Solo holidays have doubled following the coronavirus pandemic as more women opt to journey alone, according to luxury travel agents.
Black Tomato said the number of ladies deciding to enjoy trips by themselves has increased from 30 to 50 per cent of all single bookings, which have doubled since the start of this year.
Meanwhile, Scott Dunn, experts in luxury holidays, said it had noticed an eight-fold rise in inquiries for solo escapes compared with the same period in 2019.
Speaking to The Times, Laura Kirkbride, 36, an NHS project manager, explained how she booked herself a holiday alone to Ibizia after going through a difficult split last year.
Solo holidays have doubled following the coronavirus pandemic as more women opt to journey alone, according to luxury travel agents. (stock image)
‘I learnt through social media that [my partner] had met someone else by the time he ended it with me,’ she said. ‘I live in a small town, everyone knows everyone else’s business, and I just wanted to cut myself out of that.’
Elsewhere, Jess Thorpe, 28, a social media content creator, also opted for a solo trip to Ibizia after being single during the pandemic and suffering through the death of two friends, as well as a relative who had a heart attack.
‘Being forced to stay home on my own in lockdown made me realise that I can survive on my own and create my own happiness,’ she said.
During her trip, she would wake up early and explore – and while she was initially worried about the evening meals alone, she soon found that no one focused on her because they were too busy with their own dinners.
Mansi Shah, 42, an author, enjoyed a single holiday to the Maldives last month after realising ‘life is too short’ during the pandemic.
Holidays to help cope with break-ups have been part of popular culture for many years; the 1989 film Shirley Valentine (pictured) shows a lonely housewife who is given a trip to Greece with a friend before going on a journey of self-discovery
Black Tomato’s head of product Carolyn Addison said the main business is still families and couples travelling but added ‘it has been gratifying to see so many women’ starting to make their own travel plans without waiting on someone to go with.
Simon Lynch, global sales director at Scott Dunn, said 60 per cent of its solo travellers are women.
More than 20 per cent of the solo trips have been to Africa, including Botswana, Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Travel Queen’s Melanie Stephens also told the publication that many of her female clients are on her all-women tours because they’ve suffered a break-up or divorce.
Holidays to help cope with break-ups have been part of popular culture for many years; the 1989 film Shirley Valentine shows a lonely housewife who is given a trip to Greece with a friend before going on a journey of self-discovery.
