woman and travel

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More women are booking women-only tours and finding life-changing experiences.

The future of travel is female. Here’s why.

Women-focused tours are changing the world one trip at a time.

Four years ago, Shelly Kacergis joined a women’s trip to Kenya with Global Heart Journeys. It changed her life. Instead of following the typical tourist itinerary, Kacergis spent time with locals, bonding with female tea farmers and villagers at schools, orphanages, and craft markets.

Moved by the stories she heard, she came home to Atlanta and retired early from a career in banking to start a venture with one of her new friends. The program they launched, which helps women in Kenya gain financial independence as chicken farmers, now supports nearly 100 female farmers.

“The trip opened up a whole new world to me,” she says.

Like many Western travelers, Kacergis felt transformed by African travel. But her experience speaks to the power of female-focused travel amid the ripple effects of the #MeToo movement and the groundswell of women touring the globe with purpose.

“Woman-to-woman travel is one of the greatest unexplored frontiers,” asserts Global Heart Journeys founder Linda Higdon. About 17 years ago she traded her successful career as a classical pianist to work with women in the developing world. “It could entirely change the way we think about travel.”

In other words, the future of women’s travel is, well, female—from CEOs pushing new boundaries to locals calling the shots in the field.

In places like Peru, women-owned tour companies encourage local women to take unconventional career paths, such as leading treks along the Inca Trail.

A growing trend

Women-focused travel companies have existed on the fringes of the tourism industry since the late 1970s. And yet, when Wild Women Expeditions got its start with all-female canoe trips in Ontario in 1991, “women-only travel was the laughingstock of the outdoor adventure travel world,” says Jennifer Haddow, the outfitter’s current owner.

Now the niche has hit the mainstream. Three years ago, REI Adventures rolled out a collection of women’s trips—all led by local female guides—as part of a campaign to help “level the playing field” outdoors. In 2018, tour outfitter MT Sobek celebrated its 50th anniversary with a new line of women’s-only adventures.

‘Microcations’ and carbon offsetting: Here are a few more travel trends to watch.

Related: vintage photos of women working around the world

Nicole Wineland-Thomson, part of the mother-daughter team behind AdventureWomen , believes the rise in solo travel has fueled the recent growth. And since safety is a factor for many women, she notes it can be appealing to book with a company dedicated to that market.

Options for women continue to grow, with boutique tour companies now serving everyone from plus-size hikers to lesbian and non-binary travelers.

“Society-wide, we’re working toward removing limitations for women, and travel is just one subsection of that,” says Kelly Lewis, who founded Damesly in 2016 to fill what she saw as a gap in the women’s travel space—pairing creative pursuits with wanderlust. “There are so many new avenues for women to travel the world.”

Enhancing experiences

In many parts of the world, taking men out of the equation expands opportunities for women travelers. In 2018, Australian-based Intrepid Travel launched expeditions that would be off-limits to co-ed groups. Think mingling with locals in a beauty salon in Iran and swimming on a ladies-only beach in Antalya, Turkey .

“When women are together, there are no traditional gender roles anymore. Women just get it, and they get each other,” says Wineland-Thomson. “When you bring in another culture to this environment, women really open up.”

Women are in charge in these places around the world.

Across the board, these trips prioritize support for local women. AdventureWomen’s new Cuba itinerary features artists and women-run restaurants in Havana. Wild Terrains trips spotlight female entrepreneurs, such as jewelry designers in Mexico and winemakers in Portugal . Damesly’s new journey to Uzbekistan includes face time with the female founder of a Tashkent fashion enterprise.

On the adventure circuit, WHOA Travel invites a local woman to join its signature climbs up Mount Kilimanjaro, all expenses paid. “We want to help shift the perspective of what a woman can do,” says co-founder Allison Fleece. Tour companies like hers are built on the concept that women often shine brightest—and let down their guard—in a community of women.

Ripple effects

The rise in female-focused tours means women have more influence in the industry. That translates to more jobs for women on the ground. Wild Women Expeditions commits to hiring local women to lead its globe-spanning trips, an effort that has brought Morocco its first woman mountain guide. In Peru , the pacesetting company hires female porters to assist with Inca Trail treks and goes a step further with training programs that empower Peruvian women to pursue this unconventional career path.

Read about Peru’s trailblazing women porters on the Inca Trail.

From the mountains of Morocco to the women-only beaches of Turkey, globetrotting women find meaningful experiences in a wide variety of places.

For some, giving women leading roles in the travel industry is a type of grassroots feminism. After surviving domestic violence, traveler Rocio Vazquez Landeta launched Eat Like a Local walking tours in Mexico City and made the decision to employ women only. “It’s my way of taking a stand,” she says. “As a woman in a powerful position, it is my responsibility to create better opportunities for other women.”

Deborah Calmeyer shares that mindset. In planning luxury safari provider Roar Africa’s women’s-empowerment retreat last year in her native South Africa , she tapped women for all positions, from chefs to pilots. Finding trackers to lead the group’s safari drives, however, proved challenging. South Africa’s first and only qualified female tracker drove one vehicle, while a pair of male trackers drove the other trucks.

Sometimes, changing just one mind is victory enough. “We asked one of the [male trackers], ‘Would you see your daughter doing this job?’” Calmeyer recounts. “He said no, outright. By the end of the trip, he tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘Yeah, my daughter can do this.’”

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The Power of Women in Travel

Women make up a majority of travelers and the lion’s share of the tourism workforce. as the travel industry rebuilds, it is time to put the so-called second sex first..

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Women hold a majority of the travel market shares across a number of categories.

