Women hit the road as solo travellers, citing growing confidence and a 'sense of adventure'

After finishing her studies, Greta Gercovich decided 2023 was going to be her year of travel. (Supplied: Greta Gercovich)

It was an easy decision for Greta Gercovich to dedicate a year to travelling.

After finishing a degree in clinical psychology, the 29-year-old decked out her van and set out from Ballarat, Victoria in December 2022.

Her trip involved travelling along the South Australian coast before taking the Nullabor Plain to the west coast, and eventually heading up to the Northern Territory.

Next she left her van behind for a three-month stint in Europe.

No small feat, Greta said it was a “now or never moment” before committing to a full-time professional role in the healthcare industry.

“This was a pretty rare opportunity to be able to take a solid chunk of time off,” she said.

“While I didn’t have anything tying me down, I thought, ‘It’s time to make a move’ and I haven’t looked back.”

Women on the move

Greta is just one of many women setting out on solo adventures, particularly in Australia’s backyard.

Data from Austrade shows females represented 40 per cent of domestic solo travellers in regional areas for the year ending September 2023.

Greta said she had noticed a rise in solo female travellers, compared to when she had completed shorter road trips while studying in 2018 and 2019.

“In 2023 there were a lot more girls on the road, which is awesome to see,” she said.

“In Esperance, I met a crew of five girls who were all travelling on their own.

“They’d all met at different points in their travels and would come together wherever they could to have dinner and catch up.”

Freedom and friendship

The lifestyle is piquing the interest of many women.

Greta believes there is a “combination” of factors driving the movement, including a greater sense of courage, and the need for adventure.

“Girls are getting more confident and getting better at trusting their gut,” she said.

Greta said it was often safer than people made it out to be.

“In the media, you often hear the sensationalised stories.

“More often than not, you don’t hear about the great experiences people have, or just the regular experiences.

“I think the more that people get to experience it, the more that they realise that ‘this is OK.'”

And there’s no shortage of individuals looking for a similar sense of liberty.

“Through meeting people along the road you make friends and convoy with everyone else,” Greta said.

“It can be as simple as asking someone what their set-up is that starts a conversation and sparks a new friendship.”

Exploring the regions

In Far West New South Wales, some local businesses have also noticed the frequency of solo female travellers passing through.

Mt Gipps Station Stay owner Samantha Maiden said recently, it was evident that more single women were looking to explore Australia.

“We generally get quite a broad mix [of travellers],” Samantha said.

“But what we did see last year, which was quite new, was single females travelling by themselves, solo travellers, travelling all over Australia which was great to see.”

Samantha said women of all ages were hitting the road.

“Everyone had a different story,” she said.

“I had a lady who was mid-30s travelling with a tent.

“A couple of days later I had an older lady in a ute with a bit of a van on the back and she would have probably been in her 60s.”

Putting down roots in the outback

In the remote opal mining town of White Cliffs, a 12-hour drive north-west of Sydney, Irish backpacker Michaela Rowan found herself taking a job in the local pub last October.

It was the instantaneous welcome from the local community that won over Michaela.

“It took me a day or so to get into it and then I fell in love with the place within the first week,” she said.

“The people … there are some really good characters in this little town.”

Hailing from the Irish town of Donegal, Michaela arrived in outback Australia by herself.

She said it was something she had been scared of but now she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“You just have to do it, and if nobody wants to come out here with you, you just have to do it on your own,” Michaela said.

“I don’t think I would have made half the connections with the people in this town if I hadn’t been by myself.”

As for her future plans, Michaela said she had quickly discovered White Cliffs was somewhere she could live forever.

“It’s funny because I spent seven months in Brisbane and made no friends … then I came down here and the town just made me a part of their family,” she said.

“I don’t want to go home [to Ireland]; I would love to make White Cliffs my actual home.”

The lucky country

As for the appeal to domestic travellers, Greta Gercovich said after getting a taste of Australia in previous trips, she felt that there was much more to see.

“I just fell in love with it, we are so unbelievably lucky in Australia.

“I think in the west, south, and up north, there are so many places that are so untouched and pristine.”

And what does Greta think is Australia’s main drawcard?

“Our beaches, best in the world, hands down.”