Ever more women are choosing to explore the world solo, something once deemed daring and dangerous. A recent Yahoo poll found 72 per cent of women prefer to wander abroad alone than with a companion and, in the  past six years, the number of companies catering to solo woman travellers has risen more than threefold as the tourism trade looks to cater to this growing market.

Beth Santos, founder and CEO of female travel network Wanderful, puts the increase down to modern women being more economically independent and delaying marriage and children until later on in life. These combined create a ‘perfect storm’ – more women are getting interested in going out in the world and don’t necessarily mind doing it without a partner or friend.”

However, being a sassy single female traveller is not without its dangers, and safety is paramount. “As a female, I find myself more physically vulnerable when I travel,” says Santos. “I often think about my safety, and rely less easily, as my husband does, on the kindness of strangers.”

Continue on to the South China Morning Post to read the rest of the article.