Get Ready for the Age of Femmefluence: 5 Female Travel Trends Redefining Hospitality

With women set to control $34 trillion in the US alone by 2030, according to McKinsey, the future of travel is being shaped by "femmefluence," the rising financial and cultural power of female travelers.

That was the headline takeaway from the opening session of Passport To 2025, hosted by Citizen Femme and AllBright, which unveiled a new trend report: The Future of Female-Led Travel: 2025–2030. Co-authored by Citizen Femme and travel forecasting agency Globetrender, and sponsored by Scott Dunn, the report shows that women are not just influencing travel. They are redefining it.

The findings were unpacked in a panel discussion featuring Jenny Southan, founder and CEO of Globetrender; Alison Zacher, Global Managing Director at Scott Dunn; and Daisy Bird, founder of Bird Travel PR, moderated by Citizen Femme’s founder Sheena Bhattessa.

“We’re not just talking about buying power,” said Jenny Southan, founder of Globetrender. “We’re talking about women reshaping the entire travel landscape—how we travel, why we travel, and what we expect from hospitality brands.”

The numbers are hard to ignore. As of 2024, women hold $15 trillion in global spending power. In 2023, 67 million women spent $125 billion on travel experiences, and by 2030, they will account for 38% of all investable wealth in the United States.

Related reading: New Study: 82% of Travel Decisions Made By Women

Unlike most trend reports based on surveys, this one draws from qualitative research including fieldwork, interviews, and insights from Globetrender’s global network. It reflects what women are actually doing at hotels, retreats, and destinations and signals a broader behavioral shift. Today’s traveler is rejecting labels. She moves fluidly between solo trips, group getaways, and family travel, choosing based on life stage, relationships, and emotional need.

“There’s no way to box her in,” Southan said. “It all depends on what she wants from the experience.”

For hospitality brands, personalization isn’t optional. It’s the baseline. So what does designing for her actually look like? These five trends offer the blueprint.

L to R: Jenny Southan, Sheena Bhattessa, Daisy Bird and Alison Zacher

1. New Herizons

Today’s female traveler is skipping the labels. She wants flexibility and freedom to shape her trip around how she feels and where she’s at in life. It might be adventure one month, a solo reset the next, or a multigenerational getaway with kids and grandparents in tow.

This flexibility is showing up in the numbers. Scott Dunn reports that 58% of their solo trip bookings last year were made by women. The Adventure Travel Trade Association adds that women now make up more than half of all adventure travel bookings.

2. Girl Grouping

The “girls’ trip” has evolved. Today’s female groups are booking curated, thoughtful getaways—often luxurious, and always intentional. These aren’t just vacations. They’re moments of reconnection, reflection, and resilience.

“We’ve seen a huge amount of growth in this area,” said Alison Zacher, Global Managing Director of Scott Dunn. “Often it’s triggered by a major life event—divorce, turning 40, children leaving home. These trips mark transitions.”

Southan noted the energy shift: “We’re seeing less of the 20-something party weekend and more of the intentional, enriching group travel—whether it’s a White Lotus-style retreat or something immersive and grounding.”

These getaways are increasingly sophisticated, often combining learning with luxury. Think Pilates retreats, wine safaris, or culinary adventures led by Michelin-starred chefs.

3. Healing Retreats

Wellness travel is shifting from optimization to emotional recovery. High-performing women are showing up to retreats exhausted, looking for healing over hustle.

“What we hear from our clients is that a lot of high-functioning women arrive wanting back-to-back treatments and fasting—but actually, they’re burnt out. What they really need is rest, breathwork, sleep, and deep emotional recovery,” said Daisy Bird, founder of Bird Travel PR.

This growing category includes nervous system regulation, cognitive wellness, and sisterhood-driven experiences. The report highlights the rise of women-only retreats focused on menopause, sexuality, grief, and spirituality. Whether it's a rage room in LA or brain mapping in Spain, women are prioritizing emotional repair over spa fluff.

Daisy Bird and Alison Zacher

4. Earth Mothering

Parents are turning to travel as a way to unplug and reconnect with their children. With rising concerns about screen time, especially among kids, holidays are becoming an intentional space for offline bonding, nature, and play.

“We get a lot of requests for places without Wi-Fi,” said Zacher. “Parents want the disconnection, and their kids often end up thriving in those environments.”

Hotels are getting creative. From survival skills courses to DJ lessons in Ibiza and K-pop dance camps in Tokyo, programming is shifting toward hands-on exploration. The rise of mother-daughter getaways before an empty nest, or one-on-one trips with a single parent, signals a new kind of family travel rooted in presence and connection.

5. Souvenir Scouting

Hotel retail is getting a glow-up. Today’s female traveler is done with cookie-cutter merch and is on the hunt for pieces with story and soul. This isn’t about buying more stuff—it’s about finding objects that reflect place, identity, and purpose.

Between 2024 and 2029, the global gifts and souvenirs market is expected to grow by nearly 5%. Hotel merchandise is becoming genuinely collectible. Think Sporty & Rich’s vintage-style merch at The Carlyle, signature scents, handmade linens, or Alex Eagle capsule collections that sell out in days.

“You’ve got a captive audience,” said Bird. “Why are so many hotel boutiques still missing the mark?” Style-conscious travelers are rejecting mass-market sameness in favor of meaningful mementos—one-of-a-kind fashion and homeware sourced from local artisans and independent designers. The best properties are turning retail into a revenue stream that extends the story of the stay. Done right, guests leave with something beautiful, useful, and unforgettable.

Design for Her, or Get Left Behind

At Scott Dunn, where 70% of the workforce is women, the approach is personal by design. “We listen deeply,” said Zacher. “The reason why someone is traveling—what moment they’re in—guides everything we create.” That might mean a solo reset after burnout or one last mother-daughter trip before college. “It’s not about categories,” she said. “It’s about designing for the human experience.”

With trillions in spending power, women aren’t just influencing the future of travel—they’re defining it. These trends aren’t fringe—they’re foundational. For hospitality brands, the takeaway is clear: if you want to stay relevant, design for her. Click here to download the full report for free.

What a beginning! This is just the first of our reporting from Passport To 2025—stay tuned for more!