Posted on Tuesday, 14 August 2018

Research suggests females want to travel solo more, but are put off by a number of factors - not least of which is safety.

How can can women better enjoy the many benefits of lone travel?

Susan Catto, a travel expert from US travel firm Travelzoo, recently explored the issue on Canadian TV, and provided a number of tips for women who want to travel alone.

Catto said a recent Travelzoo survey revealed what makes people travel - and what prevents them from travelling.

"For women," said Catto, "there were three concerns. Number one, unsurprisingly, was safety. More than 50% said that was a concern for them."

"Number two was loneliness - fear of being alone was something that a lot of women mentioned."

"Finally there's cost - the dreaded solo supplement."

This extra levy, sometimes called a single traveller supplement, significantly increases the cost of solo travel, putting some women off.

Safety Tips

When Catto was asked about how women can feel safer when travelling, she said the Economist's Safe Cities Index "was a good place to start". The index rates 70 cities around the world for safety.

Catto said Japan's cities were ranked very highly. In number-one-ranked Tokyo, some hotels have women-only floors, while some famous 'pod hotels' are female-only.

The Travelzoo expert also said letting people know your itinerary was important.

She added, "Simple things like planning your arrival time in a city carefully [was important], because you don't want to arrive in the late afternoon or the evening, when you can't scout around your environment."

Catto recounted one of her own trips to Mexico City, when she arrived late and felt trapped in her room because she didn't know what the environment was like outside the hotel.

Dining alone

The problem of dining alone was also raised. Catto brought up the idea of going on a food tour around a new city, since it involved dining with other people. This approach might also highlight places to return to later, suggested Catto.

For the problem of solo dining, she also suggested:

• Travel apps designed for solo travellers
• Going to restaurants with communal tables
• Taking a seat at the bar

The best part of solo travel?

Finally, Catto talked about the best aspects of solo travel - from her own perspective - in a recent trip to Mexico City: "Because I was on my own I could do exactly what I wanted. I got to see the Aztec and Mayan ruins, the museums - for hours - no one I know would want to do that with me."

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