Photos by Vonecia Carswell and Ricardo Gomez

The word “crisis” first gained popularity after floating from the lips of physicians Galen and Hippocrates, who used it to describe the difficulty of a doctor’s judgment and to mark that moment in an illness where a body swerves inexorably toward life or death. Krisis , in Ancient Greek, comes from the verb krinein , which means to sift, separate, judge, and decide. It knocks on the idea of keeping only what is worthwhile and discarding the rest. And so: after a world turned over, under, and around again by a devastating health crisis, what have we learned—and what will we keep—of our old ways?

At base, the question extends first to the deep cracks that widened into chasms under the unyielding thumb of this crisis: the inequalities across healthcare, workers’ rights, wages, borders, and who gets what protections, when. Ruminations about travel are minor in comparison, maybe, but essential nonetheless. Because human mobility is at the very core of tourism—board a plane, ride a train, drive a car, cross a border—and human mobility itself is a core element of spreading disease, the travel industry is inextricably braided with the successes and strifes of this pandemic.

Already, these strifes have very practically pulled the tourism industry asunder; 2020 was the worst year in its history. Around the world, international arrivals cratered 74 percent—a cool 1 billion fewer travelers than the year before—translating to an estimated loss of $1.3 trillion in export revenues, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Globally, that number meant a loss in an estimated 174 million jobs, per the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), an impact the London-based advisory forum called “devastating.”

Slowly, though, 2021 is looking up. Denmark is developing a digital passport proving vaccinations; travelers with vaccinations will be able to move freely between Israel and Greece . Betting big on domestic summer trips, United on February 12 unveiled three new routes to Hawaii. This anticipation of demand is not premature, but probable: U.S. households have saved $1.4 trillion in the first three quarters of 2020, about twice as much as in the same period of the prior year. Already, travel agents are reporting that 2021 bookings mirror prepandemic numbers.

In this period of tentative hope, there is also a sense of heightened responsibility. And as destinations creak open their doors to travelers once again, what we’ll keep from the wreckage is a worthwhile consideration. Never before has there been such an opportunity for the industry to reframe the balance of economic development with environmental sustainability, and to reimagine its place and its social impact on citizens and the communities that we travel in. But if the travel industry is intent on rebuilding from the ground up, then it must reconstruct with women, who—despite being a majority of travelers and comprising the lion’s share of the tourism workforce—are still largely treated as novelty and niche.

“If the feminine issue is so absurd, [it] is because the male’s arrogance made it ‘a discussion,’” wrote Simone de Beauvoir. “Representation of the world, like the world itself, is the work of men; they describe it from their own point of view, which they confuse with absolute truth.”

Dr. Catheryn Khoo studies gender equality in travel at Australia’s largest tourism research institute.

Photo by Daniele Levis Pelusi and courtesy of Catheryn Khoo

I. Bessie, Beth, Catheryn, Maggie

The earliest women travelers left home in search of some greater meaning, whether they were called by science or the Holy Spirit. One of the first records of such travel is from the 4th century, when a pilgrim named Egeria traveled from the Mediterranean to the Holy Land and, with the Bible as her guidebook, stopped at the Sea of Galilee, the site where Eliezer met Rebecca, and Mount Sinai. Egeria chronicled her travels in a letter to women peers back home, addressing the sprawling missive to her “dear ladies” and titling it Itinerarium Egeriae , or “Travels of Egeria.”

“Setting out thence we pursued our journey continuously through the land of Goshen, among vines that yield wine and vines that yield balsam, among orchards, highly cultivated fields and very pleasant gardens, our whole route lying along the bank of the river Nile among oft-recurring estates, which were once the homesteads of the children of Israel. And why should I say more?” she wrote .

Egeria did say more, but eventually, she returned home from the desert. Time unspooled. Egeria, however, remained an outlier, a chronicler of an experience women were not often permitted to have. (Historians suggest that women did travel, but given that it was discouraged, there is little record of it.) In the centuries that followed, women the world round largely remained under the rule of men, with lives “lived” in the minutes between their metronome-like tick of responsibilities: clean, cook, marry, wash, bear children, shop, care for the children. If you were a woman of means, your responsibilities were not that altogether different: study, socialize, marry, bear children.

Women were largely barred from what is often considered the advent of modern-day Western travel: the first wave of the Grand Tour in the 17th century, described by a writer in 2008 in the New York Times as a period when “Three hundred years ago, wealthy young Englishmen began taking a post-Oxbridge trek through France and Italy in search of art, culture and the roots of Western civilization.” With the Industrial Revolution a century later, economic oligarchs found themselves with more money and more ways to spend it, and travel became more affordable for the masses. Upper-class women were finally permitted a Grand Tour of their own, though they most typically required a chaperone in the form of a “spinster” aunt or relative. See it through the perspective of Lucy Honeychurch in E. M. Forster’s needling of conservative British society in his 1908 novel, A Room With a View :

“In her heart also there are springing up strange desires. She too is enamoured of heavy winds, and vast panoramas, and green expanses of the sea. She has marked the kingdom of this world, how full it is of wealth, and beauty, and war—a radiant crust, built around the central fires, spinning towards the receding heavens. Men, declaring that she inspires them to it, move joyfully over the surface, having the most delightful meetings with other men, happy, not because they are masculine, but because they are alive. Before the show breaks up she would like to drop the august title of the Eternal Woman, and go there as her transitory self.”

In the 18th century, women’s “transitory selfs” typically needed the permission and protection of men to travel solo: British writer Isabella Bird, the first woman to be elected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, only began traveling after her wealthy father “gave her [£]100 and leave to stay away as long as it [unspecified ailment] lasted”; in 1776, French botanist Jeanne Baret disguised herself as a man named “Jean Baret” to board the Étoile and circumnavigate the globe by ship. (Though Beret was traveling with her partner, Philibert Commerson, her crewmates assaulted her when they discovered her true identity.)

