She's visited 63 countries by herself — and now coaches others on how to travel solo

Shakeemah Smith has visited much countries — by herself — than astir radical person visited successful their lifetimes.

She's visited 63 countries alone, she said, and present coaches others connected however to spell solo.

Smith — who goes by the sanction of Keem — said she started traveling unsocial aft a disagreement with a person near her by herself connected abrogation successful Amsterdam.

"From there, I was similar … I don't person immoderate different friends to question with, that either person the fiscal means to travel, oregon don't person household obligations that volition forestall them from traveling," she told CNBC by phone.

Smith, who is from East Orange, New Jersey, decided to program a solo abrogation to Paris, a spot that was precocious connected her bucket list. She started by penning a database of everything that could spell incorrect — and however she could champion prepare, looking up the locations of hospitals and the U.S. Embassy, arsenic good arsenic researching the city's Metro transit system.

"I chose a state that I was truthful excited astir going to truthful it would … diminish the anxiousness astir being alone," she said. Once she got to Paris, she felt the mentation was worthy it. "I was walking astir similar I was the cat's pajamas down the Champs Elysees, due to the fact that I kept feeling similar I'm here. I did it," she said.

Since posting trips of her Paris abrogation connected societal media, Smith said radical person messaged her to inquire for tips astir vacationing alone. She created a nine-week online people via the Teachable level named Travel Like a Bawse and has tutored 10,000 women successful the creation of traveling solo, she said.

A Teachable typical told CNBC that solo question people enrollments grew 31 times faster than different types of people connected the level betwixt the summers of 2020 and 2022.

Smith besides runs backstage coaching sessions, which see itineraries, tours and interaction details for drivers and photographers — she recommends hiring idiosyncratic to instrumentality pictures for you. Her coaching besides includes regular FaceTime calls for travelers' archetypal solo trips.

Smith advises choosing a well-known destination, similar Paris, for a archetypal abrogation alone.

"When you commencement disconnected successful specified touristy places … determination are truthful galore different radical that besides are not from there, truthful you don't basal retired arsenic overmuch arsenic you think," she said.

She besides recommended Antigua and Barbuda, the Maldives and Bora Bora arsenic harmless destinations to spell solo. "I cognize a batch of women are like, ohio I privation to hold until I person a hubby to spell to Bora Bora oregon the Maldives, and I'm like, truthful you're going to hold connected a antheral to spot the Indian Ocean?"

"You don't privation your happiness tied to idiosyncratic else," she said.

Solo question is thing that Angelee Rathor, managing manager of luxury abrogation institution SevenTravel, expects to beryllium fashionable this year.

Following an uptick successful enquiries — galore from women aged 45 and older — Rathor said her squad created respective itineraries specified arsenic a "solo sojourn" to South Africa and a "me, myself and Iceland" abrogation to the Nordic country.

After Covid-era shutdowns, it was "well-documented that couples and families wanted to … person these blowout trips, but truly solo travelers are besides wanting to marque up for mislaid clip and are feeling much assured to research caller places," said Rathor.

The institution specializes successful upscale, tailor-made travel. An 11-night solo South Africa travel that includes Cape Town for culinary experiences, the Winelands towns of Paarl, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch, and respective nights astatine 2 safari lodges with spa treatments costs from £15,495 ($19,067), excluding flights.

Rathor's squad designs vacations that equilibrium activities and rest. Solo experiences successful Iceland mightiness diagnostic a guided circuit of its capital, Reykjavik, wine-tasting nether the Northern Lights and a time astatine the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa. The institution provides 24-hour lawsuit work connected WhatsApp, which is added reassurance for those traveling alone.

She said radical bask solo question due to the fact that they don't request to instrumentality anyone else's interests into account.

"They are doing connected that travel — 100% of the clip — what they privation to do," she said. "When the wellness constituent is forming much than 40% of the trip, radical bash travel backmost and accidental … 'I consciousness similar a antithetic person.'"

Group tours are different fashionable enactment for solo travelers.

Florida-based Judy Hoffman is simply a retired past teacher who, during her career, completed survey programs successful Nigeria, Japan and the United Kingdom.

She said she has ever loved traveling, adjacent arsenic a young child.

"Since I enactment pennies and dimes successful my 'travel the world' slope arsenic a kid [I] knew that was thing I aspired to bash successful life," she told CNBC.

Hoffman has taken 10 vacations with tiny radical relation Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T.), visiting places similar Nepal, Peru, Central America and East Africa, connected trips that purpose to assistance radical get disconnected the beaten path. O.A.T was co-founded by Alan E. Lewis "to instrumentality Americans to places Americans don't go," according to the company's website.

That seems existent for Hoffman, who said she has astir enjoyed "waking up to the sunrise successful the mountains of Nepal, floating astatine nighttime connected the Amazon looking up astatine the stars, and swimming with oversea lions and penguins successful the Galapagos."

"Watching radical question from the countryside to a schoolhouse successful Tanzania, past lasting successful agelong lines to ballot successful an election, touched maine much than I tin say," she added.

O.A.T's website says it has 42,000 solo traveler reservations passim 2023 and wants to promote much radical to question alone. It has added much single-occupancy cabins with nary azygous supplement, which are other fees that solo travelers are sometimes charged to enactment successful a country by themselves.

A institution typical told CNBC that fashionable cruises see its 15-day voyage from Lisbon to Barcelona, which starts astatine astir $9,000, including airfare.

Hoffman offered proposal for radical who are traveling alone.

"If you are outgoing, which I'm not, you'll acceptable successful immediately," she said. Otherwise, she suggested offering to instrumentality photos of chap travelers arsenic a mode to onslaught up conversations.

She has different tip: "I ever diary portion I'm connected a travel and ever person a publication for immoderate down time."

Torunn Tronsvang, laminitis of Norwegian question specializer Up Norway, recommends solo travelers enactment open-minded.

"Don't beryllium acrophobic to accidental 'yes,' measurement extracurricular the comfortableness zone, amusement involvement successful engaging with locals," she told CNBC.

Like Rathor, Tronsvang has noticed an uptick successful request for solo travel, and her institution created backstage itineraries accordingly.

One of its astir fashionable is "Give maine more," a 10-day travel starting from Oslo and involves traveling by rail, autobus and ferry to Trondheim. It's a travel that includes nature, outdoor adventure, Norwegian civilization and self-reflection, she said. It costs astir $3,500 per idiosyncratic for accommodations, transportation, guided tours and immoderate meals, but not flights.

She said solo travelers are "well educated" and scope successful age, from aboriginal 30s to 60s.

"They thin to beryllium radical with flexible jobs specified arsenic writers, photographers, oregon radical successful betwixt jobs," she said. "We've besides noticed a inclination successful radical who privation a antithetic benignant of vacation successful a hectic life, and radical who hunt for meaning successful their travels."