They’re 50-plus, fit, financially independent and keen to explore off-the-beaten-track destinations – on their own terms. Expedition cruising ticks all the boxes for this influential cohort, who are driving a market set to more than double by 2035.
Solo women’s travel across the board is trending.
According to the latest annual survey by Solo Female Travel Trends, Skift reports that 64 per cent of global travellers are female and Google searches for ‘solo female travel’ have increased fivefold since 2020.
Aurora Expeditions co-sponsored a research study in Canada and the US called Journey Woman, which found that 61 per cent of women over 50 say that solo travel is their preferred way to travel.
And the proof is in the bookings.
Aurora’s first women-only voyage to Antarctica in March next year has proved so successful that the company has launched a second edition for March 2028.
Hosted on the 130-guest Sylvia Earle, led by an all-women leadership team and featuring an inspiring line-up of special guests, these voyages reflect a new and rapidly expanding market for women’s expedition cruising – particularly for solo women.
Similarly, a National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions survey revealed that 66 per cent of women report being interested in adventure, while 73 per cent are eager to try “new things”.
When Lindblad Expeditions CEO Natalya Leahy spoke with Karryon in Sydney recently, she said that the survey’s findings reinforce what she sees personally in the company’s wide-ranging expeditions.
“We are seeing a meaningful shift in how women are approaching travel today. Increasingly, women are seeking experiences that combine independence, personal growth and genuine connection, and expedition travel naturally supports that.
“There is a strong sense of community onboard our voyages because guests share extraordinary experiences together through expert-led excursions, wildlife encounters and cultural immersion. At the same time, there is complete freedom for guests to engage at their own pace.”
She says this type of travel is evolving because travellers want more than simply to visit a destination; they want access, expertise, context and a sense that their travel has meaning.
“Many women are helping lead that shift toward more purposeful, experience-driven exploration. The next generation of female travellers is confident, curious and deeply values travel that expands perspective, builds connection and leaves them with a greater understanding of the world.”
Generational shift
Amber Wilson, HX Expeditions Director of Sales AUNZ, says solo female travellers now account for about 20 per cent of their guests, and that number continues to grow steadily.
“It’s one of the fastest-growing segments we’re seeing across the business and our industry partners are reporting similar trends.
“From my conversations with these travellers, I believe we’re witnessing a generational shift.
“Many women aged 50 and over have built successful careers, travelled independently for work, and now have both the confidence and financial freedom to travel on their own terms.
“What’s particularly interesting is that we are finding that it’s not only ’single women’ exploring the trend of solo female travel. Many of our guests have partners, but they’re choosing to pursue their own travel experiences.
“They’re booking solo cabins and joining groups of like-minded women – travelling independently, but still enjoying the connection that comes from sharing the journey with others.
“These travellers are embracing the freedom to treat themselves to incredible adventures, and we’re seeing that drive significant growth in the solo travel market.”
The single supplement
While demand for this sector of cruising is soaring, solo travellers still have to contend with the single supplement (the charge levied on solo cruisers when they book a stateroom designed for two people).
Many lines reduce or waive the charge, but advisors need to be on top of promotions as soon as they are released because supply is limited and they are snapped up quickly.
Ponant is currently waiving the single supplement on 130 yachting and expedition voyages between July 2026 and January 2028. Silversea has a 25 per cent single supplement on 26 voyages in between October 2026 and May 2028, including three in Antarctica.
HX Expeditions reserves several low solo supplement cabins on every departure and offers no solo supplement on a few expeditions departing within six months. Lindblad’s solo supplement starts at 25 per cent and it waives the supplement on a selection of voyages throughout the year.
Most luxury expedition cruise lines, such as Ponant, Silversea, HX Expeditions, Scenic and Seabourn, don’t have dedicated solo cabins, so solo guests are accommodated in a stateroom or suite designed for two.
If you wish to avoid the single supplement by sharing a stateroom, companies such as Aurora, Lindblad and Quark Expeditions provide a service to match you with a like-minded traveller of the same gender.
If these lines can’t find a roommate to share with you, they will waive the single supplement, giving you a private room at no extra cost.
Dedicated solo staterooms
Lindblad’s newest ships, 2021’s National Geographic Endurance and National Geographic Resolution, have 12 and 14 dedicated solo staterooms respectively, and NG Geographer has 14.
Unusually for solo staterooms on any type of cruise ship, those on Endurance and Resolution all have step-out balconies, furnished with a table, two chairs and a hammock.
Quark Expeditions’ ultra-luxe Ultramarine and Ocean Explorer, which specialise in polar expeditions, have six solo staterooms apiece, and Ocean Explorer also has a spacious Studio Veranda single room.
Aurora’s newest ship, Douglas Mawson – christened in Sydney in December 2025 – is the only one of its three ships featuring dedicated solo staterooms (six of them), plus four additional staterooms held for solo travellers. Aurora dedicates 10 cabins on every ship on every expedition to solo travellers with no single supplement.
For more information, visit Aurora Expeditions, HX Expeditions, Lindblad Expeditions,Ponant, Quark Expeditions, Scenic,Seabourn, Silversea.