Of women from the Americas, it would still be nearly a century until they were more frequently documented in travel history. “As I grew into womanhood, I began to indulge that longing [to travel] which will never leave me while I have health and vigour,” wrote Jamaican British travel nurse Mary Seacole, whose fame rivaled Florence Nightingale’s, in her seminal 1857 autobiography, Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands . Journalist Nellie Bly circled the world in 72 days 1889; Lilian Bland built her own plane in 1910; Bessie “Queen Bess” Coleman got her pilot’s license in 1921, making her the first Black woman and first Native American to do so. It wasn’t until 1925 that a U.S. woman received a passport in her “given”—not married—name. Women of color were even further disenfranchised.

In the past century, women travelers have risen steadily in number, mirroring shifting societal mores and increased self-empowerment. Dr. Catheryn Khoo , a professor and researcher who studies gender equality in tourism at the Griffith Institute for Tourism, Australia’s largest tourism research institute, says these changing expectations around women’s roles and responsibilities have led to a decline in travel guilt—something women continue to feel more acutely than men. “I remember speaking about women’s guilt [at a conference] and so many women came up to me after to share stories of how their guilt took away the quality of their travel experiences, and even the opportunity to travel,” says Khoo, who coauthored the UNTWO’s 2019 Global Report on Women in Tourism. “To free women of their guilt to travel makes a huge difference in their lives.”

Today, 56 percent of leisure travelers are women, and over the past five years, they have steadily held this majority stake. Women make close to 85 percent of all travel decisions: where to go, when to fly, where to stay, what to see. Of affluent travelers with annual incomes upwards of $250,000, women also account for 54 percent, according to MMGY Global, an advertising agency specializing in travel, tourism, and hospitality. In total, women represent 60 percent of the wealth in the United States, and they notch 58 percent of all online sales. Importantly, women also live longer than men and outnumber them in a crucial travel bracket—retirees—making them an investment that yields greater, and longer, returns.

Women make up a majority of travelers, and their share of the market only continues to grow.

Photo by Sydney Rae and courtesy Wild Women Expeditions

And women’s shares in the travel industry are only increasing. Black women are one of the fastest-growing travel groups, and in China, which has the world’s largest outbound travel market, women travel and spend significantly more while traveling than men. Although there are already four women solo travelers for every single male traveler, searches for “solo female travel” increased sixfold in the four years preceding the COVID pandemic, according to Google Trends , and Pinterest has seen a 350 percent increase in women “pinning” solo trips since 2014. (This, despite the fact that safety is second only to cost when it comes to women taking vacations.) As they take on more corporate leadership roles, women are also poised to continue their rise as business travelers, where—despite advertising that almost exclusively shows business travel as the “domain of suit and tie wearing, greying white men . . . who appear to be pondering the weighty matters of life,” according to Skift Research —they account for 47 percent of the pie. Still, research from the Global Business Travel Association found that only 18 percent of corporate travel policies “specifically address matters related to the safety needs of female business travelers.”

“Women’s travel is not a cute little segment of the market—it’s almost the entire market,” says Beth Santos, founder and CEO of Wanderful , a membership-based women’s travel community that has grown to 45,000 members since Santos founded the group in 2008. “And every time we go on a trip, we spend hundreds, thousands of dollars. There are not many other industries where every time you engage with that industry you drop that much money. The industry needs to start looking at it that way and seeing the real buying power of women.” So why is it not?

Ask a cynic, and their lazy take is that women’s interests and issues are seen as secondary in travel because that’s the way the world is. To them, criticizing this facet of travel is akin to a farmer blaming an egg for its chicken problem: Gender inequality is rife in the industry because gender inequality is rife in the world, where 2.5 billion women and girls live in countries with at least one discriminatory law, where nearly half a billion women and girls age 15 years and over are illiterate, and where 80 percent of women-owned businesses with credit needs are underserved—equivalent to a $1.7 trillion financing gap—according to the United Nations. All that even without considering the ways in which maternal health and parental leave policies undercut women’s advancement.

Sure. Maybe? But, says Santos, we should still fix the symptoms where we can. We should still pay attention to the issues within an industry. We should still commit to making progress, whether it’s in messaging and marketing to women or it’s ensuring more women are in charge of that very messaging and marketing. Besides, she wonders: What if travel could be the success story?

Santos is not swinging and striking out—she’s striking close to a truth. Though there are gulfs in opportunity, financing, and salaries between men and women across virtually every industry, that gap is smaller in travel: 54 percent of all employees in tourism are women, compared to 39 percent in the broader economy. Women in tourism earn 14.7 percent less than their male counterparts, but that difference is 16.8 percent on average.

Women may make up a large proportion of the formal tourism workforce, but they are primarily represented in service and clerical jobs that are dominated by informality, high staff turnover, long working hours, subcontracting, and seasonal variations in employment. (In family tourism businesses, women perform the largest amount of unpaid work.)

Yet compared to other industries, travel and tourism has the most potential for growth: According to the United Nations, the industry has been proven to provide women with more opportunities for empowerment, landing the sector what the U.N. calls “increased responsibility” for the advancement of women. In large part, this opportunity is owing to a confluence of factors; the advent of the sharing economy, for one, has allowed the everywoman to become an entrepreneur. (Airbnb, where women constitute nearly 56 percent of hosts and have earned $32 billion since the company was launched in 2008, is an example.)

