2025 looks like it will be the year of solo travel for women.
To wrap up 2024, Future Partners, a creative tourism research firm, surveyed 4,000 American travelers to find out how they really felt about jetting off to faraway destinations alone in the coming months compared to a year ago. And based on the firm’s findings, more women are ready to ditch their travel companions for an independent excursion now than they’ve previously been.
Forty percent of female respondents expressed interest in traveling by themselves, which is eight percent higher than what was previously found in 2024.
What’s more, women are tapping into their adventurous side, venturing off into nature with organized communities such as “Women in the Wild” run by Natural Habitat Adventures. What started as a small Facebook Group based out of British Columbia, Canada, has grown to become an international organization that saw its membership capacity jump by 75 percent in just two years.
Virtuoso, a lush travel company, reported that 71 percent of their solo travel clients are female explorers. Of the women hopping from destination to destination without any buddies, 40 percent admitted to seeking “a sense of belonging,” and 27 percent crave an “expedition.” A majority of these women (47 percent) are widowers, divorcees, or separated from their partners.
Meanwhile, 77 percent of all Virtuoso clients are motivated to travel to feel “curiosity and exploration,” 65 percent want to feel “joy and happiness, 57 percent are driven by “awe and wonder nature,” and 51 percent want to exhibit “anticipation and excitement” after booking a trip.
This year The Independent put together a list of the best U.S. cities to hit, especially for female wanderers. The list includes Boulder, Colorado; Austin, Texas; San Diego, California; Huntsville, Alabama; Charleston, South Carolina; Sedona, Arizona; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Washington D.C.
Cruise lines are now adding international getaways for travelers wanting to set sail surrounded by only women. Uniworld, a river cruise company, announced a new female-only trip aboard its SS Catherine in August 2025. The ship will take passengers through Burgundy and Provence in France.
“As a female-led company, Uniworld has always been passionate about providing a travel experience where women feel safe, inspired, and pampered while enjoying the vacation of a lifetime with all details taken care of,” Ellen Bettridge, the CEO of Uniworld, told The Independent.
“Our ships average just 120 passengers and are the perfect place to foster meaningful connections and make new friends,” she added.
