Featured image: The JourneyWoman Awards celebrate women over 50 changing the travel industry for the better | Photo by SabrinaBracher on Envato
Celebrate our inaugural award winners
JourneyWoman has announced the inaugural recipients of the 2024 JourneyWoman Awards, which celebrate the wisdom and influence of women over 50 in travel. The three JourneyWoman Awards include: the JourneyWoman Solo Travel Wisdom Award to Adriane Berg, age 76, The Ageless Traveler, the JourneyWoman Purpose-Driven Entrepreneur Award to Ginny Lunn and Sara Pease-Watkin, WalkingWomen, and JourneyWoman Innovation in Hospitality Award to 102- year-old founder Deborah Szekely and her daughter Sarah Livia Brightwood, Rancho La Puerta, Mexico. The Awards were presented by JourneyWoman’s Women’s Advisory Council, which vetted hundreds of nominations over the past six months, and launched in honour of JourneyWoman’s 30th anniversary as the first solo travel publication in 1994.
“In creating these awards, we wanted to put the spotlight on women over 50 in travel and remind the world of their impressive contributions as solo travellers, women entrepreneurs and business leaders, while providing role models for other women who may be taking their first step into solo travel or starting their own businesses,” said Carolyn Ray, CEO, JourneyWoman. “I’m grateful to our readers and community for honouring the achievements of these incredible women. They are proof that it is never too late to start making your dreams real.”
The Awards were given out at JourneyWoman’s 30th anniversary virtual event, which was attended by women from around the world. It was hosted by JourneyWoman CEO Carolyn Ray, who highlighted JourneyWoman’s 30 years of advocacy and community-building for women, acknowledging founder Evelyn Hannon and her daughter Erica Ehm, who invited Ray to carry on Hannon’s legacy in 2019. Guest speakers included Paige McClanahan, Author, “The New Tourist” and Dr. Vincie Ho, Executive Director, Rise Travel Institute. JourneyWoman also announced its new book “Never Too Late: How Women Travellers Over 50 Are Making The Rules”, co-authored by Carolyn Ray and Lola Akinmade, with the foreword by Norie Quintos . Women’s rights activist Tracey Breeden, Author of “Match-Striking for Beginners” closed off the event by speaking about the role of women and the need for women to stand up and be heard, as a segue from Ray’s recent call to action “Don’t Stand on the Sidelines”.
Profiles of the 2024 JourneyWoman Award Winners
2024 JourneyWoman Solo Travel Wisdom Award: Adriane Berg, 76. Through her US-based media platform, The Ageless Traveler, Adriane empowers 60+ travellers to embark on transformative journeys filled with connection, discovery, and purpose. Adriane, age 75, has visited 121 countries and has been named a New York Times Age-Boom Fellow.Adriane is also the host/creator of the Mature Market award-winning podcast Generation Bold: The Fountain of Truth About Aging and the United Nations podcast On the Ground.
“Travel is my passion,” said Berg. “I just want people, as we age, to never stop travelling. I will continue to devote myself to travel, which is a big important thing. By making just one connection, you can change the world. This is the best award I’ve ever had.”
2024 JourneyWoman Purpose-Driven Entrepreneur Award: Ginny Lunn and Sara Pease-Watkin, WalkingWomen.
Based in the UK, WalkingWomen has a strong legacy spanning more than 20 years. It has been owned and run by sister duo Ginny and Sara since 2021 and champions women at every stage of the journey. Lesbian holidays are part of what WalkingWomen offers – and has always offered since the company began 24 years ago. All of their guides around the world are women, 60% of their guides are over 50, and they seek out and showcase women-led businesses – from women winemakers to hosts.
“Just three years in since we took over WalkingWomen, this is incredible,” said Lunn. “We look forward to working with more women in the JourneyWoman network.”
JourneyWoman Innovation in Hospitality Award: Deborah Szekely and her daughter Sarah Livia Brightwood, Rancho La Puerta, Mexico.
San Diego’s own version of a “Blue Zone” centenarian, Szekely, who celebrated her 102nd birthday this spring, Deborah Szekely is often referred to as the “Spokesperson of the Modern Fitness Movement”. The Brooklyn-born daughter of immigrant parents, Deborah lived in a palm frond cottage without running water or electricity on a beach in Tahiti from ages 8 to 13. In 1940, she co-founded an initially private “fitness camp” in Baja California, Mexico. At 18, with her husband Edmond Szekely, she welcomed the first guests and “ran the show” from Day One. Her daughter, Sarah Livia Brightwood, presides over the family business as president.
About the JourneyWoman Awards
The first 2024 JourneyWoman Award, the JourneyWoman Evelyn Hannon Solo Travel Award, was given out on International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024 to Joy Fox, from British Columbia, Canada. Nominations were received from women around the world, and vetted by JourneyWoman’s Advisory Council and expert judges, including Emily Goldfischer, Editor, hertelier, Laura Fairweather, Switzerland Tourism, and Alessandra Alonso, CEO, Women in Travel CIC, our 2021 JourneyWoman Award winner.
In JourneyWoman’s most recent global study, “The Influence and Affluence of Solo Women 50+ in Travel”, 70% of women over 50 said they felt undervalued and ignored by the travel industry. Women also expressed concern about the lack of age-appropriate and diverse photography, a desire to see more appropriate terminology to describe older women and more emphasis on mobility and accessibility requirements.
More on Women in Travel
Are We Stepping Back in Time? ‘Dirty Dancing’ and Dirty Deeds
Set in the 1960s, the film ‘Dirty Dancing’ reminds us that women’s lives were put in unnecessary danger due to antiquated abortion laws.
Women’s Rights and Gender Equality: A Solo Traveller’s Perspective
As a solo traveller, I’ve seen first hand that the struggle for gender equality continues, both at home and for women worldwide.
JourneyWoman, Don’t Stand on the Sidelines
Featured image: Let’s step into the future not the past | Photo by ShutterstockThis is our time as women to participate by Carolyn Ray Whether you’ve been out travelling or at home, you may have noticed some distressing shifts in how women are being treated in the...
JourneyWoman Staff
Follow JourneyWoman for curated articles, tips, news and content from our community and our partners.
0 Comments
We always strive to use real photos from our own adventures, provided by the guest writer or from our personal travels. However, in some cases, due to photo quality, we must use stock photography. If you have any questions about the photography please let us know.
Disclaimer: We are so happy that you are checking out this page right now! We only recommend things that are suggested by our community, or through our own experience, that we believe will be helpful and practical for you. Some of our pages contain links, which means we’re part of an affiliate program for the product being mentioned. Should you decide to purchase a product using a link from on our site, JourneyWoman may earn a small commission from the retailer, which helps us maintain our beautiful website. JourneyWoman is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. Thank you!
We want to hear what you think about this article, and we welcome any updates or changes to improve it. You can comment below, or send an email to us at [email protected].