Part of this potential can also be chalked up to flexibility. Within the tourism industry, there’s less emphasis on formal education and training and more on personal and hospitality skills. Entrepreneurship doesn’t always require heavy startup capital, and women are able to support themselves and in turn, hire more women, whom they are statistically more likely to support. The thinking: Empowerment leads to empowerment leads to empowerment. Says Maggie Duncan Simbeye, one of Tanzania’s six women guides and the only Tanzanian woman to own and operate her own tour company: “I love this job because it gives you a voice. In the middle of men, I can speak, which is not typical in my country. Why can I speak? Because I have a share, and I know what I’m talking about.”

There is also an economic incentive for investing in women. Research from the International Monetary Fund shows that if women’s employment equaled men’s, economies would be “more resilient.” Twelve trillion U.S. dollars in annual GDP could be added if all countries simply matched their best-in-region country in progress toward gender parity, according to a 2017 report from the World Bank . Not all countries have to be Iceland, which has been the top gender-equal country for 11 consecutive years, per the World Economic Forum —they just need to be better.

In many ways, Simbeye’s story is a real-world example of this case for gender parity, and of Santos’s belief in the power of the dollar: by more carefully considering where and how they spend their money, travelers can affect the change they wish to see from the bottom. Because if you do get there, to her trip in Tanzania, Simbeye says, you’ll realize she’s paying it forward and not resting idly by. You’ll see how she is hiring other women, and learn more about how her nonprofit, Dare Women’s Foundation , informs the way she thinks about women in travel and vice versa. In time, there will probably be a moment when you find yourself around the campfire, watching the clouds, moon, and stars. “We talk and share ideas, but we don’t just talk and do nothing once we leave,” Simbeye says. “Just watch.”

First Officer Gabrielle Harding, a pilot for United, puts on her uniform. In the U.S., just 7 percent of pilots are women.

Photo by Hello Lightbulb and courtesy of United Airlines

II. Stephanie, Samantha, Kelly, Kim

Our earliest impressions of the world and how we fit begin forming before we are even aware of it. It is often said that seeing is believing, but fittingly, that is only half the idiom: In its entirety, the quote from the 17th century reads, “Seeing is believing, but feeling is the truth.” Much as seeing something inspires us to believe it is possible, the saying suggests, experiencing that possibility is the mark of real change.

But if experience is the mark of true progress, then girls and women are left wanting in the travel industry, where representation remains discouraging across some of its most visible segments. Consider: Despite women’s majority stake as travelers, in the cruise industry worldwide, just 5.4 percent of officers are women, and women account for just 2 percent of the world’s 1.2 million seafarers, per Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

Representation in air travel isn’t much better. Decades after Amelia Earhart said , “My ambition is to have this wonderful gift produce practical results for the future of commercial flying and for the women who may want to fly tomorrow’s planes”—and despite steady global growth in air traffic demand prepandemic and impending pilot shortages—women make up just 5 percent of pilots worldwide and 7 percent of pilots in the United States, where the “highly masculine image of aviation” pervades. (To randomly meet a woman pilot in the U.S. today, you’d have to shake hands with some 5,000 women.) The numbers are even more dismal for diversity: fewer than 1 percent of airline pilots in the United States are Black women, according to Sisters of the Skies (SOS), a professional organization of Black women pilots founded in 2018.

“A parent comes up to me and she says, ‘You a pilot?’ and I said, ‘Yes, ma’am.’ And she said, ‘They let us be pilots?’ And that really was something,” Stephanie Johnson, Delta’s first Black woman captain, told AFAR writer Syreeta McFadden in 2020. “The parents don’t know what the opportunities are, because they didn’t grow up with opportunities. And so it was even more important, that ‘OK, this has just got to be my life because I can open people’s eyes.’”

There has been progress in diversifying air travel, primarily due to member-focused organizations like the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP), the Ninety-Nines , Women in Aviation International (WAI), and the International Society of Women Airline Pilots (ISWP), all of which focus heavily on education and mentorship and provide millions of dollars in scholarships. The industry has slowly responded with commitments of its own: Aeromexico, American Airlines, AirAsia, CityJet, and easyJet in 2019 began collaborating with flight training provider CAE to offer one full scholarship to a woman, per carrier; United provides scholarships and holds an annual global Girls in Aviation Day. Alaska Airlines, which has four Black female pilots, pledged in February 2019 to quadruple its African American women pilots by 2025. (It is the only airline to publicly commit to increasing this demographic.) Cruising, too, has signaled its own investment, with CLIA making its 2019 theme “Empowering Women in the Maritime Community.” “Elevating women to leadership positions in the cruise industry makes good business sense,” Kelly Craighead, the third woman CEO of CLIA, said of its ongoing work in 2019 .

But just what else companies do to elevate women in the wake of the pandemic remains to be seen. It is not enough to celebrate women one day a year and issue ambiguous commitments to empowerment, say advocates for growth. If the travel industry is to truly rebuild better than before, then those with the power to effect change must make public pledges to actionable items. Instead of offering just one full scholarship to a woman, why not give two or 20? Instead of simply acknowledging that having women in leadership positions is a benefit, why not follow in the footsteps of Lisa Lutoff-Perlo , the president and CEO of Celebrity Cruises, who raised the ratio of women to men on the bridge of Celebrity ships from 3 percent to 20 percent in just 18 months? And when that’s done, ask again: How can we do better?

Travel TV host Samantha Brown, shown here with Helen Brink, who leads cemetery tours in Bath, New York.

Photo by Juniper Photon and courtesy of Samantha Brown

Much of what we learn about travel and its myriad possibilities for employment and enjoyment also happens before an actual trip: through photography and film, and on websites and in print products. One of the biggest means of consumption is television, where women in 2019–2020 comprised 30 percent of all creators, directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and directors of photography on broadcast programs, 31 percent on cable programs, and 35 percent on streaming programs. Travel television specifically has long been bogged down by numbers trotted out by mostly male television executives, who use them to posit that onscreen women hosts don’t perform as well with viewers. As a result, women can be hard to find.

