Traveling alone for the holidays contrasts with the idea that holidays should be spent with families. Yet, in some cases, a solo traveler may not have family living nearby.
Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T.), the leader in small group international travel for travelers ages 50+, revealed the top 5 destinations for women traveling solo this holiday season.
Last year, more than 50,000 women traveled with O.A.T. Nearly 50% of O.A.T. travelers booked as solo travelers in 2019.
“Holiday travel is no exception when it comes to solo women demand for adventurous travel,” said Brian Fitzgerald, Chief Operating Officer of O.A.T. “Individual women may be traveling during the holidays for different reasons, but the lure of exotic destinations brings them together.”
O.A.T. Top 5 2019 Holiday Adventures for Solo Women:
- Morocco Sahara Odyssey
- Egypt & the Eternal Nile by Private, Classic River-Yacht
- Cruising the Adriatic: Croatia & Montenegro
- Suez Canal Crossing: Israel, Egypt, Jordan & the Red Sea
- Antarctica’s White Wilderness
If a spouse has passed away, holiday travel, though bittersweet, can help the surviving spouse relive fond memories of earlier travels. “It has been difficult because we had our own traditions and so thoroughly enjoyed holidays,” one solo woman traveler said. Holiday travel is now “a rewarding experience as well as helping me to set aside my sorrow.”
Another solo traveler had once traveled with her husband over the Christmas/New Year holiday after their children were married. After he passed away, she wanted to continue the holiday travel tradition. “First, I made the trip with friends. Now I am going back solo to see how it is. I met people last year who were doing it. I’m going on the same trip as I have been there and feel comfortable traveling solo for the first time in a more familiar place.”
Finally, there are travelers who use holiday travel to intentionally miss all of the holiday hoopla. One traveler said, “I try to travel around Christmas to avoid it completely. It is the most wonderful form of avoidance and immersion in something new and different.”
O.A.T. supports solo travelers by offering free Single Supplements on all O.A.T. adventures and pre- and post-trip extensions, and free or low-cost Single Supplements on Small Ship Adventures.
Solo and women-only travel
Solo travel is one type of travel experience which is popular with women. Women-only departures are also gaining fans. Responding to demand, O.A.T. last month expanded its women-only adventures for 2020, just two months after launching this type of departure. The women-only adventures are led primarily by female Trip Experience Leaders.
O.A.T. offers immersive, small group adventures for travelers aged 50 and older. With its small-scale travel philosophy, O.A.T. groups feature an average of 14 travelers by land and 22 by sea.
For a free catalog or more information about O.A.T., please visit https://www.oattravel.com/ or call 1-800-955-1925.
