Women travelling solo or with other women across Australia: A montage of narratives.

Abstract

Increasing but unknown numbers of women are adopting itinerant lifestyles on the road, in the pursuit of ambitions and aspirations that extend beyond the conventional role of women as they age. Using data from a study that aimed to describe women who travel without men, either alone or with other women, across Australia in self-contained accommodation, this paper illustrates the richness and diversity of these lives through the narratives of four women. The study from which these data were taken was informed by an ethnographic approach. A montage has been used to present four narratives that together illustrate dominant themes that emerged from the analysis. Initially 29 women, travelling either alone or with other women in mobile accommodation across Australia, were interviewed using audio-visual media or telephones between March 2020-March 2022. From the thematic analysis of these interviews, four participants' narratives were chosen to represent the main themes derived from the analysis while at the same time retaining the women's individual perspectives and voices. The four narratives included in this montage paper exemplify four key themes: the adventure of exploring Australia; experiencing the new and unknown; developing self-knowledge and self-confidence; and taking control of one's life. The women's stories demonstrate commonality as well as diversity, of a chosen lifestyle beyond the conventional view of women as homemakers, and redefining the conventional view of ageing as one of decline and deterioration. These narratives demonstrate older women living lives that provide new and different pathways to personal growth, independence and self-confidence.