In 2017, Samantha Brown left the Travel Channel, where she had for years been its lone marquee woman travel host. (Though the channel currently counts women-led shows like Mysterious Islands with travel journalist Kellee Edwards and Alaska 1,000 Ways with Inupiaq bush pilot Ariel Tweto among its programming, its bread and butter is action, adventure, and supernatural series like Mountain Monsters , Hotel Paranormal , and Mysteries at the Museum .) Netflix, though it has more diversity in its male travel and food television show hosts, can pretty much only proffer Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat , in the way of women-hosted travel content; Hulu found similar success at the nexus of food and travel with Padma Lakshmi’s Taste the Nation , which debuted in June 2020. But like their travel peers and pioneers decades ago—those Nellie Blys, those Bessie Colemans—these women remain the exception, and not the rule.

Rifle through television programming and it’s clear that men are at the helm of a majority of travel and travel-adjacent shows. Chicken or the egg again, who knows. “Are the hosts men because the viewers are men, or are the viewers men because there’s not anything actually realistic about travel on these travel shows?” one woman quipped to me. She’s not alone in this thinking: A 2017 study from the Geena Davis Institute in Gender Media found that 66 percent of women surveyed in the U.S. and U.K. said they have actively switched off TV shows if they felt they were negatively stereotyping women.

But saying men don’t like women travel hosts is too “basic,” says Brown , who now produces and headlines her own show on PBS, Samantha Brown’s Places to Love . (Unlike with cable networks, Brown also has to raise her own funds.) Instead, Brown attributes most of it to faulty perception: to the ideas that only men watch shows at night, when most travel television programming appears, and that women watch the shows men want to watch. Regardless, Brown says, enough with the pondering. Representation of all kinds must improve.

“When a woman sees me traveling somewhere, she knows right away, that’s a safe place to be . It informs a certain audience,” she says. “But in that same respect, as a white woman, I can’t really inform a woman of color how she’s going to be perceived. So that’s why we need even more diversity .”

Says Kim Haas, PBS’s only Black woman travel host as well as the executive producer and creator of Afro-Latino Travels with Kim Haas : “A comment I hear often centers around how glad people are to see an African American hosting a travel show. Black people have been so hungry and ready to see someone who looks like them in the travel television sector.”

For Brown and Haas, the next steps are not only necessary to make the travel industry stronger but also something of a no-brainer: Put more women on television, and commit to giving them time to build their audience. The world is watching.

Katie Briscoe is the first woman president of MMGY Global, an advertising agency specializing in travel, tourism, and hospitality.

Photo by Annie Spratt and courtesy of MMGY Global

III. Mmamoloko, Elisabeth, Natalie, Katie

It is no coincidence that many of the decisions made about programming, scholarships, marketing, and diversity of and for women get made in places where women are largely absent: at executive levels. Of course, gender as a metric is inherently flawed, because gender in itself is no sort of monolith. Despite stereotypes of women in power, studies show that gender has no bearing on personality, cognition, or leadership abilities, and the differences that “do exist” reflect social expectations and not biology, according to the American Psychological Association . (The only consistent differences between men and women, across multiple studies: “Compared with women, men could throw farther, were more physically aggressive, masturbated more, and held more positive attitudes about sex in uncommitted relationships.”) But if “women” in statistics tell a story, then it is worth learning what we can from that story.

In the public sector, one of the highest rungs on the ladder is a Minister of Tourism post, the head of an apex body responsible for marketing one country to another. Around the world, just one in five tourism ministers is a woman. (Women’s “most commonly held portfolios” in the government are family, children, youth, elderly, and disability affairs.) In general, countries with a female tourism minister score higher on the Global Gender Gap Index political empowerment scale than those with a male tourism minister, reports the UNWTO.

Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane has been South Africa’s Minister of Tourism since May 2019; in December 2017, Elisabeth Köstinger became Austria’s first woman Minister for Agriculture and Tourism, and in January 2020, with her role expanded, she was sworn in as Minister for Agriculture, Regions, and Tourism. Köstinger has made gender equality a priority, saying , “Equal pay for equal work must be a matter of course in the 21st century.” Other countries with women at the helm of tourism are Ecuador (Rosi Prado de Holguín, since December 2018), Israel (Orit Farkash-Hacohen, October 2020), Bulgaria (Nikolina Angelkova, May 2017), Mali (Nina Walet Intallou, July 2016), and Malaysia (Nancy Shukri, May 2020). Crucially, however, none of these women are in permanent positions, and so it is all the more important that gender equality be embedded and codified into law; that importance be placed on “institutionalizing a gender perspective in tourism through gender mainstreaming” rather than leaving it up to the ministers, magistrates, presidents, and CEOs, who change with the wind.

As a case study in intentional change, many insiders point to Intrepid , which was founded in 1989 and is today the world’s largest B Corp adventure travel company, with annual revenue of 397 million AUD (US$308 million). In 2017, after noticing that a majority of its on-the-ground tour leaders were men, the company implemented a plan for regional managers in countries like Cambodia, India, and Morocco to speak in schools and local communities and to lobby governments to help change perceptions of women in tourism. Intrepid pledged to double its women leaders by 2020; they hit the target six months early, in 2019, jumping from 154 to 342.

Intrepid Travel offers women-only tours in countries like Iran, shown here.

