In 1994, when most people barely knew what the internet was, a Canadian woman named Evelyn Hannon started something she simply called JourneyWoman. She had no grand plan to revolutionise travel – she just wanted to connect women who, like herself, were venturing out into the world alone. What began as a modest newsletter evolved into the world’s first travel blog, though Evelyn herself didn’t realise she was making history until years later.
Today, nearly three decades after Evelyn first typed her travel advice into a computer, the landscape she helped create has exploded into a billion-pound industry. At 50, 60 or 70 (or anywhere in between), like many women our age, you might be facing a familiar dilemma: children have fled the nest, corporate jobs feel increasingly meaningless, and pension projections suggest working until 70 to maintain your lifestyle.
But Evelyn’s legacy offers another path. Travel blogs authored by women over 50 now generate 40% higher engagement rates than those by younger travellers, and command premium advertising rates due to their affluent, decision-making readership. The market has finally caught up to what Evelyn always knew: experience matters, authenticity sells, and women our age have stories worth telling – and buying.
The Foundation She Built: Permission to Wander
For nearly three decades, Evelyn became the sage guide thousands of women never knew they needed. Her advice was practical and specific – which London hotels offered proper single rooms for solo travellers, how to navigate the souks of Marrakech, where to find the friendliest bookshops in unfamiliar cities. But more than tips, she offered permission. Permission to travel alone without explanation or apology. Permission to dine solo without feeling like a curiosity. Permission to explore the world on your own terms.
Those who knew Evelyn describe her infectious enthusiasm and remarkable ability to remember every person she met. She travelled in red boots that became so iconic they’re now preserved in Toronto’s Bata Shoe Museum. Those boots walked through markets in Morocco, along cobblestones in Prague, and across countless airport terminals as Evelyn built what she called “a sisterhood of women travellers.”
What began as one woman’s simple newsletter has evolved into a sophisticated ecosystem where today’s digital nomads can turn wanderlust into substantial income. The infrastructure Evelyn helped create – the community, the credibility, the market recognition – now supports women who’ve transformed her pioneering spirit into profitable enterprises.
The New Pioneers: Building on Evelyn’s Foundation
Barbara Weibel embodies this evolution perfectly. Like Evelyn, she walked away from a corporate career – 36 years of jobs that paid the bills but brought no joy – to pursue travel writing at 54. Now 63, she has no fixed home, wandering the world full-time and writing about her experiences on Hole in the Donut Cultural Travel. The closest thing she has to a home is in Pokhara, Nepal, where she lives with a local family that “adopted” her five years ago.
Where Evelyn built community through connection, Barbara built business through specialisation. Her expertise in cultural travel, local homestays, and solo female travel photography demonstrates how the foundation Evelyn laid can now support sustainable business models. The permission Evelyn gave to travel alone has evolved into permission to profit from that independence.
Janice Waugh’s entry into blogging and solo travel came through the tragic circumstances of her husband’s early death. He was just 49. For several years she felt she was barely hanging on. Then, recognising that she could remain emotionally adrift and waste the rest of her life, she decided she had to throw off her grief and self-pity and live again. In effect, she chose to live in the present and future. As she put it: “Two years later I found myself falling into another round of grief but this time, I thought, no more.”
Her decision to press the restart button led to her blog Solo Traveler. In it, she tackles not only the practical side of travelling but also the emotional aspects, including loneliness. Her authentic approach to documenting the realities of solo travel – not the Instagram-perfect version – resonates powerfully with women navigating either the shock of death or divorce. She understands that for many in this age group, solo travel isn’t just about seeking out adventure. It’s about reclaiming agency over their own lives when everything familiar has shifted. In this sense, her writing is much more wide-reaching and empathetic than many of her younger counterparts.
Carol Perehudoff brought newspaper-level expertise to luxury travel blogging with WanderingCarol.com, creating what she calls “the unpretentious guide to luxury travel – because everyone needs a splurge or two in their life.” Her professional background became her competitive advantage in a market Evelyn helped legitimise.
