Seeing the world SOLO

Got itchy feet but aren't in a couple? No worries! Follow in the footsteps of these wonderful women explorers!

- Donna Fleming

The thought of travelling on your own can be daunting for many women. Still, more and more of us are heading off on adventures alone, with travel network Virtuoso reporting at the end of last year that 71 percent of solo travellers are women. And a lot of those are women over forty.

There are many reasons why women choose to travel on their own - often it's down to the simple fact that we don't have anyone to accompany us. But it can also be because we enjoy the challenge of being out of our comfort zone and value the independence that comes with visiting a foreign place by ourselves, along with the chance to do the things we want, when we want.

'I've been everywhere!'

It was the warm waters of Thailand that hooked Sharon McLean on travel. Apart from a family trip to the UK as a child and a week's holiday in Australia, she'd never spent time overseas until she went to Koh Samui, aged 42, to undergo some training as a yoga teacher.

“On my day off, I went to the beach and when I put my foot in the water, it was like a bath,” recalls Sharon, 58, who was then working as a personal trainer after many years as a customs broker. “I thought, ‘Oh, my gosh, this is amazing.’ They had beautiful sunsets and great scenery, and I had a wonderful time. I got home and felt unsettled - I wanted to go away again straightaway!”

Aucklander Sharon, who is single, didn't have anyone to travel with, but she didn't let that put her off.

"I knew that if I wanted to travel, I had to do it on my own, and I really wanted to."

She began planning a trip to Mexico that involved a bit more than just visiting tourist hotspots. For part of her time there, she volunteered at a horse ranch and organic farm, and also assisted a woman who had slight brain damage.