Adventurous Kate Flies Solo

Adventurous Kate is the epitome of living life to the full. She’s been to soooo many places including Iceland pictured here.

Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.
Michael Jordan

She lives the life many wish they could. Adventurous Kate is her name. Risking it all and traveling is her game.

She enlightens, “At age 26, I quit my job to travel the world alone. I spent six fantastic months in Southeast Asia and turned my travel blog into a full-time business. Today, I travel full-time, going anywhere that sounds wacky or beautiful or interesting. My goal is to show YOU how you can travel the world on your own — easily, safely, and adventurously.”

If timing is everything, travel wise, Adventurous Kate has everything.

Being the epitome of a solo traveler, with articles on her site that span back to the year 2010, she seems to be the right person to give solo travel advice in a decade that is witnessing a colossal boom in the female solo travel industry.

Travelweekly.com reports even with the obvious drawbacks, the volume of solo travelers is considerable. They account for 11% of all U.S. adult leisure travelers, and they take 4.3 trips each year, according to data from the U.S. Travel Association.

Skift Travel adds there is an estimated 32 million single American women who have traveled at least once in the past year…The average adventure traveler is not a male but a 47-year-old female. Fueling this travel desire is the growth in single women. One-third of all women are now single “indies” – a new term for those over 27, not married, not living with a partner and without children.

In her well-researched July 16, 2013 article titled “Marketing Travel to Women, Eight New Trends You Need to Know”, Ms. Jamie Dunham continues speaking to this important trend. Both today’s working women and women who are now retiring are seeking quality hotels and other upmarket services they had in their business travels and conferences. Women who have roles as executives, foreign-service employees, and travel abroad students have had their standards in travel set by prior experiences. They are not willing to settle for less in their leisure travel. Between 2011 and 2012, Small Luxury Hotels saw a surge in lone female bookings with a 53 per cent increase in demand for rooms.

Today’s women are okay traveling alone. They may not be able to arrange dates to work with friends or family, and they are traveling solo in a group that might have their same interests in travel – adventure, culinary, art, history, etc. Also women are traveling solo at all ages. More of travelers are traveling by themselves, compared to ten years ago. Some of that can be attributed to the growth of the widowed and divorced, rising growth of “indies” and the growing longevity and vitality of those in their senior years.

Their expectations for travel have been set by university, museum and club groups. They are looking for more intellectual stimulation and “experience” in their travel. They are also looking for these trips without paying the high costs that some of these trips have commanded in the past. Some 75% of those who take cultural, adventure or nature trips are women.

The Dailymail.com in the UK adds females exploring the world alone is not only becoming more accepted, but is also the preferred option for many women, according to new research.

Perhaps inspired by the book and Julia Roberts’ film, Eat, Pray, Love, demand for hotels rooms booked by single-occupant females has risen.

The trend has led to hotels going further to make females feel safer by offering women-only floors and rooms with more feminine touches, such as in-room girly magazines and hair straighteners. The trend extends.

1. Demand for rooms booked by single-occupant females has risen
2. Hotels responding by offering more ‘female-friendly’ services
3. Women-only floors and female sightseeing guides available
4. Female-only deals include shopping packages and golf days

According to the results of a survey on female travelers in the UK and U.S., by CAP Strategic Research in 2011, women represent the most important and fastest growing segment of the travel market, in terms of both leisure and business travel.

Two USA travel destinations well suited for the female traveler are Las Vegas and Tucson reports Travel.ca.msn.com/international. Here are some reasons why.

A trip to Las Vegas is fun for everyone with its lavish hotels, famous restaurants, and of course live shows, but what makes it a particularly ideal place for a solo woman traveler? In fact, it is much easier to find last-minute deals for single seats to Sin City’s best live shows and cabarets. If you prefer to be a bit more social during your experience, you are sure to find a friend (or enemy) at a card table in a high-stakes game of poker. Regardless, because of the amount of solo business travelers in Vegas, dining and going to shows alone is quite common and you will not stick out as a sore thumb as a solo traveler. Most hotels in Las Vegas are also guarded with high security, so you can feel safe in Sin City.

If you are looking for the perfect trip for relaxation, Tucson is a spa-lovers haven. Amongst the multitude of spas is Miraval, which was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show for its unique treatment strategies which focus on emotional healing. There is also The Spa at Omni Tucson National Golf Resort, and Canyon Ranch which offer similar atmospheres. If you are looking for something aside from the spa life, the city also boasts the must-see Tucson Museum of Art, which features beautiful Western American pieces and Latin American exhibits.

Women wrestlers have always been frequent solo travelers. Whether it’s traveling to wrestle for a private club, public event or book several stops in a particular region for modeling assignments, the female wrestler has been doing it alone for some time.

Competitors from NAIA women’s wrestling programs compete around the globe.

Following adventurous Kate may enhance that experience.

Just look at the countries she’s visited. North America: United States, Canada, Mexico. South America: Argentina. Europe: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Faroe Islands (Denmark), France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales), Vatican City. Africa: South Africa. Middle East: Jordan Southeast Asia: Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

This would make a noble mission statement and marketing shingle and Kate says it well. “Life’s too short to have regrets. That’s why I like to live the most interesting life possible by traveling the world on my own and saying yes to just about anything. If there’s an adventure available, I’ll go for it. I believe that it’s best to teach by example, and my ultimate goal is to show women that independent and solo travel can be safe, easy, and a lot of fun.”

She continues, “I’m also committed to showing you how to find maximum value in your travels — where to splurge, how to save, and plenty of secrets I’ve picked up along the way. Oh, and funny travel stories and cool travel photos. Like anyone else in the world, I have good times and bad times, but I promise to show you reality — with honesty and humor.”

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Sources: www.adventurouskate.com, http://www.travelweekly.com, skift.com http://travel.gc.ca/travelling/publications/her-own-way, travel.ca.msn.com/international http://www.dailymail.co.uk, Photos courtesy Wikimedia Commons, Adventurous Kate – Dangerous-Business.com