UK travel companies have reported an increase in bookings for solo travellers, primarily older women, often leaving partners behind to “explore on their own terms”.
Last month, the tour operator Jules Verne said solo travellers accounted for 46% of bookings for its trips departing next year, up from 40% in 2023. Just under 70% of its current solo bookings are made by women.
We spoke to some female solo travellers on the ups and downs of going it alone.
‘My grownup kids are used to it now’
When Linda’s husband died in 2016, she decided to use the money she had saved by sorting out probate herself to join a photography tour of Cuba.
“Although I knew no one on the tour, our shared passion for travel and photography sparked friendships that continue to this day,” says Linda, 75, from Oxford. “I was hooked and have been doing it ever since, joining tours to far-flung places: Bolivia, Ethiopia, Namibia, Brazil, India. I’ve travelled solo around Europe with an Interrail pass twice, staying in hotels and accommodation along the way.”
Linda, who is retired, makes sure to outline her trip for her loved ones before she departs.
“My grown-up kids are used to it now and don’t worry about me as long as I give them an ‘in case I get lost’ itinerary before I go,” she says. “I also check in with them at each location on arrival with a photo of my accommodation and post images of my travels on Instagram and/or Facebook as I go. I also let them know when I’m home safe.”
Her next trip will be to India.
“I am going to Rajasthan next year with a photography group,” she says. “I would encourage other women to experience solo travelling. It is scary at first, but if you take that step, you realise you can do it and have amazing experiences.”
‘Waiting 40 years to solo backpack across Europe meant I appreciated it all the more’
Claudia had hoped to solo backpack around Europe in her teens, but that dream was blocked by her “concerned mother”.
Fast forward four decades, and she finally got to fulfil that teenage wish.
“The backpacking trip in Europe was everything I dreamed of,” says Claudia, 63, a registered nurse from Ontario, Canada. “I slept on overnight buses, stayed in 20-room mixed dorms – the full experience sans bar-hopping as I’m teetotal.
“The fact that it took easily 40 years for me to go on this trip meant I appreciated it all the more. The things that some people were complaining about seemed irrelevant to me. I had all those years of life experience to problem solve when situations don’t work out quite the way you planned.”
Claudia recalls conversations with a colleague on their nursing night shifts, discussing how they wanted to travel once they retired. Sadly, the colleague died before those plans could be realised.
“I did travel with others, going to twentysomething countries before marriage and even had a six-week honeymoon,” says Claudia. “Life got busy, and before I knew it I was in my 50s. But it was the sudden death of my co-worker that kicked me back into travel action. I resumed travelling in 2016, first with my husband, but the itch to travel solo quickly re-emerged. My most recent birthday in September was spent in Poland and Lithuania for almost four weeks. October was Ecuador, November was the Dominican Republic. Travel has taught me that ‘not now’ doesn’t mean ‘never’.”
Her next trip in 2026 is a three-week stay in New Zealand.
She adds: “So many women are caregivers in some shape or form, and it’s just the freedom to be able to go and do something where you’re not negotiating with children or a spouse or a friend. What I love about solo travel is that I am in my own essence, free of societal roles of wife, mother, employee …”
‘There is no limit to what I want to do and can do’
RoseMary’s interest in South Korea was sparked when she began watching a TV series set there.
“I was very fragile after the death of my partner of 20 years, seven years ago,” says RoseMary, 77, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “I realised there was so much on television about unhappy situations, and I came across this very gentle and sweet series. It turned out to be from South Korea, and it really piqued my interest, so I decided to visit the country.”
RoseMary, who is retired, has made two trips to South Korea, staying in Seoul, firstly in a hotel, then she found a place through a house-sitting scheme.
“For my third trip to Seoul, which will be for over a month, I’ve found accommodation staying in a person’s home,” says RoseMary. She will use this as a base and is looking forward to visiting South Korea’s many dolmens (burial sites built of stone during the prehistoric era).
The flexibility of solo travel has been a particular attraction for her.
