Travel & Food: Women Love To Travel, Men Not So Much

A survey by the travel organization Road Scholar (formerly known as Elder Hostel) has revealed that up to 30% of the company’s tour participants are solo travelers; and of those solo travelers, 85% are women.

According to Condor Ferries, 64% of travelers worldwide are female, while only 36% are male. The company estimated that $125 billion would be spent by women on travel in 2023.

The average U.S. traveler is a 47-year-old woman. Some 75% of those who take cultural, adventure or nature trips are women, as the groups I saw sloth-spotting in Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica confirmed. Despite possible dangers, 86% of women state that they are not afraid to travel. And whether women travel with their partners, their families, friends, solo or in groups, 80% of all travel decisions are made by women.

In a sense, this is not news, but a continuation of a leisure travel trend that’s been happening for years. Women travel, men not so much.

Why the big gender gap in travel? It’s true that women outlive their husband by about six years. U.S. male life expectancy is now 73.2 years, compared with women’s 79.1, the widest gap since 1996.

That explains some of the male/female travel gap, but not all of it. Road Scholar compiled data for this study from the 80-100,000 adults over 50 who travel with them each year and found that nearly 70% of their travelers are women. Yet only 58% of Americans 65 and older are women.

Perhaps the most fascinating finding from the Road Scholar study is that at least 60% of the company’s solo travelers in 2022 were married but traveling without their spouse. Why didn’t these women travel with their partners? Some 42% of women surveyed said their spouse isn’t interested in traveling, while 40% said they have different interests when it comes to travel.

“Don’t let a silly thing like marriage get in the way of your passion to learn about the world,” said tour participant Barbara W.

“I cherish my time to explore and do what I want on my timetable,” says Road Scholar solo traveler Marcia Henderson, 66. “I like to walk, hike, etc. He has knee issues and doesn’t share my passion for nature, culture, and history. It would be an atrocity to not travel just because my spouse doesn’t like it. This is my passion, and he is supportive as I support his golfing.”

Unfortunately, there is much more data available about why women travel, alone or in groups, than about why men don’t. As one would imagine, the travel industry focuses on catering to the enormous pool of enthusiastic female customers, rather on the bashful males. Travel companies dedicated to woman-only clientele have increased by 230%.

So why are men such stick-in-the-muds?

In a 2023 post on Medium, writer Sarah Balaban said, “Ask any female why many of their trips are primarily women, and you’ll hear endless theories. Men are skeptical of (group) travel, it’s a money thing, they don’t want to plan or know where to start, work responsibilities, and the list goes on. “

But in general, it would appear that the “travel gap” between men and women is NOT due to a financial gap. Although the disparity has been shrinking over time, women earned an average of 17% less than men in 2022.

The disparity is even greater when it comes to assets rather than income. A 2021 data study from Earnest of young professionals revealed that men have more than double the net worth of women, averaging $12,188 compared to the female average of $5,541.

Both sets of statistics show that women overcome financial obstacles in order to indulge their passion for travel. But neither explains why men, who are clearly in a better position to afford it, don’t travel as much as women.

The inescapable conclusion is that it’s hard to come between a man and his couch.

As the Women’s Travel Group puts it, in a post called Why Husbands Don’t Travel. “Don’t take it personally, men travel less than women, and men travel to exotic destinations less than women. Statistically, men like to return to places they liked, and women prefer new adventures.”

One Road Scholar blogger offered “Eight Reasons Why I Travel Without My Husband,” such as going places she want to go to (and he doesn’t), meeting new female friends and learning more about herself.

Another responded, “He doesn’t want to be away from his computer and his dogs. Solo travel is good for a marriage. We have been married 56 years!!”And to those who thought women were the homebodies, one women noted, “My husband loves where we live and doesn’t like to leave.”

Other reasons women travel alone, according to Road Scholar:

· 26% said they traveled solo because it was easier to make new friends when traveling alone.

· 22% said they enjoy autonomy.

· 15% said they liked being able to choose their destination.

· 6% said they appreciated not needing to coordinate with someone else’s schedule.

Men do participate strongly in certain types of travel, such as wilderness exploring, backpacking, and other kinds of sports and adventure. Some like to journey every year to Sturgis, South Dakota for the motorcycle rally, others tailgate at college and pro football games. NASCAR race fans are 68% male, and when I went to Reno, Nevada for the National Championship Air Races, (currently looking for a new home), a lot of testosterone was present.

Then there are men’s fishing and boating trips, and college or military reunions. Certain kinds of history tours, such as visiting the D-Day landing beaches, or TV and film sites of shows like “Game of Thrones” or “Breaking Bad” also attract men.

While I don’t particularly enjoy traveling solo, I do enjoy journeying to Las Vegas to indulge in gaming, alone or with whatever friend or family member I can drag along. Perhaps younger men enjoy solo travel more. My oldest son enjoys traveling alone to Latin America for surfing expeditions, while my youngest flew to Montana and Wyoming for winter solo exploring.

Some travel companies have worked to bridge the gap and lure both men and women to trips focusing on adventure and friendship, like SurfYogaBeer and Flash Pack.

But you can’t blame the travel companies for focusing on the millions of women eager to explore. Men will just have to find a way to break the chains that stop them from seeing the world.