Solo female travel: Destination desirability, empowerment, and the geography of fear

This study examines how gender shapes solo female travel, focusing on destination desirability, perceptions of (un)safe spaces, experiences and spatial practices. Study combines an online survey of 818 women, mostly from Croatia with 11 semi-structured interviews. The findings show that perception of safety strongly influences destination choice and spatial behaviour, while women actively negotiate risk through planning, behavioural adaptation, and mental mapping. Solo travel does not eliminate fear but requires learning to manage it. Through this process, women assert autonomy, challenge gendered mobility constraints, and transform travel into a space of empowerment, resilience, and self-definition.