Score High On Wages —

And Spend on Travel

By Barbara Mangin

I’ve been married to my husband John so long I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to be single. I only remember that 39 years ago, when we were dating, getting married young was top priority with many of my high school girlfriends. But marrying young, or even staying married, is a rarity today as demonstrated by some interesting statistics.
I’ve learned that single women who do consider marriage are dating an average of eight years. That means that the percentage of non-married women aged 25 to 29 has more than tripled in the last 30 years. And, those who do eventually get married can expect some disappointing odds. Fifty percent of first marriages and 58% of second marriages end in divorce.
Perhaps it’s because of these statistics that some singles decide to live with another single wage earner who, whether involved romantically or just a friend, is considered family. In fact, only 24% of American families are now traditional families with mother, father and children.
All of these social changes lead to an emerging travel market — single working women who earn a collective $737 billion dollars a year and are willing to spend a disproportionate amount of their income on products and services to which they feel emotionally attached. That includes travel.
Single women carry the burden of responsibilities that used to be shared by a couple. They keep the household running, pay the bills, and keep the car in working order, all while holding down a job. In short, they periodically need an escape in the form of a well-planned vacation, and what they look for in a vacation package is rejuvenation, companionship, and reinvention.
The spa industry has capitalized on the need for rejuvenation. In fact, the desire for contemplation and self-pampering has catapulted spas and their related activities to a $5 billion a year industry.
Agents can educate themselves about spas and their offerings on land and sea by subscribing to spa-related magazines, researching different types of spa treatments on the Internet, then teaming up with preferred suppliers who offer spa packages.
While single working women consider periodic escapes an important part of survival, they also enjoy the company of others who share their interests. Companionship often comes in the form of a group of their friends traveling together to enjoy everything from golf to a theatre weekend. Agents at a loss to discover group business might search their database for single female customers and invite them to book a group getaway for their single and married friends.
Reinvention is high on today’s single working women’s “To Do” list. Television programs that hype cosmetic surgery and demonstrate how to improve a person’s image with a wardrobe makeover are products of the reinvention trend. As single women reach the point where they want to receive a marriage proposal, or if they are divorced and are ready to enter the dating world again, they begin looking closer at what they can do to become more appealing.
Single women are searching out everything from self-esteem classes to facelifts in order to make themselves more marketable. As today’s marketers would put it, they are self-branding. And, even the cruise lines are getting in on the act. Carnival Cruise Lines, for example, now offers teeth whitening services onboard.
When agents are selling a vacation to single working women, they can highlight self-improvement lectures on ships, mention weight-loss clinics at spas and talk about packages in a city known as a fashion Mecca spotlighting shopping with friends.
The message to travel agents is to “Think Single” and turn interesting demographics into double digit commissions.

Barbara Mangini is director of training for Travel Trade. For information on ordering her book, “Andy Agent And His Group Sales Adventures,” E-mail Mangini@nb.net