There is so little written for men traveling alone. I get emails all the time. They seem to be left out. But, in fact, about 35% of our readers and members of the Solo Travel Society on Facebook are male solo travelers.
Yes, men travel solo too. But you wouldn’t think so when you see what is published by so many other sites about solo travel. They are very focused on women.
Men Traveling Alone: What Western Men Need to Know (solotravelerworld.com)
I’ve noticed this too – online stories about guys traveling solo do not exist. Unfortunately, the linked story goes with the stereotypes of guys traveling solo – keep your illegal drug use under control, know the rules on consensual sex encounters, carry condoms – all stereotypes.
Why this bias in travel stories?
- Partly because women outnumber men, 2:1, in travel experiences (some surveys put it as high as 75-85% of solo travelers are women).
- Partly this is because young women are more likely to study abroad, in a similar 2:1 ratio versus men.
- Partly this because far more writers are women, typically young women, than are men.
- Partly because it’s become a popular meme to write about “solo women” travelers, typically spun into how they did this amid danger of traveling as a solo woman (which is true is some countries and not true in most countries – and some countries are dangerous for all travelers).
The result is virtually no stories about men traveling solo.
The lack of diversity in the travel media is surprising, considering that many view themselves as supporting diversity.
From mid-2023 to mid-2024, I reviewed 300 stories about people who moved abroad, and the largest category of stories are about women who moved abroad, then gays and gay couples, then people of color – with less than half a dozen about straight guys. Guys do not exist in the travel world!
Here is one story that offers only generic advice: The Ultimate Guide to Solo Male Travel: Exploring the World with Confidence (moderngentlemanmagazine.com)
Now try to find first person stories by solo male travelers – there are very few.