By Patricia Corrigan
'Women-Only' Trips Represent a Growing Travel Trend Benefits include 'no primping' and 'a different level of bonding'
Girlfriend Getaways” to spas, all-inclusive resorts or gambling meccas have long appealed to women who enjoy traveling with female friends and family members. More recently, though, groups of women are heading out to ride horses in Mongolia, learn burlesque dance moves in Paris or go on a photo safari in Tanzania.
than ever, Marbury adds. “That’s because companies — even the big players in adventure travel — now are focusing on trips for women more thoughtfully than they once did.”
On some trips, participants also get to know local residents. “A growing array of women-only tours, particularly to the Middle East, Asia and Africa, are giving Western participants a behind-the-scenes look at how local women live and work in societies quite different than their own,” reports Skift, a firm that “deciphers and defines global travel trends.” Often, the travelers are women of a certain age. Barbara Rivera, 71, signed up for a women-only dog-sledding trip along the north shore of Lake Superior with Adventures in Good Company, based in Baltimore. “I’ve traveled with women-only groups and with mixed groups, and I’ve found that couples don’t always integrate well with other participants,” says Rivera, a retired banking executive from the Chicago area who recently moved to Blairsville, Ga. “Also, on women-only trips, it’s not a competitive environment. There’s no primping, and everybody seems more like themselves. It’s just more comfortable.” We had to ask: Was dog-sledding comfortable?
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“It was spectacular. We had a full day outside in sub-zero temperatures, but we broke trail in fresh snow, with no evidence of anyone having been there before us,” Rivera says. “I was excited to be in such a beautiful environment.” Tour Companies Now Focus on Trips for Women ‘More Thoughtfully’ Marian Marbury, 67, founded Adventures in Good Company some 20 years ago, and her company has always specialized in women-only trips. “These trips are not at all about the absence of men,” she says. “They are about women being with women, enjoying the companionship. The connections that
women form are significantly deeper than on mixed trips.” Itineraries planned for, and led by, women are “more an enduring trend”
Marbury’s company offers more than 80 trips to destinations around the world, and most of her clients are between their mid-40s to late-60s, “with a fair representation of women in their seventies and eighties,” she says. “A lot of the women who go with us are widowed or divorced, or they don’t have friends who can travel. But they still are open to new experiences, and they want adventures and challenges.” Some Travelers Want Workshops; Others Seek Out Retreats Sometimes, women also want to learn something. The founder and creator of “Go! Girl Guides” and the annual Women’s Travel Fest in New York City, Kelly Lewis also is the CEO of Damesly, which she launched in 2016 so she could offer workshopbased travel for professional women. Some destinations include classes in nature photography, creative writing, public relations or travel writing. A few focus on personal growth. Others are just for fun. Participants range from 35 to 65 and older.
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