Female-first travel: The ultimate guide

With their growing financial resources, 82% of women control travel decisions, and from solo adventure holidays to multi-generational trips, female-first travel is on the rise.

Women today are on the move. More than 64% of the world's travellers are women, with 82% responsible for making a family's travel decisions, according to Skift Research's 2024 The Woman Traveler report. Not only that, but women are also travelling in more ways and to more places than ever before.

Solo female travel is particularly on the rise, with nearly 40% of women travellers planning a solo trip in 2025, according to Skift. This trend also increases with age, as 21% of female travellers aged 55 and up prefer solo travel versus travelling with a spouse or children.

"Solo travel as a woman feels like a quiet act of rebellion. It is a radical form of self-care, a bold claim to joy and a path to self-actualisation," said Lauran Peoples, a director at Richmond Region Tourism in Canada. "Solo travel allows me to move through the world for no one's benefit but my own. Every time I return, I feel more capable than I give myself credit for. I come back cooler. I come back braver. I come back more in tune with who I truly am."

With their growing financial resources, women are also discerning, choosing destinations with safety, freedom and welcoming cultures in mind. To aid that process, we pulled together some of the most popular ways women around the world are travelling today.

Google searches for "solo female travel" have increased 1,000% in the past decade, as women look to book more and more trips alone. But compared to men, women have slightly different concerns when planning holidays: safety and cultural attitudes continue to rank top of mind.

According to Solo Female Travellers – a company empowering women to travel solo – 66% of female travellers mark safety as their top concern; a figure unchanged since 2020.

The company's index of more than 200 countries (based on current US/UK advisories, the current Global Peace Index and a survey ranking how solo women travellers viewed their risk while travelling) finds a few places consistently topping the list, including Spain, Australia, the Nordic countries, Thailand, the UK, Singapore, New Zealand, Indonesia and Japan. Japan, which has one of the world's lowest crime rates, ranked number one for safety and stands out as a memorable destination for many solo female travellers. 

"Japan was by far the easiest country I have ever traveled in solo," said Georgia Fowkes, a travel expert at Altezza Travel. "I felt this peculiar but wonderful mix of excitement and utter ease when I arrived in Tokyo. Whether in Shinjuku's buzzing chaos or Kyoto's quiet corners, the streets felt unbelievably safe, even at night." 

She found particular ease in women-only train cars and female-focussed capsule hotels. "It all adds up to a place where you can truly let your guard down and soak it all in," she said.

Fiona Spinks, who writes the blog Following Fiona, echoes the survey's finding about how female travellers feel welcome in New Zealand. "Here, it wasn't just about the views (although they're unreal). What stood out most was the people and the way travel in New Zealand often became a real community experience," she says. "When I hiked through the Abel Tasman track, total strangers ended up sharing stories and food. Kiwis love chatting, and you'll gain so much insight from local conversations." 

To help support other women-owned businesses on their solo adventures Wanderful, a leading women's travel community, recently launched a map highlighting city guides around the world with women-owned shops, cafes and hotels.

"Maybe it's the wine, but I laugh more when I travel with women," said Kimberlee Lauer, a New Orleans-based senior account executive who travels frequently with her female friends. "We can be spontaneous and silly together, and we find joy in our shared travel experiences, even when they go awry. I have travelled with my significant others in the past, but I don't really enjoy travelling with men nearly as much as my girlfriends!"

Whether a girls' getaway or a "solo-but-not-alone" trip, group travel built exclusively for women is skyrocketing. Nearly 14% of women are planning a women-only trip in 2025, according to Solo Female Travellers. The survey also found that 36% of women travelled solo on a small group trip, with 8% joining a trip with girlfriends. Road Scholar saw its enrollment in senior-focused women-only tours double in recent years. 

Megan Vila, Innovation Manager for TourAxis, recommends women seek out smaller groups and female-led guides. "Smaller group tours create a more intimate experience and offer a great way to form friendships with other travellers," she said. She also recommends itineraries that combine guided activities with plenty of free time. "Women value expert guidance but also enjoy exploring at their own pace." 

