I used to be a chicken when it came to being alone. I mean, it only took me 22 years to have the courage to eat by myself in public.

I haven’t looked back since — I graduated to watching a movie alone and subsequently travelling on my own a few years later. There is something immensely liberating about buying an air ticket to wherever whenever you feel like it, without having to coordinate schedules and leave dates.

You can wake up late and do anything you please and learn to appreciate your own company.

I’m hardly in the minority. Women everywhere are discovering the joys of hitting the road alone — and the number is increasing every year. TripAdvisor’s Women Travel Survey released earlier this year revealed some interesting figures about women travelling on their own: 48 per cent of South-east Asian women said they’ve gone solo, compared with 36 per cent last year. And 79 per cent are planning to do so again.

Data from Airbnb showed that the number of female solo travellers in Singapore using its vacation rental services has doubled year on year.

SOLO ACTS

Needless to say, the most common reason for women wanting to travel alone is “freedom”. In the same survey by TripAdvisor, 62 per cent of women said travelling alone helped them to be more independent and self-reliant.

That was definitely the case for cake designer and baker Winifred Lua of Winifred Kriste Cake. The 23-year-old took off on her first trip alone to Washington DC to intern with acclaimed wedding cake artist Maggie LaBaugh of Maggie Austin Cake after a Skype interview with her.

“I didn’t know anyone there, I’ve never travelled alone before and I was going halfway across the world for three months,” she recalled. That experience ended up being so enriching and inspiring that she’s now hooked on it. She recently returned from an impromptu trip to Bali and is planning to head to Sri Lanka next.

“In the past, I never paid attention to where I was overseas as my parents did all the work and brought me around. I took things for granted,” Lua shared. “But now I’m more aware of what’s around me and I make an effort to discover new things and learn from the locals. After buying my air ticket, I’d settle my accommodation by booking an Airbnb and go for the recommendations given by my host.”

In terms of safety, Lua said she ensures that she has a good rapport with hosts she can trust before booking with them, and makes it a point to buy an overseas SIM card at the airport to keep her family members updated constantly.

Events manager Jasmine Seet, who regularly extends her work trips to explore areas outside the cities, agrees women need to be smart about safety. She has gone to Bagan from Yangon; travelled from Ho Chi Minh City to Dalat in Vietnam, and made the journey from Mumbai to Pune when she was in India. Seet said she takes certain precautions such as signing up for land tours, choosing a central and busy hotel and never staying out too late.

“Being alone makes you more alert even when you’re being friendly and open. Never reveal where exactly you’re staying. I either take public transport or I get restaurants and shops to call a taxi for me just in case,” she added.

WOMEN ONLY

The travel industry is increasingly paying attention to this growing traveller segment. Even business mogul Richard Branson ensured his first Virgin Hotel, which opened in Chicago in January this year, was designed to be female-friendly. That means well-lit corridors, extra closet space, bigger dresser drawers and — get this — “larger showers with a bench that makes it easier for guests to shave their legs”, said Raul Leal, Virgin Hotels’ chief executive. (We don’t know how essential that bench is, but well-lit corridors are definitely a plus).

Several hotels in the region also boast female dedicated floors. Take the latest South Beach Hotel in Singapore, which boldly dedicated 80 rooms over three levels just for the ladies. The decor exudes several feminine touches such as pink trimming for its bedding, and comes equipped with amenities such as facial steamers and a boyfriend shirt.

It’s not only in-room benefits that hotels are looking at. The Landmark Hotel Bangkok launched a Solo Women Traveller package in July that includes discounts on spa services and an airport fast-track service where the hotel staffers would assist with the customs and luggage claim process.

Josephine Lim, managing director for South-east Asia for Preferred Hotels & Resorts, which counts both South Beach Hotel and The Landmark Bangkok as its members, posited it makes sense for hotels to cater to women as thousands of them travel on their own every day for all kinds of reasons, from a business trip to a rejuvenating weekend getaway, while others undertake an extensive journey to mark a personal milestone or to celebrate their independence.

Likewise, travel companies are making it easier and less costly to travel alone. For instance, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises doesn’t charge a supplemental fee for solo travellers. Female solo travellers below the age of 35 can also try travelling with Contiki, which pairs them up with a fellow traveller of the same gender to share a room. There are women-only tours offered by tour companies such as AboutAsia Travel which covers countries such as Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

At the same time, technology has been a huge boon to making your way around in a foreign land on your own. Apps such as Glympse allows real-time location sharing, which helps address safety concerns, while Maps.Me — which works entirely offline, by the way — integrates maps with points of interest for a more seamless experience.

So, ladies, with all these factors stacked in your favour, how about experiencing going solo for yourself already?