With word on the runway from British Airways’ cabin crew that there had been a rise in the number of independent female passengers, the airline has released the Global Solo Travel Study into the 'who, what and why of travel trends' across the world, and to understand which locations are the most tempting for true escapism.
The British Airways' Global Solo Travel Study of almost 9,000 women, between 18 to 64 years of age, across the UK, the US, France, India, Germany, Italy, Brazil and China found that over 50% of women have taken a holiday by themselves, with 75% of women planning a solo trip in the next few years.
Almost 47% of Indian women said that they have travelled alone, for at least 2 – 5 times and 30% of Indian travellers intend to travel in the next 2-3 months. Maximum number of solo travellers in India is between the age of 18 – 25. According to the survey, Indian travellers hopped and skipped continents the most, with 37% having travelled solo to Europe and 33% having explored the UAE and the Middle East
The British Airways' Solo Travel Study also unpacked the reasons why passengers were choosing to head out alone.
More than half of the global respondents (55%) choose to travel alone due to the feeling of freedom and independence, being able to choose your destination, what you eat and what you do. Holidaymakers from India are the most open, with over 50% prioritising meeting new people and having unique experiences.
Travel blogger and organiser of solo travel trips for single female traveller Zanna Van Dijk comments “It is undoubtable that modern travel has changed. What women are looking for with time to themselves is to explore, discover and uncover. We are no longer bound by traditional family holiday concepts or stigma around heading out alone. I organise trips for solo travellers who are looking to push themselves. Meet like-minded individuals that they wouldn’t otherwise. I love nothing more than heading to Kenya, Thailand and Bali where travel is easy and yet there is still so much to be explored.”