Happy International Women’s Day! On this day, held annually on 8 March around the world, we celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women throughout the years. The day is also used to bring attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.
This year’s theme is Embrace Equity, focusing on the difference between equality and equity and why they are both important. Equity acknowledges that we are all different and require different resources to succeed and reach the same outcomes.
In addition to this, we celebrate everything women have achieved and what makes us incredible. Our approaches and love of travel is no different! Below are some fun facts about how women like to travel – and how, as solo female travellers, we outnumber male solo travellers two to one!
1. Women love to travel…
… and we like to do it alone 😉 Girl power, huh. Over the past decade or so (time of the c-word included) there has been a distinct increase in solo female travel with women preferring to travel alone 85% more than men! A global survey taken in 2019 shows that more than half of the women surveyed have taken a solo vacation and 75% of them were planning solo trips within the next few years.
I’ve personally travelled solo a couple of times – once on a group tour, and once completely by myself. Both were amazing. In 2014, I travelled to New Zealand on a Middle Earth tour with Red Carpet Tours. It was an incredible experience – so liberating and empowering. I participated in crazy stunts, like skydiving and bungy jumping, that I’ve never even thought of before. That trip changed the trajectory of my whole life – it was also the first time I’d ever spent my birthday away from family! In 2018, I travelled to the USA, completely solo, though I did meet up with friends and family on my travels. I navigated major airports, subways, USD200 “Uber” rides after 36 hours of travel, backpacker hostels, and so many hours and days of FUN. This time I was 100% in control of my activities and I found out that 1. I liked that and 2. I was more than capable.
2. We love to do it on the regular
On average, women tend to travel at least once a year, with the height of that range upwards of three times a year. In contrast, men tend to travel every two years or longer.
I like to travel at least once a year, even if it’s just a long weekend in the South West, a trip over East or an international adventure. I travelled 3 times in 2022 (taking advantage of being able to travel freely again – 1 weekend down south, 1 trip over East, and 1 international adventure – the trifecta! I love to travel, and I love to do it often. Not only do I get the time to relax and unwind, I also get to build on my experience and knowledge to help you all!
3. Age doesn’t matter
Women don’t let age get in the way of their transformative solo travel experiences. While millennials outnumber every other generation, the ‘grey nomad’ group are starting to make a break for it as well!
I am a millennial. At 32 (33 on Sunday), I’m on the middle-younger end of the age group. I am still young, not currently married, and child-free – kind of the perfect trifecta for solo travel. On my travels, I have met many women travelling alone from all different walks of life. In most cases, we were having the same experiences and all loving it!
4. Travel the path least travelled
Think women need to be meek and mild because we’re the ‘fairer sex’? Would it shock you to find out that adventure locations and tours top the list for female solo travellers? Through adventure and thrill travel, women find camaraderie with their group, freedom to be themselves and not what society thinks of them, and just buckets of fun! With the rise of female solo travellers gravitating toward adventure, many companies are even introducing women-only tours!
On my New Zealand trip in 2018, my first time travelling without friends or family, I was able to open up to experiences in an entirely new way. For the first time in my life, I was adventurous – we hiked up mountains, along rivers, and across plains. I zip-lined over a canyon, jumped off a bridge (attached to a bungy cord), and jumped out of a perfectly good plane (with a parachute of course). Very different to what I would normally do on a trip with family. If I didn’t travel by myself, I don’t think I would have had those incredible experiences.
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