“It allows me to set the agenda completely,” she says. “There is no limit to what I want to do and can do. No negotiating over where to eat with a squeamish travel partner.”
She says the reaction to her first trip to Seoul was met with “blank stares” from friends and family.
“Martial law was declared the night before I got on the plane for my second trip to South Korea in December of 2024,” says RoseMary. “The family and friends’ worry level rose to new heights of chicken head loss. The first thing I did after landing was get into the thick of it.”
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‘I try new things because I want to, not because I feel I have to’
Caelin says she started solo travelling “almost by accident”.
“At 21, I flew to Peru for a friend’s wedding and decided to spend a bit of time exploring on my own,” says Caelin, who is now 22 and works in marketing in Wellington, New Zealand.
“I thought I would just fill the days, take some photos and tick a place off my list. What actually happened was much bigger. I am a naturally social person, always around people, always talking, and suddenly I had nothing but my own company. At first, there were moments when I felt a little lonely, but that slowly shifted into something grounding. It was the first time I realised that being alone did not have to feel like being left out. It could feel peaceful.”
Since that trip, she has travelled solo to Chile and Spain.
“Every time I go I feel myself learning something new about who I am,” she says. “There is no pressure to perform or keep up or apologise for wanting a slower pace. That lack of pressure ends up pushing me to do more. I try new things because I genuinely want to, not because I feel I have to.
“Even something as small as flying alone has become one of my favourite parts. It is peaceful to sit with myself, no distractions, no conversation I feel obligated to make. It reminds me that I can be comfortable in my own company. That has been one of the biggest lessons.”
It has given her another boost.
“There is a kind of quiet confidence that comes from relying on yourself and realising you are capable,” she says. “My parents were extremely worried at first. I understood their fear, but after two successful trips, they started to see how positive it has been for me. I come back calmer, more centred and more confident. They can see that solo travel is not me running away from anything. It is me choosing a version of life where I trust myself fully.”
‘Single supplements make solo holidays unaffordable’
Judith says she travels solo but would really like to share the travelling experience with someone.
She has close family in Denmark, Switzerland and Germany, as well as connections with Spain and France, and has gone on solo trips around Denmark and France.
“I’d rather not be travelling solo, but I don’t have anyone to share my journeys with,” says Judith, 69, who lives in West Sussex and works in a yacht chandlery. “The truth is, if I don’t go solo, I won’t go at all.”
Judith, who has three grown-up children and has been single for 25 years, says it can be expensive when you travel alone.
“I have been searching for a solo holiday to the Norwegian fjords to celebrate my 70th, but the single supplement makes it almost double the price and frankly not affordable. There are an awful lot of us who would do solo travelling more if the prices were fair.
“My last solo trip was on my birthday this year. I didn’t want to be home alone, so I went by train from the south of England to Edinburgh. I explored that wonderful city and visited some other lovely places in the area, like Rosslyn Castle, which is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I liked that I was free to come and go as I pleased, but do you want to sit and have your meal on your own and feel like Billy no mates? Although I met some very nice people along the way and had a really good time, it would have been nice to share it with somebody.”
‘I struck up some great conversations with strangers from all over the world’
Becky says she has really enjoyed the chance to meet and connect with other people on her solo travels.
She has travelled extensively on her own for both work and pleasure, either completely solo or joining group trips.
“I love it,” says Becky, 53, who works in education and lives in Leeds. “If I’m honest, I’ve had a few trips where I’ve felt a bit lonely, had a few hassles or joined a group that I didn’t really gel with, but in the main it’s been fantastic.
“I’ve had safe and amazing experiences, met some wonderful people and gained incredible cultural insights. I find going solo enables you to connect with more people as they see you as more approachable than when in a group.”
She has just returned from her first-ever solo interrailing trip.
“I highly recommend it,” she says. “I used the night trains with women-only compartments to travel the length of Italy, took a pasta-making class with a group of boisterous and hilarious Italian-New Yorkers discovering their roots, and struck up some great conversations with strangers from all over the world while sitting on benches waiting for my next connection.”
