after solo travel.

International travel is high on the list of female solo travelers. The destinations vary and span the globe. Europe is often high on the list and Japan was at the top. Women appreciate the feeling of independence they get from solo travel and report feeling energized by it afterward.

Sources: Solo Traveler World,The Wandering RV,Condor Ferries, Booking.com

Solo Travel and Safety

• 73% of female travelers express concerns about their safety
• 42% of women who want to travel solo cite safety as why they don’t do it
• Almost 60% of solo female travelers report never feeling unsafe during solo travel
• Before a trip, the top 4 risks that women consider are: pickpocketing/purse snatching (93%), credit card fraud (86%), identity theft (63%), and taxi scams (62%)
• While traveling, women business travelers manage safety by: regularly communicating with office, family or friends (58%), staying only at trusted hotels (56%), sharing itineraries with family and friends (51%)
• Regardless of world events, 86% of women state that they are not afraid to travel. *This stat is pre-pandemic, recent statistics show a difference of attitude when it comes to pandemic travel.

Safety concerns should be at the forefront of any traveler’s mind, and women especially can be targeted on the road. Women do consider safety measures around travel, and the considerations vary based on if they are preparing for, or actually traveling. As travelers consider solo trips, personal safety is a primary concern.

Sources: theflashpacker.com, travelzoo.com, Condor Ferries, TravelGuard-1, TravelGuard-2

Why do people travel solo?

• Flexibility/Freedom
• Personal challenge
• Meet new people
• Tailor the trip to one’s own preferences
• Solitude/escape
• Regular travel partners don’t want to take the trip
• Meet like-minded women when traveling solo in a group trip
• Self Discovery and Self Care
• Mental Health Break
• Spiritual Pilgrimage

People travel solo for a variety of reasons. Many find the benefits of solo travel to be freedom to do what they want, meet new people, solitude after the pandemic.

Sources: theflashpacker.com, Barrons.com, https://www.defianceetfs.com/

Barriers to Solo Travel

• 56.1% of females state Fear of Safety as a reason not to solo travel
• 25.7% of men state Fear of Safety as a reason not to solo travel
• 35.7% of women state that eating alone is the worst part of solo travel
• 27.6% of women state that single supplements are a barrier to solo travel
• 19.6% of men state that the single supplement is a barrier to traveling solo

Sources: Travelzoo survey

These recent solo travel statistics show clearly that the growth in the solo travel segment should not be ignored. The amount of solo travelers is growing. They are increasingly joining group tours, and safety is top of mind for those solo travelers.