Featured image: Older women are a force in the travel industry yet feel unseen | Photo by YuriArcursPeopleimages on Envato

Empowering women over 50 in travel

In celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, JourneyWoman, the world’s first solo travel resource for women, announced three notable achievements to shift stereotypes about women over 50 in travel, while addressing the current societal climate that is creating anxiety and fear. 

“Now more than ever, women need to stand together,” says Carolyn Ray, CEO, JourneyWoman. “As we celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, I choose to stand in a place of hope, knowing I am surrounded by many wise women who share the same values. I stand ready to protect our values through my own actions.” 

She continued: “Travel brings us perspective; it allows us to share the best of ourselves with others and create bonds that supersede borders. If we let fear rule our lives, we rob ourselves of the joy, learning and connection that travel offers. It’s a truth that is demonstrated in our first book, “Never Too Late: How Women 50+ Travellers Are Making the Rules”, which Lola Akinmade and I are thrilled to announce this week. I’m so grateful to the 10 inspiring women and the 41 JourneyWoman readers who shared their life lessons from travel. I hope this book reminds women that the world needs you to stand up for what’s right, make your own rules and follow your heart.”

“Never Too Late to Travel: How Women 50+ Travellers Are Making the Rules”

JourneyWoman has announced the availability of its first ebook, “Never Too Late to Travel: How Women 50+ Travellers Are Making the Rules”, which features inspiring stories from women over 50 who are breaking stereotypes, travelling with intention and purpose. “Never Too Late” is co-created by JourneyWoman CEO and Editor Carolyn Ray and award-winning photographer and Hasselblad heroine Lola Akinmade.

The Introduction, “Women Reaching for the Stars: Discovering the Wisdom of Travel” is written by National Geographic contributing writer and former National Geographic Traveler executive editor Norie Quintos. Diana Eden, JourneyWoman’s Women Over 80 writer, contributed “Honouring the Women Who Came First”. The first digital volume, called “The Seekers”, is available for purchase for C/US$19.94 in honour of JourneyWoman’s founding year of 1994. Proceeds will be donated to JourneyWoman’s partners including Ally Group (anti-human trafficking), the Period Purse (period poverty and menstruation equity) and wmnsWORK, a tourism accelerator for marginalized women. The second and third digital volumes will be available in 2025, with a printed book to follow.

The 2025 JourneyWoman Evelyn Hannon Solo Travel Award

On March 6, JourneyWoman CEO recognized Joyce Perrin, 88, of Toronto, Canada with the 2025 JourneyWoman Evelyn Hannon Solo Travel Award. Perrin has travelled solo to 156 countries and 31 territories and says it’s never too late to get started in solo travel. 

Joyce exemplifies Evelyn’s courageous and curious spirit, reminding us all why we travel: “I have spent my life exploring the world, connecting with people … I have seen firsthand the power of travel to transform lives …each journey reinforced the same truth Evelyn championed—travel is not just about places; it’s about people.”

Announced in 2024 for JourneyWoman’s 30th anniversary, the Evelyn Hannon Award is an annual award that honours a woman in the JourneyWoman community who personifies the values of JourneyWoman founder Evelyn Hannon, helping to extend her legacy. The first Award was given to Canadian Joy Fox, 89, in March 2024.

JourneyWoman Women’s Speaker’s Bureau

Launched in August 2023, JourneyWoman’s Women’s Speaker’s Bureau now includes 85 women in areas such as diversity and inclusion, sustainable travel, women’s travel, solo travel, leadership and empowerment, wellness and health, cultural immersion, and destination experts.

We welcome and invite submissions from all women to join our Women’s Speaker’s Bureau and invite those planning events, conferences and webinars to include women for paid speaking engagements.

About JourneyWoman 

Founded in 1994, JourneyWoman™ is the world’s first solo female travel resource and one of the most trusted women’s travel brands in the world.  Named the “Travel Blog of the Year” by the Travel Bloggers Exchange (TBEX), JourneyWoman also hosts the world’s largest ​Women’s Travel Directory as a free service to women, providing hundreds of curated and vetted women-friendly tours, retreats, small ships and safe places to stay while supporting small tourism businesses around the world. To elevate women’s voices,  JourneyWoman launched the travel industry’s first ​Women’s Speaker’s Bureau​ to share wisdom from women over 50, supports the award-winning ​Soul of Travel Podcast​ and the JourneyWoman Awards for Women Over 50. To learn more, visit ​Facebook​, ​Instagram​, or ​LinkedIn​. JourneyWoman is a registered trademark of Journeywoman Enterprises Inc.

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