According to research from Hostelworld, the number of Gen Z females choosing to travel alone is on the up, with an 88 per cent increase reported over four years. Jenny Southan reports
Data from Hostelworld has revealed that bookings made by female solo travellers have increased 88 per cent since 2015.
American women are the most bold, with 20 per cent of them booking solo trips, followed by 11 per cent from Germany, 10 per cent from the UK, 8 per cent from Australia and 7 per cent from Canada.
Why do women choose to travel solo? “Adventure seeker” Sophie Pearcy told Hostelworld: “I decided to take my first solo trip six years ago. After visiting New Zealand with friends, I returned to the UK and almost instantly booked a flight back to Australia alone. I booked to go alone to prove to myself that I could do it, that I would be okay.
“Solo travel for me was liberating, it created moments for me to learn more about who I am as a person and rise above the challenges in my life at that time.”
Overall, 75 per cent of Gen Z women from the UK (those born between the mid nineties and mid noughties) have either already been backpacking or plan to go (either with or without friends), compared to 67 per cent of men in the same demographic.
Another survey from Booking.com found that over the next ten years, a third of Gen Z (34 per cent) plan to have travelled on their own at least once (36 per cent of women versus 32 per cent of men).
Based on the responses of 22,000 people across 29 markets, it also discovered that a third of Gen Z travellers globally (33 per cent) say they prefer to be alone when they travel (more so than all other age demographics). In the UK, one in five Gen Zers (22 per cent) say they prefer to travel solo.
Overall, 18 per cent want to take a solo backpacking trip or gap year. Interestingly, feeling free to be themselves is a key motivator – 46 per cent of Gen Zers say they have to modify their behaviour when travelling with family.