Solo Surf Travel: Why Women in Their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60’s Are Booking Surf Camps Alone (And Loving Them!)

You’ve had the webpage open. A sun-bleached beach, a woman mid-wave, arms wide like she owns the ocean. You clicked it, you thought “maybe,” and then you closed it. Why? Because going alone felt complicated, a little scary perhaps. Or — if you’re being honest — it’s the kind of thing other women do.

Here’s what nobody tells you: solo surf travel, done right, is the opposite of lonely. The women who arrive at Swell Surf Camp in the Dominican Republic nervously checking in on their own are, within 24 hours, laughing at a communal dinner table with people they didn’t know existed a week ago. We’ve watched it happen thousands of times since 2009.

This guide is aimed at you — a woman in her 30s, 40s, 50s or 60s who is curious, capable, and quietly tired of waiting for someone else’s schedule to align with hers. We’re going to walk through every real worry, answer every question honestly, and show you exactly what a solo surf holiday looks like when it’s designed to make someone like you feel at home from the moment you land.

You’re Not the Only One Going Alone — Far From It

Let’s start with a number that surprises almost everyone: around 70% of the guests who come to Swell Surf Camp travel solo. Not in pairs. Not in groups. Alone, on purpose, by choice — exactly the circumstances you’re considering.

That means on any given week, the majority of people at the breakfast table booked their trip the same way you would: independently, a little nervously, and with a lot of excitement beneath the nerves. They’re professionals in their late 30s through their late 60s. They’re from New York, LA, Toronto, London, Munich, many other far flung places. A few have surfed before; many haven’t, and are there to learn to surf. What they share is a taste for genuine experience over package-holiday predictability — and the self-awareness to know that the best trips often happen when you go for it alone.

Solo surf travel has grown steadily among women over 35 for exactly this reason: surf camps offer the rare thing that’s hardest to find on a solo trip anywhere else — a ready-made, warm, social structure. You don’t have to engineer conversations or wander restaurants hoping to catch someone’s eye. The structure of ‘camp’ life does it for you.

Let’s Talk About the Real Worries (Honestly)

The fears around solo surf travel for women are real, and they deserve real answers — not cheerful dismissals.

Is it safe to travel alone as a woman?

Swell is based in Cabarete on the north coast of the Dominican Republic — a well-established, internationally-frequented beach town with a strong tourism infrastructure. The camp itself operates with on-site staff 24 hours a day. From the moment you land at Puerto Plata airport (a 25-minute transfer that Swell arranges as part of your package), you are in contact with the team. Haudy, Swell’s manager who has lived in Cabarete for more than 20 years, gives every solo arrival her personal number. You are never navigating anything alone unless you actively choose to do so.

Will I be the oldest person there? Will I fit in?

The average Swell guest is between 35 and 60 years old. This is not a camp full of 22-year-olds sleeping in bunk beds — it’s a boutique retreat designed for working professionals who want quality, comfort, and real connection. Swell has gladly welcomed guests well into their 70s learning to surf for the first time. Age is genuinely unremarkable here, because everyone arrives with the same thing: a hunger to try something new and the maturity to enjoy every moment of it.

What if I’ve never surfed before?

Then you are precisely who Swell was built for. When the camp was founded, our whole mission was to create the best beginner surf experience in the world — and Cabarete’s north coast waves were chosen specifically because they are consistent, small, very manageable, and forgiving for new surfers. You will not be in deep water and qualified surf instructors are alongside you in the water; the head coach watching on, offering real-time feedback between rides. You will practice on sand first and will never be thrown in at the deep end, literally or figuratively.

What if I’m worried about my fitness level?

Surfing uses muscles you didn’t know you had, and every new surfer feels that. But “fit enough” at Swell means: you feel comfortable in water sometimes a little deeper than you can stand in. That’s it. The instructors adjust every session to your energy and ability on that specific day. Ella, Swell’s yoga instructor, runs restorative Ashtanga classes specifically designed to stretch out the muscles surfing works hardest — so your body recovers well and you show up to tomorrow’s session feeling better than yesterday’s.

