In recent years we've been hearing a lot more about the benefits of travelling solo. In an article for Refinery29 last week, journalist Suzanne Bearne wrote that "for me, there is no happiness like swinging that backpack over my shoulder and heading off into the unknown, feeling utterly free and with no one to please but myself".
Now, booking website Hostelworld has revealed that travelling solo is a definite trend among its customers – with women especially having me, myself and I wanderlust. While the site's bookings from male solo travellers increased by 40% between 2015 and 2017, bookings from female solo travellers increased by 45%.
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Hostelword also revealed its most popular destinations for female solo travellers, and they're a vibrant and varied mix of countries in Europe, Africa and North Africa. Cuba placed top of the website's top ten, followed by Nicaragua, South Africa, Bulgaria and Guatemala
"It’s great to see people and women in particular embracing solo travel," said Hostelworld's Director of Product Breffni Horgan. "Solo travel doesn’t mean travelling alone, and it shouldn’t be a barrier to those wanting to explore the world. It’s a great way to branch out and meet like-minded people from all cultures and walks of life."
Horgan also suggested that the rise in solo travel can be attributed to "a combination of better technology, with apps allowing us to easily discover our next location, that fact that more of us are staying single for longer and aren’t worried about waiting for a suitable travelling companion to come along, or the fact that flexi working can make it possible to combine a job with travel, operating remotely".
Amen to all of the above, quite frankly.
Hostelworld's top 10 travel destinations for female solo travellers are as follows:
1. Cuba
2. Nicaragua
3. South Africa
4. Bulgaria
5. Guatemala
6. Sri Lanka
7. Macedonia
8. Portugal
9. Tanzania
10. Romania