Photo by Sergei Gulenok and courtesy of Intrepid Travel

There are other commitments: To better address unconscious bias, Intrepid requires that the ratio of men and women present at every job interview is equal. The company invests in mentoring and women’s leadership programs, it is a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact—a framework “used to align a company’s operations and strategies with universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption”—and it is internally obsessive about gender metrics and salary differences, which it shares in its public reports . Today, Intrepid’s board of directors is 40 percent women, and its Global Leadership Team is split 50-50. “Supporting women in all areas of our business—from tour leaders to executives and board members—has made Intrepid Travel a better business,” says Natalie Kidd, Intrepid Travel’s Chief People and Purpose Officer.

Intrepid and the adventure travel industry may be out ahead of the pack—on average, boards of adventure companies comprise 38 percent women compared to mainstream tourism and Fortune 500 companies, where 11 percent of board members are women, according to the Adventure Travel and Trade Association (ATTA) —but there have been other shifts. Hilton Worldwide has a public Women in Leadership strategy, which helps build a talent pipeline of women leaders, with key initiatives including a women’s leadership development program and a women’s mentoring program. Marriott International, where women account for 55 percent of its U.S. workforce and 41 percent of executive officers, offers paid maternity leave, adoption assistance, and infertility coverage and has its own Emerging Leader Program and women’s networking groups. The facilitation of such relationships is crucial: According to research highlighted in the Harvard Business Review , women in executive roles need an inner circle of close women contacts to reach the highest echelons of companies, “despite having similar qualifications to men including education and work experience.”

Some mandates for modifications in the industry come from even higher up. In 2008, Norway passed a law requiring companies to reserve at least 40 percent of director seats for women; Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, the U.K., and the Netherlands followed suit. Though there have been no measurable substantive changes in decisions, 10 years on, a February 2020 report from travel market researcher Phocuswright found that of 22,000 companies surveyed, those with more gender-diverse leadership overwhelmingly drove higher profits.

Of course, that is not to say women are the only ones who can—and should—effect change, says Katie Briscoe, the first woman president of MMGY Global; it’s about an overall accurate representation of the world. But women do need to be at the table, and there’s no time like the present.

“I think until you hold yourself accountable for diverse perspectives, it’s easy to just keep doing things the same way,” says Briscoe. “In some ways, what has come out of the pandemic are some really valuable learnings about what this industry can be.”

Black women are one of the fastest-growing travel groups.

Photo by Wu Yi and courtesy of Nomadness

IV. Evita, Annette, Jaylyn, Eyitemi

The pandemic has created unprecedented levels of hardship, but it is no secret that that hardship has not been felt equally. In the U.S., more than 5.4 million women have lost their jobs due to the pandemic, nearly 1 million jobs more than men. The net of these losses has fallen most to women of color , many of whom worked in the travel and tourism industry and had been on the ascent, both in participation in the workforce and in rising pay. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this outcome was in many ways inevitable, the result of policies that do not address systemic inequalities or create a safety net and of lawmakers and CEOs declining to assign value and support to those who have been the backbone of the industry. “I want women to get back into the workforce if that is what they desire,” says Briscoe. “But then I think, OK, what if women return to these roles and something [catastrophic] happens again and there’s still no backup or assistance?”

To Briscoe and others in the industry, the urgency to return to travel as it was should not be squandered at the expense of real change and disruption. If anything, it is the reform that should have a sense of exigence. Says Evita Robinson, who in 2011 founded Nomadness , an online community for travelers of color that comprises 26,000 members, 78 percent of them women: “We need to get out of this mind frame that creating change is something that needs to take a long time. As a society, we are beyond the scope of incremental change. We need to start breaking shit.”

For starters, say those interviewed for this story, gender constraints should be identified and action taken at all levels of the industry. Wages and benefits should be made equal. Workplace protections should be systematized. Women should be given training opportunities with a focus on segments and jobs with fewer women, and women should move into positions of responsibility and leadership. Even in countries with cultural constraints, there can be gains by supporting female entrepreneurs in gaining access to finance and information and by increasing women-led businesses in supply chains and distributors. These actions are not just good for business, but important to the public, too: Today, 79 percent of consumer purchase preference is based on social responsibility, inclusivity, and environmental impact.

At an industry level, women are already working to pull each other up where they can: The Women in Travel—BAME (Black, Asian, and minority ethnic) Program , which launched in 2018 with customized training sessions and mentoring services, in March 2020 introduced a three-year plan to address women’s racial inequality in the industry. That same year, in April, the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association created a Women in Business group, and in December 2020, 20 women executives from companies like Expedia, Conrad, Duetto, and Universal founded Women in Travel Thrive to reduce the effect that COVID-19 has had on women’s career progression, facilitating a “Day of Impact” and inviting women to participate in mentor/mentee sessions. There are thousands-strong private Facebook groups for women pilots, cruise ship employees, and those in hospitality.

As with Nomadness and Wanderful, women travelers are creating more communities of their own and coming together to rally for rights and representation. Many initiatives launched around the presidential election of Donald Trump in 2016 and for years have been building momentum: The bilingual resource Latinas Who Travel was created in 2016 for travelers to ask questions and share tips, and after a series of conversations about feeling marginalized by mainstream travel resources, Portland-based colleagues Serita Wesley, Rebecca Russell, Farin Nikdel, Vivian Zhang, and Becca Ramos founded the digital platform On She Goes in May 2017 to empower women and nonbinary people of color to travel “more confidently, adventurously, and more often.” That same year, Annette Richmond inaugurated Fat Girls Traveling, a body-positive, social media–driven community today with nearly 13,000 Facebook members and 38,000 Instagram followers; and Jaylyn Gough launched Native Women’s Wilderness , an online platform where indigenous women and nonbinary people can connect. Individually and in sum, they are stepping in where mainstream media has fallen short and telling the stories women travelers really want. The message: Get better or get left behind.

