Leigh Barnes, Intrepid Travel鈥檚 President of Americas 

From backcountry hiking in America to off-the-beaten-path adventures in Morocco, women-led, women-for-women trips are taking off. , a world leader in responsible travel and small group adventure tours, plans to not just double down on the solo female traveler market, but center it as the main marketing segment for 2025. 

, all-female tours led by a local female leader, grew by 37% globally in 2024. When we launched our newest trip to, it filled up so fast we had to add more departures. The 2025 season? Already 72% booked, with 40% of travelers being American solo female explorers.  

And this trend isn鈥檛 just global鈥攚omen-only backcountry trekking is blowing up too. Intrepid鈥檚 U.S. hiking partner is adding 10-new trips for 2025 to keep up with demand. New itineraries include the,, and.   

To meet demand, 60% of Wildland鈥檚 new guide hires in 2024 were women鈥攂ecause when women want to explore, they want to do it with other women leading the way.  

Solo Travel? Women Own It.  

Forget the outdated idea that women wait for someone else to travel with. 82% of women on our Women鈥檚 Expeditions are booking solo鈥攎any for their first time. These trips give them the freedom, connection, and confidence to see the world in a way they might not have felt comfortable doing before.  

Women love exploring off-the-beaten-track destinations with other like-minded women. These trips give them the confidence to do it.  

The Untapped Power of Women 50+  

Now, let鈥檚 talk about the real decision-makers in travel: women over 50.  

We recently teamed up with the world鈥檚 first solo travel resource for women over 50, to survey 1,600+ women from 50 countries, and the results were eye-opening. In 2022, 70% of women 50+ felt ignored by the travel industry. This year? That number has dropped to 34%鈥攚hich means progress is happening, but not fast enough.  

Boomer women are behind this solo trend. The rise in solo female travel has been fueled by a generational shift. Society has evolved for women to be more independent, adventurous and autonomous than previous generations of women  

If the industry isn鈥檛 speaking directly to these women, it鈥檚 missing out on a $15 trillion market. That鈥檚 right鈥攖rillion.  

Here鈥檚 why, according to JourneyWoman鈥檚 Survey  

• Women 50+ make nearly every travel decision in their households.  

• 60% take up to three trips a year.  

• 65% prefer slow travel, longer trips, and small group experiences.  

• 76% are single and planning solo adventures.  

This isn鈥檛 a demographic to market to as an afterthought鈥攖his is the travel industry鈥檚 most powerful consumer group.  

What Can We All Do?  

As industry leaders, here鈥檚 how you can make sure this movement keeps growing:  

• Double down on your social media pages: More than half of these women book trips based on social posts.  

• Email marketing isn鈥檛 dead! They open, read, and book from email newsletters. 

• 78% of women say the single supplement is the #1 barrier to solo travel. 

• The destination, cost, and the reputation of the company are the most important factors in making group travel decisions. 

The Future of Travel is Female鈥擜nd We鈥檙e Just Getting Started  

At Intrepid, we鈥檙e not just marketing to women鈥攚e鈥檙e building trips by women, for women, and changing the way the world explores. Whether you are a traveler, a storyteller, or an industry insider, you already know that this isn鈥檛 a trend. This is the future of travel.  

And we鈥檙e here to lead the way.  

About Leigh Barnes

Leigh Barnes has recently stepped into a new role as President, The Americas, where he willoversee Intrepid鈥檚 expansion into the USA, the company鈥檚 fastest growing market. Leigh will manage direct, industry and white label sales as well as operations across North, Central and South America. Previously Chief Purpose Officer and then Chief Customer Officer, he鈥檚 been instrumental in building Intrepid鈥檚 reputation as a purpose-led, customer-focused organization. Outside of work, Leigh鈥檚 an avid supporter of local arts scenes and a keen ocean swimmer – even in the frosty Pacific Northwest where he is based.  Leigh’s top Intrepid trip is Everest Base Camp Trek, which he credits for changing the way he sees the world.

About Intrepid Travel

 has been a world leader in responsible travel for more than 30 years. The company鈥檚 mission is to create positive change through the joy of travel, which comes to life on more than 900 trips all designed to truly experience local culture. With its own network of destination management companies in 27 countries, Intrepid has unique local expertise and perspectives. Globally recognized for their commitment to transparency and ethical travel, they became the world鈥檚 largest travel company to achieve  in 2018. Intrepid Travel is also the first tour operator with near-term science-based climate targets through the Science Based Targets Initiative, and its not-for-profit, , has raised more than $15.5 million for more than 160 partners. For more information download the company鈥檚  and follow Intrepid on ,,   or .

