The reality of travelling as a woman

Travelling as a woman in the 21st century is not always as easy as you might imagine. According to a study carried out by Tourlane and Ifop, 78% of women have never dared to travel alone outside Europe. For 44% of them, the fear of feeling alone is one of the main obstacles. Safety is also a major obstacle for 32% of them.

Nevertheless, the number of solo female travellers has been rising steadily in recent years. According to the UNWTO, the number of women travelling solo rose from 54 million in 2014 to 138 million in 2017. A number that has almost tripled in the space of just 3 years.

This upward trend is set to continue now that the health crisis seems to be behind us for good. In fact, the volume of searches for the term "solo travel for women" on all the search engines has increased by 62% over the last three years.

It's often said that travel shapes youth, but it also shapes people. I see solo travel as an extension of women's emancipation: I can, I have the right, I'll do it!

Cindy Marchandier, Travel Specialist, Tourlane

In terms of their profiles, almost 50% of these solo female travellers are aged between 25 and 39. However, the segment of female senior travellers (over 65) is also seeing some growth, with their share rising from 4% in 2019 to 18% in 2022.

More than half of them are in higher socio-professional categories and therefore have a comfortable travel budget. Furthermore, women generally spend more on travel than men, with 15% of them spending more than 230 euros a day on a trip.

Although 35% of the female travellers questioned by Tourlane and Ifop cited North America as their...