What if I want some time to myself?

This is a social camp, not a mandatory-fun camp. Everything is available and nothing is compulsory. Plenty of guests spend afternoons reading by the pool, exploring Cabarete’s restaurants independently, or simply sitting quietly with the kind of uncomplicated peace that only arrives on holiday. The community is there when you want it. The space is there when you need it.

What a Week at Swell Actually Looks Like

Forget abstract promises about “community” and “connection.” Here is what your days actually look like.

Arrive as a guests. Leave as a friend.

Why Swell Is Designed for Exactly This Kind of Trip

Most surf camps are built around surfing. Swell is built around active people who happen to be surfing — and that distinction matters enormously when you’re travelling on your own.

Frommer’s Travel Guides described Swell as “the anti-surf camp” — boutique rooms with plush bedding and Egyptian cotton sheets rather than dorm bunks, beautifully cooked food rather than self-catering, qualified instructors rather than a board and a wave and good luck. The communal areas — pool table, bean bags, the enormous dining table at the centre of everything — are designed to make it almost impossible not to fall into easy conversation.

Critically: 80% of Swell’s guests are working professionals. The crowd is curious, well-educated, well-travelled, and interesting. You are not going to spend a week dodging 21-year-olds doing shots at 2am. Swell is social, not loud. The vibe is active adults who chose an experience holiday over a resort holiday — people who, in all likelihood, you’ll want to keep in touch with long after you’ve both flown home.

What Swell includes for solo travellers

• Round-trip airport transfers from Puerto Plata (POP) — 25 minutes, organised before you land
• Daily breakfast after your first surf session, plus three dinners a week at camp
• Morning surf lessons with qualified instructors, all equipment provided
• Yoga with Ella — restorative sessions designed specifically for surfers’ bodies
• Access to Haudy and the full team for anything you need, 24 hours a day
• Communal spaces that make meeting people effortless, not awkward

Why the Dominican Republic? Why Cabarete?

Before Swell opened, the founders spent years travelling the world looking for the ideal beginner surf destination. They visited Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua and Mexico. They kept coming back to one conclusion: the north coast of the Dominican Republic is the most ideal place in the world to learn to surf as an adult.

Here’s why the location matters for you specifically:

• Closer than you think. From the US East Coast, door-to-surf-beach is faster than reaching most Caribbean islands — and dramatically faster than Costa Rica or Nicaragua, which require internal flights or 3–6 hour ground transfers. Direct flights serve Puerto Plata from New York, Boston, Miami, Toronto, and Montreal. From Europe, direct flights from Germany and Switzerland, or a simple connection in New York or Miami.
• Consistent, beginner-friendly waves. The north swell system delivers reliable, manageable conditions. No surprise overhead closeouts. No sharp reef. Sand breaks that suit learning and keep progressing with you.
• Warm water, year-round. The Caribbean means no wetsuit anxiety, no cold shock, no reason not to stay in the water a little longer.
• An established, welcoming town. Cabarete has been an international watersports destination for decades. The infrastructure is solid, the restaurants are excellent, the people are warm, and a solo woman exploring on foot or by scooter is completely unremarkable.

What to Expect From Your First Solo Surf Trip: Practical Answers

Do I need to do anything to prepare physically?

Nothing dramatic. A bit of swimming in the weeks before you arrive is genuinely helpful — not for fitness, but for comfort in open water. If you do yoga or pilates already, keep it up. Core strength and shoulder mobility help with paddling. But Swell welcomes guests at every fitness level, every week. The instructors adjust. You adjust. The ocean is endlessly patient.

What does Swell provide vs. what do I bring?

