I was recently approached by Phyllis Stoller, founder of ‘The Women’s Travel Group‘, a tour company for small group, in depth, female travel. She came across my blog while researching interviews with Pauline Frommer of Frommer’s. During our inital conversation, we discussed trends in women’s travel that she has witnessed over the decades. She also expressed how attitudes have shifted with today’s traveling women. As a mature travel professional who has owned her travel business for nearly 30 years, Phyllis exhibits some clear contrasts to the younger generations (myself included). We have different perceptions of travel and, more importantly, traveling as a woman.
However, as we continue to talk, we realize we also have quite a bit in common! We both traveled internationally for the first time in our mid-teens and spoke French in our younger years. We both also enjoy value travel and have a passion for exploring the world and meeting like minded women. Phyllis’ story is deeply rooted in that exact concept.
Meet Phyllis Stoller
As we chat, Phyllis explains that she was inspired to travel from books she read at a young age. In particular, she recalls being most inspired by “Drums Along the Mohawk” by Walter D. Edmonds. “I had some very interesting travel experiences, chosen by my parents.” The first trip they sent her on was at the age of 15, to a French speaking school in Switzerland and she recalls not putting much thought into planning the trip. “I didn’t think about anything. ‘What is the money in that country?’, ‘Do I have health care in that country?’, ‘What’s the weather going to be?’, I was completely clueless!” She recalls of her care free travel mentality from a younger age. “I think that people my age have to throw their brains back to when they didn’t think about every single thing.”
And so it began
After Switzerland, she spent some time in Israel searching for her ‘true self’ through a leadership program. “I had an Orthodox Jewish father, and a very religious Christian mother. And they wanted me to have a look at a country that represented both of them and dig around to find myself.”
She returned to the US to study history and French at Tufts University, and pursue grad school, where she took a break from traveling. On her next escapade, post college and newlywed, she returned to Europe to explore Spain on $5/day, inspired by Arthur Frommer himself.
In 1970, she and her husband moved abroad to London where she claims she was “deeply impacted by the intrepid UK folks. These travelers had a less conventional sense of travel and were more adventurous than the American travelers,” she had known. They returned to the US in 1980 when the UK economy began to tank, and found themselves in Miami.
“[Miami] was so suburban and so bland. I missed the kind of people that would backpack in India or rent a house in Italy and learn to cook.” Here, Phyllis was inspired to start her own business after an ‘Explorers Club‘ meeting she had attended. It was then she realized there was a big demand for real travel experiences for women. That there were women who weren’t interested in the cliché “spa” and “cruise” travel that was initially targeted to women. It was with that idea that she decided to go all in, and she hasn’t turned back. Hence, The Women’s Travel Group was born.
“When you go into the travel business and you know what your niche is, it’s very specific, it doesn’t take too long before you start finding people who fit that mold. Let’s find people, let’s go places”.
Phyllis Stoller of The Women’s Travel Group
And with her current clientele, she explains that “When a woman calls me, she already knows exactly where she wants to go. Because she doesn’t have that many years left…there’s a much bigger sense of immediacy with women over 50.”
29 years in Women’s Travel
Over the decades, Phyllis has learned a lot about herself, the travel industry and what women look for in travel. Now a veteran in women’s travel, she recalls a time when it was frowned upon to discuss international travel. “For fear of sounding too elite” she explained. “But now”, she says, “travel entitles you to bragging rights!” She remembers flights becoming deregulated and says flights used to be much more expensive. She says she much prefers flying today. “It’s safer, it’s cleaner, there’s no smoking and the staff is [more diverse].”
When it comes to travel tips, her words of wisdom include “buying your luggage in person” and using declassified CIA documents as a destination search resource (you can search “government information about [destination]” via the internet).
And staying informed about everything that is going on in the travel world is no small task! Here are some of the travel channels Phyllis says she follows:
- International Travel News
- Christopher Elliot
- Travelers United
- Peter Greenburg
- World Tourism Network
- Johnny Jet
- Travel Weekly
- Travelmole UK/US
- Insider Travel Report
- set Google Alerts for your destination
So where is Phyllis off to next? She says the list is still long, and she is keen to travel again. She has already received her COVID vaccinations, and welcomes the day that global travel re-opens.
“If you love to travel, you can’t get it out of your blood.”
Phyllis Stoller of The Women’s Travel Group
Female Travel Trend Survey
My conversation with Phyllis really got the wheels spinning with regards to trends in women’s travel, specifically with regards to age. I decided to publish a short survey via Google Forms that I could easily push out through the various travel platforms that I engage in and via the [awesome] travel women I associate with. The chat with Phyllis resulting in this survey also gave me the opportunity to reach out to older female travelers.
Below are the results from the ten (10) questions that made up the survey that I published addressing ‘Generational Differences in Female Travel’. I have to say I was a little overwhelmed at first by the amount of data this brought in, but really enjoyed putting this all together. I’ve included some additional comments with regards to the results outlined below. Some of the results may line up with your expectations, while others may come as a surprise.
Survey Participant Age Distribution
A total of 106 participants completed the survey, which I was very excited about! As a scientist I geeked out, as your ideal sample size should include a minimum of 100 participants to be considered representative. (Thanks again to all of those who took the time to provide their answers!)
Travel Group Size Preference by Age
While the larger tour group option must most popular with female travelers over 70, the small family/friends group was the most popular form of prefered travel type.
Female Travel Research Platform Distribution
These responses were quite evenly spread across the age groups. Responses that fell into the ‘other ‘ category included being a member of a travel organization and visiting the destination website.
Travel Budget by Age
Travel Preparation Method
I really appreciate that books are still the most popular form of trip preparation! I always purchase a couple Lonely Planet/Fodor/Frommer’s books when I’m planning a trip. There’s just something about flipping through the pages, highlighting lines of interest and making notes about the new adventure you are about to embark on.
Female Travel Planning Preference
Not surprisingly, there are a lot of travelers who prefer to plan their own trip. While there has been a shift away from the use of travel agents as the internet has expanded, Phyllis recommends using them at times. “They have personal connections you don’t, and they’re really knowledgeable about the area you want to travel to.” And they can work to help you get your money back, say in the event of a pandemic for example. “There are some very good ones out there, you just have to find them.”
Documentation Methods of Female Travelers
Of course, the most popular method of travel documentation is photography, commonly paired with journaling. Most travelers had a combination of documentation methods, including other options such as scrapbooking and blogging.
Preferred Trip Duration
I have to say I was a little surprised (in a good way!) at how many travelers are able to enjoy multi-week getaways, especially in the age bracket of 30-70. I fully expected the getaways to get longer with increased age.
Preferred Accommodations
Note the clear age group definitions for camping and cruises here, and the curious RV split.
Female Traveler Splurge Preferences
Lastly, the splurge results align quite well with an Expedia study that highlighted “activities and once-in-a-lifetime or cultural experiences” as a trend across all generations.
How do you find the survey results align with your age and travel style? Drop a line below and let us know!
If you're in the market for more female travel centric resources, you'll also want to check out Holiday Goddess and Wanderful. 'The Women's Travel Group' is now booking tours for 2021 and 2022 for those who are eager to get away. Phyllis lives in New York with her husband, and they recently purchased a property on Cape Cod. She has been awarded ‘Top Woman in Tourism Marketing' by Women in Travel-Tourism International. Phyllis is the Executive Treasurer and Secretary for Skal, a global travel and tourism network. Read more about Phyllis on Travel Market Report and LinkedIn.
