A global pandemic might not seem like the most ideal time to go on vacation, but solo female travel is on the rise for 2021. The increase is in large part due to the hearty appetite of Americans aged 50-plus for traveling solo and Globe Aware provides the ideal volunteer vacations for solo women travelers. 

50 Best Trips For Solo Female Travel (And Why Now Is The Time To Go)

Laura Begley Bloom
Senior Contributor
ForbesWomen

A global pandemic might not seem like the most ideal time to go on vacation, but solo female travel is on the rise. Witness the explosion in interest that Overseas Adventure Travel has seen: More than 24,000 single travelers have booked trips for 2021, with women-only departures growing in popularity. According to the company, the increase is in large part due to the hearty appetite of Americans aged 50-plus for traveling solo, especially women. “We see solo women, in particular, with a passion to meet and bond with the local people. It’s life-changing,” says CEO and president Brian Fitzgerald.

And according to research by the travel company Cox & Kings, solo travel could be among the first segments to come back as the travel sector starts to recover. Around a quarter of the company’s recent bookings have come from those traveling alone, says Sue Livsey, senior manager, who reports that their consumers have still retained their sense of adventure: “They want to travel, there’s a hunger there.”

Here’s another part of the appeal: There are deals galore right now and many companies are waiving the dreaded single supplements that plague solo travelers when they stay in a room that was intended for two people. For instance, Riviera River Cruises is running eight singles-only European cruises in 2021, which means you can get a room for two for the price of one, plus there will be half the number of passengers onboard (88 versus 169 passengers). “We’ve seen strong interest in our dedicated solo river cruises since we started offering them a few years ago, and that interest has continued through the pandemic with bookings for 2021,” says Marilyn Conroy, Riviera River Cruises’ Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing North America. “Women make up the majority of passengers on our solo departures—they tend to travel solo more than men.”

According to Chizoba Anyaoha, cofounder of TravSolo, a planning app for solo travelers, solo travel continues to grow and grow every year and 25% of travelers say they will consider traveling solo in the next 12 months. “Solo travel is among the top two trips that travelers plan to choose, especially during and post-COVID-19,” says Anyaoha. “It is easier to practice social distancing and good hygiene guidelines.”

AdventureWomen—which has also seen a burst of interest—is beefing up its offerings for domestic trips that allow guests to take in the great outdoors while maintaining appropriate social distance from other travelers. Adventures include rafting the Salmon River in Idaho; canyoneering through the desert landscapes of Utah; and a winter trip to Yellowstone.

On a recent report listed the top 50 destinations in the world for solo female travel, Paris is the … [+] PHOTO BY MATTYAS JOHN LAMAR ON UNSPLASH, 2020
Lindsay Myers, a Los Angeles-based budget travel and lifestyle expert who has a solo travel series on KateSpade.com, says that she is starting to see many travelers heading to foreign places to live their nomadic lives—especially women. “Traveling has a new meaning now that we have been stuck at home for months,” says Myers. “We want freedom to explore and tap into that adventure again. One mustn’t be afraid to go at it alone. Solo traveling is such an experience that everyone should insert in their life: It really makes you dig down and find yourself in so many ways.”

So where are solo women going on these trips? Budget Direct Travel Insurance analyzed Instagram hashtags and geo-location data to uncover the most popular places around the world for women who travel solo. In its research, the company analyzed 1,426,053 Instagram posts tagged with the #WomenWhoTravel hashtag, along with six other related hashtags (#travelgirlsgo, #shetravels, #solofemaletraveler, #damestravel, #citizenfemme, #solofemaletravel) to find out which places around the world women love traveling to the most.

Looking at the data by country, the United States was the far-and-away winner. New York City made it the top spot in the U.S. for women traveling solo, followed by Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Chicago. Globally, London was the most popular destination.

Read on for the top spots in the U.S. for traveling solo, followed by the top destinations globally.

10 Top Destinations in the U.S. for Traveling Solo

1. London, United Kingdom
2. New York City
3. Paris, France
4. Singapore
5. Rome, Italy
6. Barcelona, Spain
7. Los Angeles
8. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
9. Gianyar, Indonesia
10. Bangkok, Thailand
11. Marrakesh, Morocco
12. Lisbon, Portugal
13. Amsterdam, Netherlands
14. Budapest, Hungary
15. Venice, Italy
16. Istanbul, Turkey
17. San Francisco
18. Tokyo, Japan
19. Badung Regency, Indonesia
20. Prague, Czech Republic
21. Hong Kong, Hong Kong
22. Las Vegas
23. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
24. Sydney, Australia
25. Seoul, South Korea
26. Tulum, Mexico
27. Madrid, Spain
28. Chicago
29. Berlin, Germany
30. Milan, Italy
31. Vienna, Austria
32. Jaipur, India
33. Kyoto, Japan
34. Florence, Italy
35. Cape Town, South Africa
36. Honolulu
37. Klungkung Regency, Indonesia
38. Chiang Mai, Thailand
39. Athens, Greece
40. San Diego
41. Pak Nam, Thailand
42. Denpasar City, Indonesia
43. Toronto, Canada
44. Delhi, India
45. Seattle
46. Miami
47. Seville, Spain
48. Mexico City, Mexico
49. Porto, Portugal
50. Seattle, Washington