More older married women are traveling solo
Boston-based educational tour operator RoadScholar reports that over the past 10 years, older married women are increasingly traveling without their husbands.
69% of RoadScholar's travelers are women, 85% of their solo travelers are women, and 60% of solo travelers in 2022 were married but traveled without their spouse.
60% of senior women surveyed said they had traveled solo at least once.
US-wide:
- 49% of women over 65 are without spouse/partner
- There are far more widowed women (12M) than widowed men (4M), because on average women live nearly 6 years longer than men
- Divorce rate is now highest (and climbing: doubled since 1990) among older Americans
Reasons older women (in general) surveyed said they like to travel alone (top 5)
- Easier to meet new people and make friends (26%)
- Like having the autonomy to make my own decisions and spend time as I wish (22%)
- Like having my own space (hotel room, etc.) (21%)
- Want to be able to choose the destination or trip I'm most interested in (15%)
- Like having alone time at the end of the day to process what I've learned and reboot (9%)
Reasons older married women said they travel without their husbands (Top 5):
- Husband isn't interested in traveling (42%)
- Have different interests (40%)
- Husband isn't physically able to travel (21%)
- Prefer to travel with friends or family members (13%)
- Financial reasons (4%)
Why are more married women traveling solo? RoadScholar postulates that society has evolved in such a way that Boomer women are more independent, educated, adventurous and autonomous than women of previous generations.
RoadScholar has indicated that next year it will be rolling out a new collection of group tours exclusively for solo travelers.
Question: What could your destination/business do to attract and delight more of these solo senior women travelers?
