WE'RE NOT STUPID... BUT WE'LL NOT STAY HOME EITHER: EXPERIENCES OF SOLO WOMEN TRAVELERS

Since 1998 we have been researching the experiences of British and American women who take solo holidays. These women are leisure travelers who choose to vacation by themselves, as opposed to solo business travelers. The purpose of this study has been to explore why and how these women travel alone, their experiences both good and bad, and the many meanings that solo travel has for them. Our data, collected during 60 in-depth interviews with women from the US and the UK aged between 20 and 70 years, have been analyzed using a poststructuralist feminist framework. In particular we draw upon the theories of Foucault, poststructural theorization of leisure and tourism, and ideas about the sexualization of space. In this article, we discuss three themes evident in the women's travel experiences: surveillance, resistance, and empowerment.