Damesly offers tours for women who want to build a certain skill, like photography.

Photo by Fabio Santaniello and courtesy of Kelly Lewis

The upswing in women-focused tours and offerings is also a sign of sea change, say advocates. Although companies like environment-focused Wild Women (founded in 1981) and AdventureWomen (1982) have been around for decades, in the past six years, there has been a 230 percent increase in travel companies dedicated to women-only clientele. For a majority, it’s about paying it forward.

In 2016, Kelly Lewis—the woman behind Go! Girl Guides and the annual Women’s Travel Fest—and Alyson Kilday created Damesly , a tour company with a focus on staying in women-owned hotels, eating in women-owned restaurants, and working with women-owned suppliers and women-owned businesses. Girls Trip Tours , launched in July 2018 by Eyitemi Popo, hosts women-only trips to Africa where Black travelers connect on the ground with high-profile businesswomen and local industry leaders. Every retreat incorporates a few days of mentoring with girls ages 12–18 local to the country, and every experience booked with Girls Trip Tours educates a girl for a year. Says Popo, who is also the founder of Ayiba magazine: “I wanted to build an ecosystem for women who are seeking to travel Africa intentionally, give of themselves meaningfully, and continue to grow in everything they do. Our presence [there] speaks to our intention, and our intention is to be a living example, a blueprint, an embodiment of a dream realized. We show up as representations of what is possible for the girls we mentor.”

Not everyone will start a company or community or become a CEO, but on a day-to-day level, as travelers, we can support, empower, and truly see women in the industry. Much of what is required will ring familiar: We can research, book, and get back out there, but we must do it better than before, mindful of booking women-owned businesses and supporting travel companies that see gender equality as an incalculable investment and not an inconvenient box to be ticked. Perhaps above all, we must remember Santos’s challenge: That if our dollar equals a vote, then what are we voting for?

>> Next: Women Who Are Helping Us Explore the World in a Better Way

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274 episodes

Though travel and adventure have historically been publicly claimed by men, women have always been part of those narratives, too. Each week, host and Condé Nast Traveler editor Lale Arikoglu shines a light on some of those stories, interviewing female-identifying guests about their most unique travel tales—from going off-grid in the Danish wilderness to country-hopping solo—sharing her own experiences traveling around the globe, and tapping listeners to contribute their own memorable stories. This is a podcast for anyone who is curious about the world—and excited to explore places both near and far from home. For more from Women Who Travel, visit our website or subscribe to our email newsletter.

Women Who Travel | Condé Nast Traveler Condé Nast Traveler

• Society & Culture
• 4.4 • 507 Ratings
• APR 25, 2024

Criss Crossing America to Visit Every Baseball Stadium

Tiffany Mathias, a self-confessed baseball stadium chaser (and, incidentally, Lale’s sister-in-law), recounts her quest to visit every ballpark in the US, touring the stadiums, chatting to ushers and fans, and sampling the often eccentric local concessions—often as a solo traveler. To watch a game in a new stadium, says Tiffany, is “to be in her happy place.”

• APR 18, 2024

How Plants Help Us Understand Our Heritage

Life begins again in spring, and as the air (and your nostrils) fill with pollen it might be a good time to learn something new about the plants with which we share the earth. To do so, Lale talks to nature writer Jessica J. Lee about how, as she's lived around the world, learning about non-native plants has given her a sense of belonging. From cherry blossoms to seaweed to tea, plants cross borders by themselves, or because we move them for very different reasons.

• APR 11, 2024

An Astrologer Guides Our Travel Plans

With summer travels on the horizon, Lale taps professional astrologer—and Women Who Travel columnist—Steph Koyfman to read her chart and guide her through the season and the rest of the year. Plus, we hear from three listeners who are thinking about relocating, getting citizenship in a new place, and undertaking a life changing trek, and turn to Steph for clarity.

• APR 4, 2024

Bear Encounters in Nevada and Chasing Poachers on the Masai Mara

Traveling everywhere from the savannahs of Tanzania to the mountains of Montana, Dr. Rae Wynn Grant is on a mission to save the world’s most endangered species. Lale chats with the wildlife ecologist, podcaster, author and co-host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom to hear stories from her new memoir, WILD LIFE: Finding My Purpose in an Untamed World (including a dicey near death experience), how she’s advocating for better representation in the environmental science space, and why everyone should have access to the outdoors.

• MAR 28, 2024

Aviation Pioneers: Amelia Earhart and Bessie Coleman's Record-Breaking Flights

As Women's History Month comes to a close, we dive into the stories of two pioneering pilots: Amelia Earhart and Bessie Coleman. Yet while the legend of Earhart’s aviation feats and mysterious disappearance has long gripped the public imagination, Coleman’s equally impressive career as the first African-American woman to hold a pilot license is a story that still largely goes untold. Lale chats with Dorothy Cochrane, a curator at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, to find out more about both pilots record-breaking flights, the risks they took, the individual challenges they faced, and the ingenious ways they advocated for themselves.

• MAR 21, 2024

Love, Loss, and Noodles in Cambodia

This week Lale chats with author Chantha Nguon—along with her daughter Clara and co-author Kim Green—about her new memoir Slow Noodles: A Cambodian Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Recipes. Listen to hear the trio share stories of their travels across Cambodia and collaborations in the kitchen, while Chantha reflects on life as a Cambodian refugee, life in 1960s Battambang, and the dishes that have always kept her connected to home.

