Young women are vacationing alone more frequently, according to a new poll, which also finds that social media helps to provide a sense of comfort and companionship during solo travel.
The survey, commissioned by online travel agency Booking.com, was conducted in April by market research firm Vision Critical of women, ages 25-45 who have traveled in the last year from the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Australia, and Germany.
Among those countries, US women ranked first in frequent solo travel, taking three trips or more a year.
Of the 500 American women surveyed, 58% believe that social media makes them feel safer when traveling on their own.
Nearly half of US women ages 25 to 45 use social media to find things to do at their destination, and half look for restaurant recommendations via social media, too. Their favorite solo destination is Europe.
Two-thirds of of American women ages 25 to 45 have taken a vacation without their partner, and 55% of that group of women who have already traveled solo once before are more likely to try solo travel now than they would have been five years ago.
The poll was not statistically representative of the populations at large, the way a good political poll might be, but it may suggest directionally what trends are.
Booking.com believes the demographic of female solo travel enthusiasts is large enough that yesterday it launched a new TV advertising campaign in the US and the UK based on "manless travel."