Despite concern about the increasing cost of travel, not to mention the uncertainty triggered by broader world events, women over 50 are still keeping their travel plans and their travel budgets, intact.
The latest Women 50+ Travel Pulse Survey, conducted in August 2025 by JourneyWoman, a publication focused on solo travel for women over 50, also found that this demographic is increasingly booking travel with less advance notice or planning.
More than half of respondents (59 percent) said they are booking international travel in less than 9 months, with 24 percent booking travel 9-12 months out, and the remainder more than 12 months (18 percent).
“Women over 50 are continuing to travel internationally, with little reduction in spending, and shorter booking windows than we’ve seen in previous surveys,” Carolyn Ray, CEO, JourneyWoman, told TravelPulse.
“This speaks to the opportunity for destinations and travel companies to move quickly and build a long-term relationship with an affluent, loyal and motivated audience,” added Ray. “As US politics continue to dominate the news, women are continuing to travel in other regions.”
JourneyWoman regularly conducts surveys of of the 50-plus women travel demographic. Previous surveys of this particular demographic have shown that the women travelers in the 50-plus age range in North America total more than 37 million people and they represent a staggering $245 billion in travel spending.
What’s more, that spending figure is expected to increase to $519 billion by 2035. Ray also says that JourneyWoman’s research shows spending increases with age, with the 65 to 74-year-old women being the most affluent.
Additional takeaways from JourneyWoman’s August survey include:
An increasing number of women in the 50-plus demographic – 67 percent – have recently booked international travel. That’s an increase from 64 percent who said they had booked international travel for JourneyWoman’s May survey. Only 5 per cent of Americans who have traveled outside the U.S. said they experienced any negative issues or treatment.
Canada comes out on top
The survey also found that Canada is clear winner when it comes to the favored destination at the moment as women shift their travel plans away from the United States.
In fact, according to JourneyWoman’s survey Canada is “the preferred destination for women 50+ globally.” The Arctic, which previously ranked seventh, has moved into the top five.
Women maintaining travel budgets
Women 50-plus are also keeping their travel budgets the same (and in some cases increasing them) and seeking more affordable destinations, despite the current economic turbulence around the world.
Moreover, only a small number of women said they are traveling close to home or traveling with a friend or partner to reduce costs.
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