Traveling solo as a woman can be intimidating. Women need to consider safety and unwanted approaches in a way that many will never experience. Although that doesn’t stop many from female solo travel, experiences tailored specifically for women are becoming popular. As well as the comfort and ease of group travel, it often brings advantages to the communities visited too, from employment of local guides to support of women-run local businesses.
To celebrate International Women’s Day here are some female-only adventures to inspire your next trip. From women’s wellness retreats, artist residencies and outdoor challenges, there’s something for everyone.
Adventure travel for women
Annoyingly if you’re into backpacking and hiking as a solo woman you must consider personal safety more than men would. With REI Women’s Adventures you can leave that particular stress behind and take part in multiple day backpacking trips to remote parts of some of the USA's best National Parks. Raft through the Smoky Mountains, sleep under the stars or hike through the Yosemite back country with a team of women supporting you every step of the way.
Wild Women Expeditions specializes in organizing transformative and empowering experiences for women. They promote female camaraderie, self-discovery and pushing personal limits in the outdoors in 26 different countries around the world. The founders believe that in the wilderness, women connect with themselves and each other in ways that are often lost in their day-to-day lives. Conquering fears and pushing yourself in the wild increases self-confidence. They also have the largest range of women-only horse-back adventures, kayaking, stand-up paddle, rafting, cycling, and sailing trips.
Cultural trips for women
Intrepid Travel runs several women-only trips including two to Pakistan and Nepal where you can learn how local women live, trek through mountains, and meet trailblazing women running their own businesses. These trips break down barriers of traditional tourism and allow an immersive experience of the local culture whilst supporting women in areas where they may not traditionally get the opportunity to work.
If you are a budding writer or want to take some time out to explore creativity, writer’s retreats offer time and space away from distractions and the daily to-do list. Hedgebrook is an artist’s retreat 30km north of Seattle dedicated to female writers. Spend the day writing in wifi-free, hand-crafted fairytale cottages nestled in the forest, then meet with other writers for a communal dinner at night, where you can read your work over shared glasses of wine.
If food is your driving force (um, hi!) bond with new friends over spaghetti and Chianti in Tuscany with the Solo Female Travelers Club. Meet producers and eat together on farms, vineyards and inside friendly homes, with access to the local culture it would be difficult to gain as an independent traveler. Go truffle hunting, learn how to make pizza, and tour olive oil and ricotta making farms with a group of similarly food obsessed women.
Wellness retreats for women
It may be a cliché at this point but if you want to get away to focus on mental and physical wellness, Bali is the place to be. You’ll be tripping over women’s wellness retreats here but you can’t argue with experience and Goddess Retreats have been creating Eat, Pray, Love moments since 2003. Yoga, sound healing, acupuncture and cacao ceremonies take care of your spiritual well-being and luxury spa treatments keep the relaxation flowing. As a women’s only space you will meet plenty of other female-solo travelers to explore the beaches and temples of Indonesia’s wellness island.
Kalamalaya offers a similarly tropical style retreat on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand. The Radiant Bliss retreat focuses on women’s health, hormonal balance, and fitness. Personalized to whatever stage of life you are in, it gives you practical tools to synchronize your lifestyle to what is happening in your body, so you can become more balanced and return home full of life and positive energy.
For a more active women’s wellness retreat, Surf and Yoga Sri Lanka teaches you to tune in to body and mind in a tropical sandy bay, surrounded by coconut forest. Surfing can sometimes be a macho sport and learning or improving with a group of women is a chill and inspiring way to push forward. After catching waves, you can refuel with local curries and relax in the evening with yin yoga sessions.
Long Story Short…
Of course women don’t need help to travel and many enjoy being a female solo traveler. But for those trips where you don’t want to bother with logistics, you want to get under the skin of a place, or you’d like a group of women to push your boundaries in the outdoors; there’s a women’s only retreat for that.
Written by Laura Sedlak