Swell provides all surfboards (including the best beginner boards on the market), leashes, booties, and Swell-branded lycras for your lessons. You bring reef-safe sun protection, a rash guard if you prefer your own, and everything you’d pack for a warm-weather holiday. The rooms are boutique quality — you are not roughing it.

What about travel insurance?

Essential and non-negotiable. Look for a policy that covers adventure water sports. Most standard travel policies now include surfing — read the small print, and if in any doubt, contact the insurance company before you book.

How long should I stay?

The minimum stay is five nights. Most guests book 7. Some stay for two or three weeks — and Swell has had guests who arrived for a week and quickly extended, because the rhythm of the place got under their skin. There is no maximum.

The Question Nobody Asks Out Loud (But Everyone Thinks)

What if I arrive and nobody talks to me?

It’s the quiet fear underneath all the practical questions. And it’s worth addressing directly.

At Swell, the social dynamics are baked into the structure of every single day — not manufactured, just inevitable. It’s completely normal for a fellow guest of Swell to be one of the first to greet a new arrival. You surf alongside the same people twice before breakfast. You eat breakfast with them. You sit on the same bean bags. You watch each other wipe out and cheer each other on in the water. By day two, the people at that communal table aren’t strangers — they’re the people who saw you stand up on a board for the first time and made a lot of noise about it.

Tripadvisor reviews of Swell, year after year, return to the same theme unprompted: the social atmosphere is consistently ranked as the number one thing guests loved. Not the waves, not the food, not the rooms (though all of those get mentioned too). The people, and the ease of finding them.

The friendships that start at that table are real ones. WhatsApp groups form. People plan return trips. Women who came alone come back the following year and recognise faces from the year before. This is not a holiday where you make polite small talk and exchange business cards. It’s the kind of week that produces the friends you actually call.

Frequently Asked Questions About Solo Surf Travel for Women

Is a surf camp safe for a woman travelling alone?

Yes — and Swell is specifically built around this. On-site staff 24 hours a day, organised airport pickups, and a manager who gives solo arrivals her personal number. The camp’s community structure means you are embedded in a social group from your first morning.

What age is too old to learn to surf?

Swell’s guest age range is generally 35 to 60, with guests well into their 70s having learnt to surf here. There is no upper age limit. The only requirement is that you can swim comfortably. Surfing progression is genuinely personal — the instructors move at your pace, not a group average.

What if I’m a complete beginner with no surf experience?

You are the target guest. Swell was specifically founded as a beginner surf camp, and Cabarete’s north coast waves were chosen because they are ideal for learning. Every package assumes you might never have stood on a board before.

Will I have to socialise all the time?

No. Everything at Swell is available; nothing is mandatory. Plenty of guests take solo afternoons, quiet mornings by the pool, or independent evenings in Cabarete. The social life is there if you want it — and easy to step back from if you need space.

How do I get to Swell from the airport?

Swell includes round-trip transfers from Puerto Plata (POP) airport in your package. It’s a 25-minute drive. You fill in an arrivals form after booking, and a driver will be waiting for you. You’ll have Haudy’s personal number in case of any delays.

Do I need to book a single room supplement?

Solo travellers at Swell book their own rooms — private, boutique-quality, no shared dormitory situation. Check the current pricing page for single occupancy options, as availability varies by season.

You’re More Ready Than You Think

The tab you keep opening and then closing? Open it one more time — and this time, look at it as a person who now knows what actually happens when someone traveling solo books a surf trip to Swell.

You know that 70% of the guests arrived exactly like you. You know the average age is 35–60, and that Swell has been changing people’s relationship with their own courage since 2009. You know that the communal table at breakfast is where the week actually begins, and that the friends you make there tend to stick.

You don’t have to have surfed before. You don’t have to be a certain kind of adventurous. You just have to be someone who, somewhere underneath the logistics and the what-ifs, genuinely wants this.

The waves in Cabarete are waiting. So is a table full of people you haven’t met yet.

See our the Surf & Yoga packages here >>