In Australia, a survey by lastminute.com.au of nearly 5000 women found 46 per cent have holidayed alone.Half of those surveyed said they thought solo travel sounded adventurous and rewarding, while about a quarter said they would be too scared to try it and the rest thought it sounded lonely.Women also like to call the shots when they travel with their partner or family. Lastminute's Female Travel and Lifestyle report found 48 per cent of women take most of the responsibility for travel decision-making, while 47 per cent share the load with their partner, indicating few men are taking charge.
"There are many reasons why women like to travel together," Travelling Divas founder Andrea Powis says.
"For some, husbands or partners may not enjoy travel, or don't want to travel to the particular destination.
"For others, it is just wanting to do 'girl things', such as shopping or spa time ... or about having the time and space to reconnect with themselves."
"We are finding that more and more women, particularly the over-50s, are keen to keep exploring the world, while their husbands or partners are not," managing director Lee-Anne Levett says.
Renee Williams, a Melbourne-based personal travel manager with the Travel Managers group, has identified a niche in the "suddenly single" market, offering holidays for women who have been through a relationship breakup. Based on her own experience of going through a divorce and wanting to rediscover the benefits of single life, she has scheduled trips featuring cocktails, shopping, spa treatments and VIP entry at nightclubs.
Powis believes there is "a great deal of growth to come" in women-only travel.
"Women are doing more independently, taking control of their lives, and experiencing much more in life before they choose to settle down," she says.
"This is also true of many women once their children have left home and they are able to travel in a different way."
Powis says passengers on her tours have ranged in age from 20s to 70s and she often gets family members travelling together.However, those travelling alone have the option of being paired up to avoid paying single supplements.
Bliss says it has averaged 85 to 100 per cent occupancy in its two years of operation and the property has already been expanded, with further development scheduled this year.
Owner Zoe Watson believes most women fail to achieve true rest and rejuvenation when they travel, returning home feeling like they need a holiday to get over their holiday.
"Women need to take a break for themselves, to refuel and enhance their wellbeing," she says.
Sydney woman Christina Hanna Mifsud spent a week at Bliss earlier this year, choosing it because she wanted to holiday alone in a safe environment, without demanding children or other distractions.
Hanna Mifsud is married but enjoys travelling alone and having some time to herself, without worrying about anyone else's needs. "I don't think I could have relaxed as much as I did if I'd travelled with other people..
"It was just the right amount of time with others versus time alone," she says.
"It [a women-only retreat] was important, because I wanted to feel free to go there and just be myself and to be able to step out of my room with that feeling of safety."
Hanna Mifsud works in the corporate world and has also been setting up her own business.
"I've been running around like a crazy person for the past few years," she says. "I work hard and I thought it was time that I took more time out for myself.
"I just wanted to be able to turn off the phone and computer and to absolutely stop.
"It was a really genuine break and I came back much more relaxed ... I'd like to be able to do it every year."
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