Women over 60 are known for our spirit of adventure. If you’ve wanted to travel and explore new countries, take an adventure tour, go on a Caribbean or Mediterranean cruise, relax with a yoga retreat, or even just see more of the attractions in the region where you live, now is a great opportunity to make your travel dreams a reality.

Women over 60 tend to have some unique advantages that make this time of life ideal for travel: we are free of children – being an empty nester has its benefits! We often have more free time and/or disposable income than we did when we were younger, so we can afford to make some travel plans that might have been too ambitious when we were in our childrearing years.

What’s more, we also tend to have a stronger sense of self-confidence and self-awareness that leads us to actively explore (and actively appreciate) the new experiences and sensations that travel can provide.

But perhaps one of the underrated benefits of traveling as a woman over 60 is that we can qualify for discounts!

That’s right: there are numerous travel discounts for seniors available. Whether you want to save money on airfare, hotels, rental cars or other travel amenities, chances are good that you can find a few options to save cash on your travel expenses – and have more money to spend on the delicious food and exciting experiences awaiting you at your destination.

Here are a few sites and organizations where women over 60 can find great senior travel discounts:

AARP

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) offers a variety of senior travel discounts, and membership costs only a few dollars per year. AARP has its own members-only travel discount site that is run by Expedia, where AARP members can get an extra 10% discount off of AARP-preferred hotels.

AAA

The American Automobile Association (AAA) also offers member discounts on a variety of travel-related expenses. Having a AAA membership also can save you money on emergency roadside assistance and towing – for example, if you have a AAA membership and your car gets a flat tire or needs emergency maintenance, you are often covered for free tire repair and/or free towing to take your car to a nearby mechanic.

CheapOAir

CheapOAir is a U.S. discount airfare site that also offers special senior discounts on many flights. CheapOAir is unique because it offers a “Senior Citizen Best Price Guarantee” with a 4-hour best price guarantee and no fees for flight plan changes or cancellations.

Room 77

Room 77 is a dedicated hotel search engine that makes it possible to compare discount hotel rooms by AAA discount, senior discount, and standard discounts – so if you are a member of AAA, you can easily find out which hotels will give you the best price.

What are some of your favorite discount travel websites where you go to find the best deals – whether or not they offer “senior discounts?”  

Watch my interview with senior travel expert, Nancy Parode for more tips on how to save money on your next vacation.