WHY IT RATES: With nearly half of its clientele consisting of solo travelers, Overseas Adventure Travel is in a unique position to gauge consumer sentiment surrounding solo travel in the current climate. Judging by its bookings, things are looking good for 2021. — Laurie Baratti, TravelPulse Associate Writer

Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T.) , the leader in solo-friendly travel for women, reported a surge of 2021 bookings from solo travelers—a result of pent-up demand for travel. O.A.T. currently has 24,000 solo travelers booked for 2021 travel.

For 2021, O.A.T. has 25,000 single spaces available—an increase of 76 percent from 2019. To support solo travelers, O.A.T. offers free Single Supplements on all O.A.T. adventures and pre- and post-trip extensions, and free or low-cost Single Supplements on its Small Ship Adventures.

"Solo travelers tend to be resilient and independent-minded, so it's not surprising to see their eagerness to be traveling again in 2021," said O.A.T. CEO Brian Fitzgerald. "O.A.T. is considered number one in the U.S. for women's international travel for good reason, since 70 percent of our travelers are women. Nearly half of our travelers are solos, and 85 percent of solos are women."

O.A.T. fosters an intimate and accessible experience for solos, with groups limited to 16 travelers (average of 13) by land and 25 (average of 22) by sea. More than 80,000 solo travelers have traveled with O.A.T. in the last five years.

Popular for 2021: Europe

Europe is emerging as a favorite choice with solos planning adventures for next year. While solos often opt for far-flung, exotic locations, traveling abroad "closer to home" appears to be more the norm for 2021.

Among O.A.T.'s Top 10: Most Popular Solo Adventures in Europe for 2021, favorites include Crossroads of the Adriatic: Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Slovenia , Sicily's Ancient Landscapes & Timeless Traditions , and The Baltic Capitals & St. Petersburg .

With the health and safety of its travelers a priority as always, O.A.T. has worked with its 36 regional offices and more than 2,500 regional associates and Trip Experience Leaders around the world to create new health and safety measures and specific itinerary updates.

Independence and Flexibility

A majority of solo women travelers—85 percent—prefer to take control and personalize their O.A.T. adventures. Without the need to check with travel companions, solo travelers can make travel decisions independently to suit their own preferences. Travelers may decide to extend their travels with a pre-trip or post-trip extension, for example, or arrive early or stay later to explore a destination entirely on their own.

Understanding that some travelers may hesitate to make travel plans in the current climate, O.A.T. is offering flexibility if travel plans need to change. For any 2021 or 2022 reservation made by September 30, 2020, travelers may transfer to another departure date for any reason—up until 24 hours prior to the original departure—and O.A.T. will waive any change fees for 2021 and 2022 reservations. In addition, O.A.T. is offering travelers $500 per person and ten-percent trip cost savings.

For more information, visit oattravel.com .

SOURCE: Overseas Adventure Travel press release.