Beth Whitman’s Wanderlust and Lipstick, launched at 50, grew into tours through WanderTours and the WanderWorld Foundation. She proves that travel expertise can evolve into multiple revenue streams – something Evelyn pioneered but never fully monetised.
As Janice explains in one interview to US City Traveler: “Women our age have spending power and decision-making authority. Brands are finally recognising that we’re not just consumers – we’re influencers who can actually afford the products we recommend.” It’s a recognition that Evelyn would heartily endorse were she to time-travel back to earth.
The Revenue Revolution: What Evelyn Started, Others Perfected
The market Evelyn helped create now offers multiple monetisation strategies that work particularly well for the over-55 demographic.
Consulting represents perhaps the most lucrative opportunity. Women over 55 possess something younger travel influencers lack: decades of life experience, financial wisdom, and the ability to plan complex trips that balance adventure with comfort. Where Evelyn offered advice for free, today’s consultants charge premium rates because the market recognises their value.
The course creation market has grown dramatically, with successful creators earning between £30,000 and £200,000 annually. They’re teaching topics ranging from “Budget Travel for Retirees” to “Photography for Mature Travellers” – building on the educational foundation Evelyn established.
Affiliate marketing proves particularly lucrative because women tend to spend 18–22% more per day than male solo travellers. This spending power makes female travel bloggers attractive to affiliate programmes, with successful bloggers reporting substantial monthly income through commissions.
Speaking opportunities emerge naturally, with fees ranging from £3,500 to £8,500 per engagement. The message resonates particularly strongly with women approaching retirement who need encouragement to pursue their dreams – the same permission Evelyn gave through her writing.
Starting Your Journey: Lower Barriers Than Ever
The infrastructure Evelyn helped build means today’s barriers are lower than ever. Basic blogging platforms cost under £10 monthly, and social media accounts are free. The key remains authenticity – sharing genuine experiences rather than trying to compete with younger influencers on their terms.
Success requires choosing a specific niche and building credibility through consistent, valuable content. Most importantly, be patient – building a profitable platform typically takes 2-3 years of consistent effort. But as Evelyn proved, starting something meaningful is often about persistence rather than perfection.
The Handoff: When Legacy Becomes Living
When cancer forced Evelyn to relinquish her grip on travel in 2019, she made one last act of mentorship. Sitting in her hospital bed with her daughters, she listened as family friend Carolyn Ray outlined plans to continue JourneyWoman. The comfort in Evelyn’s eyes suggested she understood that some ideas are too powerful to die with their creators.
When Carolyn learned of Evelyn’s death, she was standing atop the 5,200-metre Geu La Pass in Tibet, gazing at Mount Everest. The poetic justice wasn’t lost on her: here was a woman inspired by Evelyn’s courage, literally standing on top of the world, carrying forward a legacy that had encouraged thousands of women to reach their own summits.
This continuity represents something profound about the market Evelyn helped create. It’s not just about individual success stories – it’s about building something that outlasts any single pioneer. Today’s profitable travel bloggers stand on foundations built by women like Evelyn, who gave permission before profit was possible.
The Deeper Current
With 82% of all travel decisions made by women in 2025, and women projected to control 75% of all discretionary income by 2028, the market actively seeks authentic, experienced voices that understand mature female travellers’ real needs. What Evelyn started as community building has evolved into a sophisticated economy.
Every journey taken, every woman-owned business supported, every story shared adds another thread to this remarkable tapestry. Whether you’re seeking supplemental income or a complete career change, you’re part of a continuum that stretches from Evelyn’s pioneering newsletter to today’s digital entrepreneurs.
The world is vast, life is finite, but the courage we inspire in each other travels on forever. In Evelyn’s own words to a fellow blogger: “Be true to yourself, share what you live and travel boldly.”
Sometimes the best time to start something new is when everyone else thinks you’re too old to begin. Evelyn proved that. Now it’s your turn.