KC is searching "solo travel" like never before
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Google searches for "solo travel" in the Kansas City metro hit their highest recorded level in June, part of a nationwide record year.
Why it matters: Traveling alone used to mean waiting for someone else's PTO to line up. Now it's a plan, not a fallback.
By the numbers: The eight months with the most "solo travel" searches in more than 20 years of Kansas City data were consecutive, from December 2025 through July 2026, per Google Trends.
- The metro's two most-searched related phrases are "female solo travel" and "solo female travel."
- Searches for "best solo travel destinations usa" are up 60%.
Zoom in: Local groups skew female too.
- Explorer Chicks of Kansas City has more than 3,600 members and runs small group trips for women. Its calendar includes Alaska, Banff, Yosemite and a Yellowstone hiking and hot springs weekend.
- Kansas International Travelers has 730 members and hosts a language exchange and networking meetup every other Saturday at 4pm.
Zoom out: In Hostelworld's 2025 survey of more than 3,300 solo travelers, 64% named freedom and spontaneity among the best parts of going alone, and 58% said they wanted to meet new people, up from 43% in 2024.
- It isn't only 20-somethings. Tour operators report growing demand from travelers over 50, particularly women.
Fun fact: MCI keeps adding places to go. Southwest started weekly Saturday nonstops to Punta Cana in March, its first international route from Kansas City, plus daily Boston service in June. United began daily LAX flights in April.
💭 My thought bubble: I've spent a week staring at data about women traveling alone and have somehow never done it. Where should I go first?
The bottom line: Book the trip.