For International Women’s Day, Euronews Travel spoke with travel companies led by women about what women really want.
ADVERTISEMENTFor International Women’s Day, Euronews Travel spoke with travel companies led by women about what women really want.
Traveling women have increased in recent years: 71 percent of solo travelers are women, of which 25 percent are 65 years or older, according to the trends report of August 2024 of Virtuoso and Skift.
Changing social norms and greater financial independence gives women the freedom to explore more. We focus on personal growth, empowerment and persecution adventure.
In addition, women tend to give adventure and cultural experiences equally weight, revealed a 2024 global rescue survey.
Why could that be? Because we want to participate more deeply with local practices and customs, as part of an attempt to look for authentic connections beyond the typical tourism of ‘flies and failures’.
This changing trend has led more entrepreneurs with an enthusiastic vision to venture in the travel industry. Euronews Travels talks about several of these ‘sheroes’ trips making waves.
Women seek more authentic experiences
Many women Do not have the opportunity to travel much during the younger years, due to responsibilities such as marriage, children, a career or socio -economic and cultural factors.
As such, the first time women tend to make a longer or more adventurous trip is later in life, which leads some to choose smaller group tours, often more intimate.
“There is a growing desire to explore smaller, picturesque and charming destinations that offer a rich culture, local connections and a sense of discovery,” explains Ellen Flowers, a perennial -style trip blogger.
“Instead of the hustle and bustle of the main cities, traveling women are attracted to the hidden villages in the French country Eastern Europe. ”
Gabrielle Wise, founder of Walk Talk Eat France, recognizes this desire and helps women that older traveling women, first often alone, feel more comfortable through French food and wine tours without a hurry.
“I offer a very relaxing 10 -day retirement in the French field of the Dordagne region. Here we go gentle: walk, talk, eat. It is a slower rhythm of travel and activities. We have light exercises every morning overlooking medieval castles and peoples, ”says Wise. “We visit impressive prehistoric caves and visit vineyards and buy local market products to take home and cook together. ”
In several cases, Wise’s guests have found close partners in these trips with whom they then choose to travel year after year.
Personalized tours are designed for active and ‘amateur’ travelers
Many trips only for women tend to focus on specific hobbies, such as painting, riding and cooking. Future Market Insights estimates that the special tourism market could reach $ 5.1 billion (€ 4.7 billion) by 2025.
Marie Tours, for example, specializes in garden trips to FranceHolland, Belgium, ItalyEngland, and Portugal.
ADVERTISEMENT“My customers are gardening clubs and passionate gardeners groups,” says Founder Marie-Elisabeth Offierski. “Practical experiences, such as a kitchen class, a flower organization workshop or a photography session, are popular. Women want to learn, that is part of making the most of their time out. “
In other cases, women want to explore how other women live and better understand their culture and lives, defending local businesswomen and spending time with artisans.
“Our most popular trips only for women connect traveling women with women in their host country, often so that they are not pruned to be accessible in mixed groups,” explains Sarah Faith on responsible trips. “These vacation It’s a lot about seeing a country through the eyes of women living there. ”
Active holidays, meanwhile, provide the feeling of achievement and social connections that women enjoy, but through a more attractive low impact exercise, such as walking, riding and walking.
ADVERTISEMENTWalking Women, based in the United Kingdom, which has been providing vacation to walk exclusively for women since 2021, offers different levels of walks depending on the experience. It is also sprayed in local culture collaborating with winemakers, pilotsand chefs. The demand is clearly there, since the company has grown from 300 guests in its first year to 1,000 today.
The company Women’s guides Go at a constant pace to ensure that the whole group reaches the summits. “We hear that this is not always the case on mixed walks where sometimes women can be left behind,” says Ginny Lunn, one of the joint owners.
Women of all ages actively seek adventure
Whether in kayaking, trekking or backpacks, older women are more than happy to challenge themselves and explore the unknown. For many, it is a sense of personal freedom.
“Women over 50 are demonstrating that the search for emotions does not have an expiration date,” says Kathy McCabe, executive producer of Dream of Italy.
ADVERTISEMENT“From climbing cliffs to walking through remote landscapes, these brave explorers are breaking stereotypes and demonstrating that a significant and active trip is for everyone.”
Even high -end travel experiences, such as a relaxing cruiseNow it offers opportunities for women to leave their comfort zone and try new activities, and McCabe hopes to see more Spa-sea sanctuaries and exclusive excursions for women in the coming months.
“We are starting to see a variety of Cruise lines Travel launch only for women with expeditions led by women, immersive activities and activities full of adrenaline such as diving and polar leaves, ”she says.
This growing adventure trip trend is not only limited to the most mature women, such as co -founder Erika de Santi de Weroad, an Italian scale that focuses on adventure group trips for the Z and Millennial generation Solo travelers, observe:
ADVERTISEMENT“They are already young professionals who take a break from the workforce, those who seek to rediscover after a break or an important life event, or those aged 20 to 40 who are in different stages of the life of their friends and unable to find a couple of travel: women are looking for more and more adventure and come alone,” he says.
The stress and pressure of modern life, especially in younger adults, have also caused an boom in well -being, even more influenced by Tiktok and Instagram social networks platforms.
Weroad group Yoga tripsFor example, they have seen a 400 percent increase in reserves.
“These experiences are not only about relaxation, but also personal growth and emotional rejuvenation, offering travelers the opportunity to disconnect from their daily lives and connect with others,” says Santi.
ADVERTISEMENTWomen care about security when traveling
Several of the female companies with which Euronews Travel spoke told us that they prefer to associate with hotels and women’s transport partners as a way to guarantee comfort and security.
This includes choosing female guides who have a unique women’s perspective in local culture and knowing how to deal with harassment and women centered on women.
Providing a good support network in case of problems or emergencies is also essential.
Byway, a travel company specialized in Vacation without flightsIt focuses on providing this support for a WhatsApp chat that your travelers can use during the holidays, along with an emergency telephone number 24/7.
ADVERTISEMENT“We always reserve private sleeping cabins and private hotel rooms, and we focus on safer neighborhoods with good night lighting,” explains Founder Cat Jones, who adds that as a company directed by women. Traveling women They are “well served by default.”
Megan Vila, Turaxis Innovation Manager, based in London, agrees that women deserve more advice by navigating new destinations and cultural differences: “Understand local customs, advise which areas or behaviors to avoid, and establish a plan in case you feel insecure are the best ways to do so.”
(Tagstotranslate) European experiences
