Solo females on the move link up with Joly’s app

THERE’S nothing quite so freeing as travelling, and while it’s nice to do so with friends sometimes you need to do it yourself – whether it’s because you need that headspace or you just want to be selfish.

But solo travel can come with a myriad of potential problems, for women in particular.

Thankfully, inspired by her own travels around South East Asia, an Uxbridge entrepreneur saw this issue and created an app to address it

Joly Zou, a former Global Marketing Manager at Microsoft, developed Solocal not only to create an online community, but to encourage people to make sustainable travel choices and have a positive social impact wherever they go.

The app connects travellers with meaningful activities and experiences in popular destinations across the globe, all of which contribute to a wider social impact initiative.

In London travellers can join the Unseen Tour, unique city tours given by homeless people, try

Migrateful cooking classes taught by expert refugee and migrant chefs, or take part in Project Awesome, an inclusive free fitness initiative.

Thirty-four-year-old Joly said: “After I left my job at Microsoft, I went solo travelling for six months and it was one of the most empowering journeys which inspired me to create a better experience for other female travellers.

“The fundamental problem facing solo female travellers is fear and loneliness, but through Solocal women across the globe can connect with each other through activities that have a positive social impact.

“The feedback is that our customers love the social impact aspect of the activities that have helped them to see cities from a different perspective, as well as connecting them with fellow travellers.”

Joly first launched Solocal in 2017 and the pilot in London successfully attracted more than 650 users, before it expanded its reach globally.

Whilst undertaking the pilot launch, Joly joined the BAME Female Founders Incubator programme run by Hatch Enterprise, a not-for-profit organisation that supports London’s thriving start-up scene backed by NatWest.

As a female founder, launching an app with a female audience, Hatch provided Joly with a support network of female entrepreneurs, business advice and insight into the market.

Joly is now aiming to reach 10,000 users within the next 12 months and major upgrades to the app are already underway, with plans to develop partnerships with tourism bodies globally.

Joly added: “Going forward, we will continue to prioritise the sustainability and social elements of the app and our focus is on being a sustainable travel platform that enables travellers in cities globally to make socially conscious choices every day.

“The growth of our app’s users is important, but this goes hand in hand with creating a profitable and sustainable business model.

“Our biggest challenge is refining our model for future growth and with this, we can’t wait to expand our network of ambitious women travelling solo across the globe.”