• The countries with the most women travellers were the USA, UK, Spain, France and Germany
• Favourite “women’s” destinations include London, Paris, Barcelona, New York and Vienna
• Men’s data will not be published, as it is not International Men’s Day today

Prague, 8 March 2021 – In recent years, the number of women travellers has increased in line with growing confidence to travel alone. Forty-seven percent of travellers with Overseas Adventure Travel are registered as ‘solo’. And an amazing eight-five percent of these solo travellers are women*. 

This trend is reflected in Kiwi.com data. “Before the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, there was an almost 25% year-on-year increase in women travelling abroad by themselves. In 2019, over a million women travelled solo with Kiwi.com,” says Eliška Dočkalová, Director of Customer Experience at Kiwi.com.

In general, the most common solo female traveller nationality is American, followed by British, Spanish, French and German. Their favourite destinations include London, Paris, Barcelona, New York and Vienna. But in 2021, solo women travellers seem to prefer more exotic destinations remaining open to visitors, with Istanbul and Mexico City among this year’s top 5 destinations.

And what are the biggest motivations for travelling solo? Many women say they enjoy the freedom and independence (46%), others are not willing to wait for others (22%), and 15% said they want to challenge themselves and gain self-confidence.*

To make solo travels even easier, women at Kiwi.com have put together a few useful tips from their experiences of travelling alone:

1. If you’re not sure, start small. Try a day trip to a neighbouring town – if you enjoy the experience of being alone, the sky’s the limit!
2. Feel comfortable about your destination, and about being there on your own.
3. Rather than the distance from home, the most important consideration is whether the destination is safe.
4. Check all the requirements before you travel (vaccinations, visas, other documents).
5. Keep copies of your travel documents, including your ID, tickets and visas in your phone, email, and in printed form in case of need.
6. Let your family and friends know where and when you are going, and share as many details as possible. If you are travelling to more exotic destinations with less or no guarantee of a reliable internet connection, find another way to let your loved ones know you are safe (you can give them missed calls every few days, for example). There are also apps (Life360 is an example) which enable you to share your location so that your friends and family can follow your travels in real-time. 
7. Register your travels in an app/system provided by countries to citizens. In case of any unusual situation in your destination, the system can reach out for help. 
8. Do your own research in advance (on Google, for example) so that you can enjoy your destination to the full. Use info from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other trustworthy institutions. It is always good to have the addresses and phone numbers of relevant embassies saved in your phone or email, or simply written on a piece of paper in your wallet.
9. If you’re not one for making detailed plans, don´t worry. Sometimes aimless wandering can lead you to a pub with a surprise jazz jam session, or some other unexpected thrill.
10. Join Facebook travel groups for useful information from other travellers and tips for local events. Ask people at the reception of your hotel or hostel  – the best info often comes from local people!
11. It’s always good to research the culture of the place you’re going to if you’re not familiar with it. You don’t need to be an expert, but common sense and a bit of information will help you avoid unnecessary trouble.

Find more safety tips for women on safety.com.

* Data provided by solotravelerworld.com

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About Kiwi.com

Kiwi.com was founded in 2012 by Oliver Dlouhý and Jozef Képesi. The travel tech company was created for travelers by travelers. Its proprietary algorithm – Virtual Interlining – allows users to combine flights and ground transportation from more than 800 carriers, including many that do not normally cooperate. Kiwi.com powers more than 100 million searches every day and employs 2,000 people worldwide.

Media Contacts

Carol Barnes, Head of Global Communications, Kiwi.com

[email protected]