For years, the travel industry has prioritized younger travelers while virtually ignoring one demographic: women over 50. Searches for “solo female travel” have increased by more than 1,000 percent in the past decade, though, according to Google search data, and a recent survey by Skift found that older women are five times more likely to travel alone than younger women. With billions of dollars in buying power, women over 50 are invisible no longer. As a woman and a frequent traveler who is 50+ myself, I couldn’t be more pleased.
Women over 50 have big spending power
Women over 50 span three generations: the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, and Gen X-ers like myself. Many women of these generations have more financial independence than their mothers did. According to a recent study by JourneyWoman in partnership with Collette Travel, Intrepid Travel, and Aurora Expeditions, women over 50 in the US and Canada are projected to spend $519 billion on travel by 2035. The study also found that solo travel is preferred way to travel for 61 percent of women over 50.
With that in mind, it’s no wonder female-only group tours are a rapidly growing segment of the group travel market. Intrepid Travel has been a leader in group travel on all seven continents since 1989, with a focus towards experiences that build genuine connections with locals, and the brand’s all-female group tours grew 46 percent last year (with 2025 bookings already up 120 percent compared to this time last year)
“It really speaks to a broader trend around 50+ women ‘Living their second-best life!’ as it’s been referenced,” says Jenny Gray, Product Designer of Intrepid’s Womens’ Expeditions. “Their children have left the home [and] they’re prioritizing themselves like never before. This is translating to seeking out meaningful connections, getting out of their comfort zones, and often traveling to more far-flung destinations.”
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What’s the appeal of group tours in general and women-only tours in particular?
Safety is certainly a part of why women are choosing group tours. They offer security in numbers, plus on-the-ground leaders (often female) who are familiar with local customs and can advise on the safest practices for tour participants to adhere to.
It’s easy to travel on a guided group tour, too. Someone else is in charge of tedious tasks, from reserving hotel rooms to organizing airport transfers. In my family, I’m the one who is in charge and the idea of relinquishing these responsibilities is appealing. For solo female travelers craving companionship and community, a group tour can provide instant sisterhood as well.
A quest for self-discovery is fueling the women-only trend. Traveling, particularly under the guidance of an expert leader, can help empower participants, nudging them out of their comfort zone for a deep dive into far-flung locations.
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Dawn Kleinman, a physician and seasoned traveler based in North Carolina, is a good example of the growing number of women embracing this trend. Hesitant to travel alone after her divorce, she booked a group trip to Iceland with Backroads. While she found the scenery fabulous, the other participants were all married couples, making her feel like a third wheel.
For her next adventure, she booked an all-female Wild Women Expeditions trip to Sicily, an active itinerary filled with biking, kayaking, and hiking. While she wasn’t trying to avoid men, she correctly thought an all-women trip would attract single travelers. She shared a room with another solo participant, avoiding the single room supplement.
She forged a strong bond with one of the other participants—they’re still in touch—and appreciated the expertise that Roberta, her tour guide, brought to the trip. As a busy doctor, having someone else plan all the details, from ferry transfers to bike rentals, made it feel like a bona fide vacation. For Dr. Kleinman, female camaraderie and someone else taking charge was the right combination.
I’ve never been on a women-only group tour but I’m keen to try
I’ve had positive experiences on both group tours I booked with Trafalgar. My first group trip was to Myanmar 10 years ago. The country had recently reopened to Western tourists. I was curious but sought the safety and expertise that a local tour leader would bring when traveling in a country where political persecution and censorship were still the norm.
A few years later, I booked another Trafalgar tour, the nine-day National Parks and Native Trails of the Dakotas itinerary. It provided an immersive look into the Dakota’s Indigenous communities, with visits to Pine Ridge, Rosebud, and Standing Rock reservations. I met members of these Tribal Nations who provided a human perspective that I could have never duplicated as an independent traveler.
As wonderful as these group tours were, I’m intrigued by the idea of a female-only tour and hope one is in my future.
