International Women’s Day 2019 - Women travelling solo on the rise

Allianz Global Assistance Canada offers some advice:

• Check daily government travel advisories for your destination 
• Make sure someone at home has your daily itinerary 
• Advise your hotel of your explorations each day before you leave 
• Sign up at Registration of Canadians Abroad to enable the local Canadian Embassy or Consulate to contact you in case of an emergency 
• Understand local laws and cultural expectations 
• Make sure you have travel health and trip cancellation insurance 
• Download the TripWise app from the Apple or GooglePlay stores 

Tomorrow (Friday, March 8, 2019) is International Women’s Day and this year more Canadian women intend on celebrating by continuing to explore the world on their own. 

“Research shows more and more Canadian women are travelling solo,” says Debbie Robinson, Director, Marketing and Customer Experience, Allianz Global Assistance Canada, a leading provider of travel insurance and assistance services. “In fact, our very own Winter Vacation Confidence survey shows that of the respondents, 23% are women excited to explore new places. As with all travel, but perhaps more so when travelling solo, researching your destination and checking for travel advisories is an important part of being safe and enjoying the journey. The Canadian government not only issues daily advisories, but it also has a valuable booklet called ‘Her Own Way – a woman’s safe travel guide’. We encourage solo travellers to read it online.”  

When International Women’s Day was initiated in 1911, it was rare for a woman to travel alone, but in modern times, solo travel by women is steadily increasing. According to the Conference Board of Canada, during the 2011-2012 winter vacation season, solo female travellers comprised only 4.6 per cent of Canadians who were planning a winter vacation. For the 2015-2016 season, it had risen to 7.4 per cent and for this current season (2018-2019), 8.2 per cent of respondents intending to travel are women travelling on their own. 

While travelling solo can be riskier, regardless of gender, it can also be a great experience. Some of the most influential online travel writers have advice for women travelling solo. 

Natalie Preddie, prominent travel and lifestyle blogger and author of The Adventures of Natalie P & Co.*, advises, “Don’t be afraid to make friends. Some of the most interesting experiences I’ve had while travelling solo have been with friends I’ve made on the go. Part of travelling is meeting new people and hearing new stories. Embrace it.” 

Preddie and Allianz Canada also suggest that solo travellers keep people at home informed daily of their locations and plans; advise the hotel of your explorations each day before you leave; and make sure to research local laws and cultural expectations as well. 

“Travelling solo requires being well-prepared beyond making reservations and planning sightseeing,” adds Robinson, noting that approximately 38% of women book vacations themselves according to the Allianz Global Assistance Winter Vacation Confidence Survey. “Travel insurance and protection should be a must. We receive more than 2-million calls for assistance each year. Travellers can also download our TripWise app to find the closest Allianz reviewed local healthcare provider with the phone number, address and website. The app includes 2,000 hospitals in 129 countries. TripWise also allows users to find international names for common prescription medications and store a photo of their prescription label for easy reference while travelling. The medical dictionary also translates popular first aid terms in more than 15 languages. But most of all, we want to encourage Canadian women to experience the special joy of travelling alone, safely.” 

Allianz Global Assistance Canada and its partners encourage Canadians to celebrate the drive for gender balance by participating in International Women’s Day events being held March 8th across the country.

Allianz Global Assistance (Canada)

For over 30 years, Allianz Global Assistance has supported travelling Canadians when they need it most with value-added travel insurance and assistance services. More than 800 employees support long-term partnerships with some of the best known brands in the travel and financial services markets. Allianz Global Assistance also serves as an outsource provider for in-bound call centre services and claims administration for health insurers, property and casualty insurers and credit card companies. Allianz Global Assistance is a specialist brand of Allianz Partners for assistance and travel insurance, and is a registered business name of AZGA Service Canada Inc. and AZGA Insurance Agency Canada Ltd. For more information, visit the Allianz Global Assistance Canadawebsite.

Allianz Partners 

Dedicated to bringing global protection and care, Allianz Partners is the B2B2C leader in assistance and insurance solutions in the following areas of expertise: assistance, international health & life, automotive and travel insurance. These solutions, which are a unique combination of insurance, service and technology, are available to business partners or via direct and digital channels under four commercial brands: Allianz Assistance, Allianz Care, Allianz Automotive and Allianz Travel. 

This global family of over 19,000 employees is present in 78 countries, speaks 70 languages and handles 54 million cases per year, protecting customers and employees on all continents. For more information, visit the Allianz Partners website. 

Press Contact: 

Communications@allianz-assistance.ca