A note on Ms Sancia Ng’s cellphone serves as a record of her whereabouts.
The 30-year-old has taken quite a few solo trips over the past few years, including about 10 to Japan, a couple of to Europe and trips to other countries including the United States, South Korea, Cambodia, Australia and Turkey.
The bank broker began traveling alone in 2011.
It all began on a whim, but since then such trips have grow to be annual obligations and he goes on no less than two of them yearly.
“Traveling solo is liberating. A solo traveler is alone, but never lonely. Unconstrained by itineraries, I love being able to observe people in my own space and at my own pace,” she says.
She is a component of a growing number of ladies travelling alone, each in Asia and elsewhere.
Like Ms Ng, they enjoy exploring the world on their very own since it offers them latest experiences, immerses them in local culture and provides opportunities for private growth.
Data from local home-rental platform Airbnb reveals that the variety of Singaporean women travelling alone abroad has doubled from January 31 last 12 months to January 31 this 12 months.
Meanwhile, the variety of men travelling alone has remained stable for years.
Robin Kwok, Airbnb Country Manager for Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, says the same trend may be seen in other parts of Asia.
Data shows that girls from Japan, China, Taiwan and South Korea are amongst the preferred solo travelers on the planet.
The 2015 Women and the World Travel Survey by travel planning and booking site TripAdvisor — conducted in 2014 to raised understand the market — found that just about half of respondents from Southeast Asia said they’d traveled alone, a “significant increase” from 36 percent the previous 12 months.
The 2014 study also found that 75 percent of the 636 Southeast Asian women surveyed enjoy traveling alone since the experience changes them and makes them feel more confident.
Hotels and tour operators noticed this trend and began handing out carrots to draw female solo travelers.
At the five-star Indian hotel The Leela Palace New Delhi, solo female travellers are offered a pampering and secure stick with the Kamal package, specially tailored to the needs of ladies.
The service for travelers is provided by women – butlers and housekeepers, and additionally they have access to a private chef.
From the airport to the hotel, passengers are transported by chauffeur and accommodated on an exclusive floor of the hotel reserved only for girls, where a female security guard works.
A hotel spokesman said demand for the package, introduced in 2011, had “increased tenfold” up to now two years and was “growing every month”.
The various properties available on hotel booking website Small Luxury Hotels Of The World also actively cater to the needs of solo female travellers.
At Dukes London, such guests are assigned a female worker to take care of them and handle all room and housekeeping duties; La Suite Kobe Harborland in Japan offers amenities tailored to women, including a face mask, moisturising gloves and a ladies-only spa.
Premium travel agency Insight Vacations can also be planning an itinerary geared towards women.
In addition to those special amenities, solo female travelers say the driving force behind solo travel is the people they meet and the adventures that await them.
Real estate agent Ang Geok Bee, 41, met an Italian man at a tourist cafe while on holiday in Barcelona, Spain, greater than 20 years ago.
They still communicate, she visited him several times in Italy.
“We speak about every little thing – our lives, careers, family. I feel friendship is sensible,” she says.
Bank worker Amy Soh, 31, travelled alone for the primary time in January last 12 months.
“I just turned 30, and after reaching that milestone, I wanted to step outside my comfort zone and take some time for myself,” she says.
She booked a yoga retreat on Koh Samui, Thailand, to “get in touch with myself,” and says she felt refreshed physically and mentally afterward.
“I hope we can do this every year,” he says.
Source : Asia One Journey
