This year there has been a sharp increase in the number of New Zealand women aged in their 50s travelling by themselves, according to newly released data from Flight Centre NZ.
Between April 1 to July 31, there was a 60 percent increase in solo travel bookings compared to the previous time period, of which the median age of customers was 56 and the majority were female.
Flight Centre, one of the largest travel agencies in Aotearoa alongside the likes of House of Travel and Helloworld, said its Australian data showed a similar trend to New Zealand's.
"Women in this age group may be empty nesters who no longer have the same level of responsibilities, have a level of disposable income which means this is the time in their life they can have some fun and have travel experiences they've wanted for some time," said Heidi Walker, general manager of Flight Centre NZ.
"The rise in solo travel bookings is somewhat indicative of the increase in demand for travel overall. Customers are snapping up great deals as soon as the sales drop, regardless of external factors, such as whether or not their friends can get leave at the same time.
"We see across the board that while the belts are tightening on spending, travel is remaining a priority, and this is particularly evident for solo travellers".
For the solo bookings there was an average lead time of 66 days and an average trip length of 11 days, Flight Centre NZ said.
Sixty-five percent of the solo bookings were for international trips.
"The top countries that solo travellers are booking to include the usual suspects of the UK, USA, Indonesia and New Zealand, but other regions - particularly in South East Asia, such as Thailand, and Singapore - are seeing strong numbers," said Walker.
In early 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic halted travel, a Booking.com study found one in 10 women globally wanted to travel solo that year.
At the time, Newshub published a list of the top tips to help solo female travellers achieve the trip of their dreams.
