Adventure, safety, camaraderie, and empowerment fuel the growth of women-only tours.

Travel organization Road Scholar’s yearly survey for 2024 confirmed what my eyes have been telling me for years: female solo travelers are on the rise, comprising 85 percent of all solo travelers. These women can be young, 20-something backpackers, or retirees who appreciate a slower pace, and everything in between.

While the numbers of solo travelers are increasing, women still have concerns. Seventy percent of women list personal safety as their number one worry when traveling solo, according to the Solo Female Travel Trends Survey. The survey also reveals that 40 percent worry about “something bad happening,” 40 percent express concern about language barriers, 34 percent are afraid of getting lost, 32 percent worry about feeling lonely, and 20 percent mention dining alone as a concern.

To allay these fears, many women choose tours, especially when traveling internationally. Nine out of ten solo travelers prefer to take tours all or some of the time, according to the most recent Solo Travel report, proving the old adage that there’s strength in numbers.

Sisterhood Travels, which leads female-centric tours around the world, helps women find their own strength while bonding with fellow travelers and others they meet around the globe. Founder and CEO Stacey Ray sat down with me to discuss what women are looking for in solo travel and the many women she’s seen transformed after their first solo trip.

What Kinds of Women Enjoy Solo Travel?

Ray, in many ways, represents the type of woman who is drawn to travel and sees the benefit of flying solo. After decades of jet setting with her husband, who passed away in 2017, she realized that she wasn’t done traveling – not by a long shot. In 2018, she created Sisterhood Travels to find other likeminded women. The business launched in a private Facebook group of 250 family members and friends. Ray put together enticing itineraries, her first in Iceland, and before she knew it, trips to Italy, Ireland, Greece, and Scotland were selling out in hours. Today, over 42,000 women have joined the Facebook group, which Ray says has grown 100 percent organically by word of mouth.

She says the power of wanderlust cannot be overstated, turning a group of strangers into sisters who bond quickly over shared experiences. “There’s not an inch of this world that isn’t worth seeing for different reasons, and these women get to explore that together. It’s empowering, and that empowerment extends globally through really rich, genuine, cultural exchanges with women whose lives and perspectives are different.”

Solo travelers come from various backgrounds – some have lost a traveling companion, some are married but their spouse is unable or unwilling to travel, some have never traveled, some bring a friend along, and some simply don’t have a friend who can afford the trip or take the time off work.

What To Expect From a Solo Travel Tour?

While each tour company operates differently, reputable organizations seek to provide a planned itinerary in a safe environment, one in which fears of language barriers, loneliness, and unfamiliarity with an area are quelled by a competent staff.

Ray says many women don’t know where to begin when it comes to planning and logistics in an unfamiliar country. “It can feel so overwhelming even to plan flights,” says Ray. So you can expect that a tour group will take care of the details for you – you choose what you’d like to participate in and what you prefer to sit out.

And what about making new friends? Ray says, “Within an hour of meeting during our arrival process, they act like they’ve known each other forever.” Sharing meals, experiences, and conversation makes for fast bonding, so expect to meet other women with whom you’ll want to stay in touch.

Eighty-five percent of the women who join Sisterhood Travels rely on a roommate to help defray trip costs, and that means bunking with a stranger. Part of the all-inclusive cost is a roommate matching service that Ray says is highly effective; in fact, for some women, it’s their favorite part of the trip. A remarkable 95 percent of women who are matched with a roommate rate their experience as excellent, according to Ray, and many book future trips with their roomies and new friends.

Of course, solo travel also relies on fun experiences you’ll remember and itineraries that entice and engage you. That might include a tutu party and parade on the waterfront in Cancun or an ugly Christmas pajama dance party on a chartered Christmas Market cruise in Germany. Whatever tour you choose, you’ll be given detailed instructions and itineraries for every aspect of the experience, so you’ll know how and what to pack ahead of time.

One very important tip: When choosing a tour, be sure to check the activity level required. Excursion expectations should be clearly delineated, whether it’s hiking 10 miles a day, climbing thousands of stairs, or just walking over uneven, cobblestone streets. Ray’s tours are all rated one through seven by level of activity, with the most popular tours falling in the three to four range. A level two trip, like the Chicago to Mackinac Island tour, moves at a leisurely pace, whereas a level 4 trip, like the popular Cinca Terra excursion, requires walking steep hills and stairs with no railings. “You’re never compelled to do anything you don’t want to do,” says Ray, “but these levels really help distinguish one trip from another.”

What are the Benefits of Solo Female Travel?

The most frequent and passionate feedback Ray receives is that women feel empowered after traveling solo. They find strength in conquering their fears, challenging what they thought they could do, and putting themselves out there to meet other women.

While most women who travel with Sisterhood Travels range in age from their 50s to their 70s, that doesn’t stop granddaughters, daughters, and grandmothers from joining the mix. Ray says the younger women bring a refreshing zest and enthusiasm to the mix, filling trips with laughter and giddiness. The ability to relax with other women of all ages in a safe environment is a huge benefit of signing up for a women-only trip.

And the feeling of being taken care of, of knowing someone’s got their back, further empowers women to seek out more far-flung destinations, to really leave their comfort zones and challenge themselves further. Solo women are now pouncing on itineraries that include dog sledding in Finland and safaris in Mozambique. Each time they report that they feel stronger, more capable, and more independent.

After all, as Ray says, traveling doesn’t just tell you who other people are. It tells you who you are.