Women Travelers Choose More Than The Spas And A Beach With A Cocktail Or Good Book During Their Journeys Abroad This Year

by Heather Cassell

It’s a big wide world out there and more than ever women are exploring it solo, together, with their partners, or their family.

This year, women are recalling their need to go deeper when traveling: Deeper into themselves, using travel to go deeper to strengthen their relationships with their friends, partners, and family; deeper into connecting with the destination and its people.

The destination isn’t just there for their Instagram pleasure or to post on their Facebook page to show their friends and followers that they’ve “been there, done that.” They are remembering and returning to wanting more from their experiences and perhaps giving back as they explore the world.

Why this introspective view of travel this year? It goes without saying in a troubled and turbulent world marred by terrorist attacks, natural disasters, famine, poverty, the rise of a totalitarian wannabe world leader in the White House, women – at least in Western World – are not only remembering that feminism matters, but for the most part for women around the world their number one issue remains surviving every second of every day. What we do here in the United States, Europe, Australia, and South Africa when we reach their shores through media, social media, or stepping foot on their soil matters to these women. It’s as feminist icon Gloria Steinem said years ago, “The flap of a butterfly’s wings changes weather thousands of miles away.” We can take our freedoms to inspire women across borders.

Women have proven that we are not the “fair weathered sex,” but a force of nature: We are delicate as much as we are strong. Our insecurities aren’t our own, they’ve been forced upon us. Our strength is our own, we’ve persevered against those forces against us. What is more, when we cross borders and break down those man-made walls and connect with women around the world we all become stronger. We are seeing that in the #MeToo, #TimesUp, and the Women’s March movements.

We are also seeing it in a movement of women-only trips that focus on everything from personal and professional growth to simply exploring the world we live in and bonding with old pals and making new friends.

Travel affords us an opportunity to take time to take care of ourselves. This is what women travelers are feeding on this year through the growth of women-only trips that broaden our minds and benefit our personal and professional well-being beyond girlfriend getaways and women’s weekends. It’s been a growing hunger, but given the political climate we currently live in it has become something we are now starving for and we are focused on satiating that hunger in 2018, as a Virtuoso study discovered.

Travel is a dedicated space outside of our quotidian lives to challenge ourselves, explore, learn and ultimately connect with ourselves, the world, and the people who join us on these journeys and with the people back home once we return.

The time out of our busy lives allows us to spend quality time with friends and family. An experience that is cherished whether it’s that long weekend camping and hiking to traversing through an ancient city. Memories are made around the campfire where we

share s’mores and beer, wine, or hot chocolate to that distant city ducking into shops to grabbing a bite at a local restaurant all the while catching up and sharing our experiences.

We’ve always had a desire to understand the world we live in, the commonalities among people, particularly women, basic humanity across borders outside of politics, and have made connections on our travels, but the state of the world now makes it imperative that we do so for our personal well-being and the benefit of the world. Of course, politics isn’t completely erased from the equation of experience when we travel, it surfaces before we depart on a trip as we consider our safety, when we observe daily life in a destination, converse with locals as we grasp an understanding of the way they live and think as they express their perspective in a conversation, how their governments policies affect their lives and us as visitors, and the environment from urban to rural and bring it home and share with others.

Travel allows us to open our minds by embracing a destination and the people, especially women and their children, who live there for who they are and appreciate them no matter their status from severe poverty to the middle-class to the wealthy. It opens us up to the landscape of natural wonders of busy metropolitan streets, cultural landmarks, rich forests and more.

Ultimately, travel is about connecting, learning and having fun exploring the world. If anything, we know we will have fun while being shaped by the people we met and inspiring them, the food we eat, and the places we visit.

Is your wanderlust inspired? Book your great adventure this year with Girls That Roam Travel. Contact Heather Cassell at Girls That Roam Travel at 415-517-7239 or at .

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