Rise of the Grey WoMad: Older Women Travelling Solo
Older Australian women are increasingly ditching their families and choosing to travel solo creating a new type of traveller known as the ‘Grey WoMad’.
Budget travel platform Abroadly has seen a 110% increase in solo females over the age of 45 signing up over the past year to spend extended periods of time travelling by themselves.
“We’ve long associated budget backpacker travel as being for a younger demographic but we’ve seen huge demand in the past 12 months from older females travelling on their own,” said Abroadly co-founder Nikki de Weerd.
“Many of these travellers have raised children, seen them leave the nest and are choosing to spend the next chapter of their life seeking out adventure and new experiences,” she said.
Abroadly offers help or cultural stay exchanges as well as budget accommodation options for travellers and was founded by de Weerd and Miguel Fuentes after they saw backpackers stranded in Australia during COVID.
The platform has seen a 60% increase in female traveller sign ups over the past two years and more female hosts are also signing up to offer rooms.
“Travelling alone as a woman can be a daunting experience which is why we have a specific accommodation section on our site that is available only for female travellers. The female only filter has been really popular for travellers who feel more comfortable staying with other women or in female-friendly spaces.”
“I think women travelling by themselves on the road are really seeking out connections with like-minded people and our platform allows them to do that.”
“All Abroadly users are also ID verified and we also have a review and rating system for hosts and travellers,” adds Miss de Weerd.
More than 50,000 people have signed up to use the Abroadly platform which connects travellers looking for a room with hosts who are happy to provide it in exchange for help with simple tasks like gardening or dog walking or a minimal nominal amount.
Abroadly already has nearly 2000 hosts on the platform, the majority in Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria.
“We have empty nester hosts who feel a sense of responsibility to help those travelling who need a place to stay or younger couples who are passionate about travel and want to pass those experiences on to others.”
The platform has also expanded to include a jobs noticeboard for travellers including au pair opportunities and farm work.
About Abroadly
Abroadly was born out of the COVID-19 pandemic when countless backpackers, working holiday makers and international students were left stranded across Australia. It started as a single Facebook group called ‘Adopt A Backpacker WA’ and aimed to connect these isolated travellers with local families offering temporary accommodation. What started as a small effort to assist a few individuals has grown into Abroadly, an innovative social networking platform designed to connect budget-conscious travellers with unique opportunities. It now has a global community of 50,000 members and growing with a mission to redefine travel, foster cultural connections and inspire a new generation of wanderers.