The post Solo Women鈥檚 Travel is Exploding鈥擜nd We鈥檙e Running to Keep Up聽 appeared first on 性视界 Blog.

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In survey after survey, up to 76% of consumers say that they鈥檇 rather spend their money on experiences than things. They further cite 鈥渕eaning,鈥� 鈥渋nspiration,鈥� 鈥渇un,鈥� and 鈥渓earning鈥� as outcomes they seek. Travelers can count on all of the above on one of Overseas Adventure Travel鈥檚 small group adventures. These include hands-on activities that connect them to the local culture, such as visits to workshops where local artisans demonstrate traditional crafts. Visitors can roll up their sleeves and join in, and if they like, purchase the local wares.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a win-win,鈥� says O.A.T. Vice Chairman Harriet Lewis. 鈥淥ur travelers get to engage with local people and learn something new, and our hosts gain support for the industries their families rely on.鈥� Oftentimes, the activities occur during O.A.T.鈥檚 signature A Day in the Life experiences which are woven into the trips; or though visits to sites supported by Grand Circle Foundation, O.A.T鈥檚 non-profit charitable organization. Here are just ten of the local crafts supported:

1. Australia: Aboriginal Dot Paintings

The distinctive Aboriginal dot designs are not random, but are filled with symbols that tell a visual story. Dot painting has been around for millennia, but exploded in the 1970s in Papunya near Alice Springs, where indigenous artists used it as a secret language. Other Aboriginal communities embraced the form, and today they adhere to strict rules about which techniques, symbols, and stories belong to which tribes. O.A.T. travelers are urged to only buy authentic, ethically sourced works that bear the official Indigenous Art Code seal, the 鈥済old standard鈥� among reputable merchants.

2. Laos: Traditional Weaving

While the men of the poor Laotian village of Tin Keo farm or seek jobs in the city, the women create fabulous, colorful textiles. It started as a way to be sociable with their neighbors. Today, these industrious ladies can earn a windfall of $70-80 a month selling their fabrics, all the while improving their skills and preserving an important cultural legacy.

3. Portugal: Azulejo tiles

笔辞谤迟辞鈥檚 Banco de Materiais is an unusual bank: you can deposit antique tiles and withdraw some for free. Portugal鈥檚 signature blue and white azulejo tiles date to Moorish times. The Banco safeguards these treasures, and sometimes the fire department will even collect tiles off at-risk buildings and deliver them to the bank. Employees then study and catalog the tiles and preserve them in wooden boxes where visitors can admire or buy them.

4. Kenya and Tanzania: Maasai beadwork

A Maasai collar can be the shape and size of a dinnerplate, decorated with bold-colored beads in intricate patterns. But to the Maasai people, these aren鈥檛 just pretty baubles: they tell individual life stories, map out villages, indicate marital and social status, and represent the culture. O.A.T. travelers can purchase them directly from artists when they experience A Day in the Life of a local village such as Mto Wa Mbu.

5. India: Embroidery and Textiles

India鈥檚 Ranthambore National Park is famed as a sanctuary for Bengal tigers, and while some locals have resorted to poaching them, others have found a more ethical and sustainable enterprise. Through their Dhonk and Dastkar handicraft cooperatives, local Indian women teach artisanal skills so members may earn a living outside of poaching by creating embroidery, clothing, and gifts. Supported by Grand Circle Foundation, the cooperatives now celebrate the tigers whose allure attracts a steady stream of travelers鈥攁nd crafts customers.

6. Morocco: Henna tattoos

Known as mendhi, the use of henna to paint the body with intricate patterns is a centuries-old Berber art believed to promote harmony and ward off evil. The (non-permanent) tattoos are also a symbol of female solidarity, as O.A.T. travelers discover when they visit the Imik Smik Women’s Association for Rural Development, which provides skills training for women in the A茂t Benhaddou area. As a token of friendship, members invite women visitors to participate in a traditional henna ceremony.