Cruises have emerged as a holiday popular for women, whether already in a group or looking to make new friends. Uniworld recently launched their first women's-only river cruise departing in August 2025 throughout France.

"Group tours provide something like a tasting menu of different places, so I can see a bit of each city and decide for myself which ones I may want to come back to in the future. I can travel alone, but I'm not actually by myself," explained New York resident and frequent group traveller Jessie Parker. "Get to know the other people in your tour group. There's an instant connection in your choosing the same trip at the same time, so be open to connecting with them as well, not just the location."

Natural Habitat Adventures also expanded its women-only itineraries by 75% in 2025, noting that 30% of travellers are women travelling solo. The small, women-led group tours cover destinations like Greenland, Alaska and Costa Rica, focusing on wildlife viewing and highlighting women's history in each destination. Adventure travel continues to be a female-majority space – with women comprising 57% of all adventure travellers.

While solo travel might have once conjured an image of a young, nomadic backpacker, The Woman Traveler Report by Skift recently busted that myth. Only 4% of adults aged 18-24 planned on embarking on solo trips, while nearly 25% of those aged 65 and above planned a similar journey.

According to the report's findings, as women reach retirement age, they look forward to travelling to enjoy freedom and flexibility, escape their routines and challenge themselves. According to a 2023 study by Road Scholar, 85% of the operator's solo travellers are women, and 69% of their overall travellers are women. Barring health or mobility issues, many baby boomer women also set their sights on "bucket list" travel.

"With retirement came the precious gift of time, a treasure to be cherished; immersing myself in the moments that fill my heart and nourish my spirit," said Venida Hudley, who solo travelled to 12 African countries in 11 months and chronicled her adventures at Venida Discovers Africa. "My passion was innovation, so I looked for out-of-the-box volunteer opportunities that fed my spirit like volunteering with an innovative fashion designer in Gaborone, Botswana, and volunteering with a business that creatively improves the environment like Gjenge Makers in Nairobi, Kenya." 

A 2025 AARP report cited Europe as the most popular destination for international baby boomer travel, with Italy, Great Britain, France, Spain and Ireland in the top positions. At Scotland-based small-group tour company Rabbie's, seniors aged 60 and over receive discounted prices, and they've seen senior women most interested in "set-jetting", checking out the Downton Abbey Castle or Outlander filming locations in Scotland. "The real-life history behind these famous locations is often just as captivating as the fictional storylines they have watched on screen,” says Rabbie's CEO Hazel Rickett. "Take Doune Castle, for example. Known to Outlander fans as Castle Leoch, it has centuries of its own stories to tell. Some driver-guides were even extras in the series, so they offer first-hand insights."

Another growing trend has been the emergence of cross-generational travel, driven in large part by millennials and Gen-Z parents who are including both their children and their own parents on their travels. According to American Express Travel's 2025 Global Travel Trends, 58% of millennials and Gen-Z parents plan to bring their extended family on trips in 2025, up from just more than 30% of Gen-X and baby boomers.

Female-focused tour operator Pink Girls Run the World sees a high percentage of its travellers embark as multigenerational trips. "Plan experiences that can be shared across multiple generations, like afternoon teas," suggests founder Tashieka Brewer. "Over Mother's Day weekend, we're planning a special multi-generational weekend in Bristol, Virginia and we're planning for a unique wine tasting experience at a local vineyard." 

Stephanie Webb of Seesight Tours echoes the sentiment. "Some of my most meaningful trips have been with family. I took my mom to Italy, where she finally got to see the Amalfi Coast after dreaming about it for years," she said. "Travelling across generations teaches you patience and appreciation. It's about slowing down, choosing activities that suit everyone's energy levels, and focusing on shared experiences rather than just checking off a bucket list. These trips remind me that travel isn't just about the places we see, but the moments we create together." 

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