7. Peru: Chinchero weaving

High in the Sacred Valley, Chinchero was a 16th-century Inca emperor’s estate, as well as a resting place on the Inca Royal Road. Today, this small village is known for its weaving industry. It is entirely managed by the local women, who use plants (and in some cases, bugs) to produce their dyes. O.A.T. travelers converse with the weavers about village life and observe the process of designing and creating these vibrant garments.

8. Japan: Hakone woodcraft

Hakone yosegi zaiku is a form of marquetry that creates intricate patterns by joining together pieces of wood. The colors鈥攔ed, white, yellow, black, and green鈥攁re not created through inks, but are the natural wood shades. Today, yosegi zaiku is popular all over Japan, but there are only about 50 artisans making it, all in the Hakone/Odawara area. O.A.T. brings travelers to the Hamamatsuya workshop to meet its fourth-generation owner, and see a demonstration.

9. Vietnam: Bat Trang Pottery and Ceramics

The village of Bat Trang may lie on the Red River, but it鈥檚 the area鈥檚 rich white clay that has made its pottery renowned for seven centuries. O.A.T. travelers have plenty of time to browse the shops, but also visit the home and studio of an artisan family and get to make their own ceramic pieces.

10. Turkey: carpet weaving

Rug weaving in Anatolia began with the arrival of Turkic tribes from Central Asia, and was a prominent art form by the 12^th century. Then as now, most carpetmakers were women who worked anonymously. The process is intensively laborious, and prices are based on the intricacy of the design, quality of the materials, and the number of knots per square centimeter.

Overseas Adventure Travel is the leader in personalized small group adventures on the road less traveled. Serving all travelers over 50, the company is known for its expertise in solo travel, and has recently published 101⁺ Tips for Solo Women Travelers which can be ordered for free .

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What it鈥檚 really like to travel internationally in the age of COVID-19

By Terry Dale, President & CEO of the 性视界 (性视界)

If there is one lesson I learned from my recent travels to Turkey, it鈥檚 that the value of tour operators has increased tenfold. Even though I鈥檝e spent countless hours in airports and traveled to more countries than I can remember, I still experienced a wave of anxiety when I thought of traveling during the age of COVID-19. Between negative tests, quarantine requirements, and travel restrictions, it鈥檚 nearly impossible to manage it independently while trying to enjoy your travels.  

While I successfully produced a negative COVID test in time for my departure flight out of Fort Lauderdale, others were not so lucky. I took the trip to Turkey because I had the honor of speaking at a travel conference in Istanbul. But on the opening night of the event, nearly 15 attendees were missing because they did not fulfill all the testing requirements to fly.

Each country has its own protocols that need to be followed, and it鈥檚 constantly evolving. With the ever-changing landscape of travel requirements and lockdowns, this is a challenge for airline employees, travelers, and destinations alike.

Surprisingly, I was not asked to show my test results at any of the airports in route to Turkey, even though they were requested while flying back to the U.S. It was clear that a global health credential system would be so useful for travel, so that each visitor and employee know exactly what is going on. It鈥檚 2021, paper CDC cards with the dates of vaccines and written confirmation of test results seem primitive!  

One observation was that every airport I visited was bustling with people wearing masks and social distancing. The pent-up demand for travel is real and immediate.

As for Turkey itself, the weather was rainy and grey, but the people brightened the destination each day. At a small, vibrant and colorful restaurant in Istanbul, the waiter treated us like royalty. The meal served left my stomach full of chicken kababs, hummus, and olives, and even though I don鈥檛 know much about Turkish food, I know it was delicious.

A river cruise of the Bohasmas is a must-do while in Istanbul. In the quick trip up the narrow straight, visitors can gaze at Asia on one side and Europe on the other. The two major continents come together where you stand, and it is stunning.

Turkey is ready to be open for business. At every hotel, the sanitization protocols were thoughtful and professional to make sure travelers feel safe. There鈥檚 a natural culture of service and hospitality that makes everyone feel welcome. Plus, there鈥檚 great value for American travelers given the exchange rate. After meeting with the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Ersoy, I felt confident that Turkey is going to bounce back quickly.

It was a learning experience to make the trip as a vaccinated business traveler. If it were a vacation or personal adventure, it would have been much more manageable and relaxing using a tour operator or one of our travel advisor partners.

In closing, I was grateful for the opportunity to meet some incredible people (see below) and experience the thrill of travel once again.

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