• © All rights reserved. 553161

Customer Reviews

507 Ratings

Engaging, wide-ranging, well-produced

Engaging content, host is a skilled interviewer, and there is a wide variety of topics. The immersive episodes are great, where there’s lot of sound from a specific place(s (Cambodian vegetable market, Norwegian train) , and they’re best when they have a guest(s) who are very relatable (some aren’t quite as much). Especially like the shows that focus more on sustainability and the ethics of travel in the current world and that eschew a focus on high-end products or experiences. Overall, enjoyable to listen to and you’ll probably learn something from each episode.

Cedar Ridge Ranch

Please come and be our guest on our family ranch! We offer intimate and safe Glamping on our Colorado ranch. It is the perfect spot for solo travelers. We like to say “Come as our guest and leave as our friend”

Love this host/podcast so much!

I learn something new every time I listen to an episode. You can tell how much work and research goes into each one—such a great podcast! Definitely recommend!

Top Podcasts In Society & Culture

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Protect Your Trip »

Solo travel for women: the 18 best destinations (plus tips).

Plan an independent getaway to suit your own personal travel style.

Solo Travel for Women

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For your next solo adventure, consider exploring waterfalls in Iceland, rice fields in Indonesia, beaches in Thailand and more.

Perhaps you have a bucket list of places you've always wanted to travel at the ready but you just keep waiting for the right person to go with you. But if your friends are busy, you just broke up with your partner and you're not feeling a family vacation, you don't have to wait to embark on a new adventure – just go solo .

Traveling by yourself, even as a woman, is not as challenging or scary as you might think. There are plenty of benefits: You don't have to adhere to anyone else's schedule, budget or food preferences, so you can truly prioritize yourself. Solo travel means doing whatever you want whenever you want, while seeing the places that you most want to visit. Adventuring alone as a woman can empower you to see the world on your terms.

Whether you're concerned about safety or seeking companionship, there are plenty of places around the globe to consider for your next solo trip. U.S. News has compiled this list of top solo travel destinations (and helpful tips) with expertise from women who have traversed the globe by themselves and loved it.

Barcelona, Spain

With a visit to Barcelona , immerse yourself in the local culture at your leisure, whether you want to dine at Michelin-starred restaurants or go cheer at a football (soccer) game. Writer Mona Gable says, "Barcelona is a place of wonder − medieval neighborhoods, sunny beaches, and world-class museums, not to mention Antoni Gaudí's celebrated architecture." She enjoyed exploring the Mediterranean port city, especially because of its walkability and easy-to-navigate transportation system with metro lines and buses. She also noted feeling safe on her own: "As a female traveler, I felt perfectly at ease wandering many neighborhoods alone, even at late hours, when Catalans famously dine out."

Travel tip: Gable says it's best to avoid touristy Las Ramblas – Barcelona's main thoroughfare – except to see La Boqueria, the city's legendary food market.

[See more of Barcelona:  Things to Do  |  Tours  |  Hotels  |  When to Visit  |  Photos  ]

Botswana is well known for African wildlife safaris , where travelers might encounter elephants, zebras, rhinos, lions and cheetahs while glamping in luxury tents and dining on gourmet food. "Wildlife travel offers an outstanding combination of camaraderie, safety and autonomy," says Darcie Smith, owner of Great Expeditions Travel . She recommends Botswana's green season (November to March) for solo female travelers; at this time of year the single supplement surcharge is waived at many safari camps, which offers an excellent value and means you're more likely to meet other solo travelers. It is also peak season for birding, and you'll find plenty of opportunities to spot wildlife in the lush landscape.

Many camps will send someone to meet guests upon arrival to help you navigate airports or transfers. In Smith's experience, camp guests are also escorted to their rooms at night, for an added wildlife safety element. "Solo female travelers can enjoy daily shared safari activities in intimate camps that encourage social gatherings with full independence to design the itinerary around what's best for you," she says.

Travel tip: Smith recommends making your social media accounts private when you travel so strangers can't track your location as well as learning about the customs of your destination. "This will help avoid accidentally coming across as forward or flirtatious based on local standards," she explains. "For example, while long eye contact may be considered a sign of self-confidence or being polite at home, it may come across as flirtatious in your new destination."

Picture yourself indulging in pizza and gelato, visiting world-famous museums, touring picturesque wineries, and shopping at designer boutiques – all of that is at your fingertips in Italy , writer Martha McCully's go-to travel destination. "Italians want to share their culture and it's part of their personality to welcome you," she says. "Plus, the food and wine are outrageously divine."

The idea that traveling solo means you will be alone is a misconception, according to McCully. "It's simply not true," she says. "Book a group tour at your destination, or DM a friend from your past on Instagram, which is what I did in Bologna." There are plenty of unique ways to meet fellow travelers in Italy; she recommends signing up for a cooking class in Bologna through Taste of Italy, a food tour by Curious Appetite or a painting class with Plein Air Tuscany. "The idea is you will be with like-minded travelers and someone else is doing all the organizing," McCully explains.

Travel tip: McCully suggests sticking to your wellness routine while on the road to keep healthy habits. "I like to take my rituals with me," she says. "When I ground myself with what I know makes me feel good physically and mentally, it's like I'm living in another country, not just visiting."

[Read: The Top Italy Tours .]

With glaciers, volcanoes, waterfalls and hot springs galore, the dramatic landscapes of Iceland make it a must-visit destination. The "Land of Fire and Ice" is also known for puffins, its Viking history and women's empowerment, with the country's reputation as a champion of gender equality.

"Iceland is a favorite destination for female solo travelers because it is easily one of the safest countries in the world," says Jenny Ly, professional travel blogger at Go Wanderly . Iceland has one of the world's lowest crime rates and no animal predators dangerous to humans – just prepare for challenging weather and exercise caution if you plan to do any driving. Ly's itinerary recommendations include whale watching, with nearly a dozen types of whales navigating Icelandic waters; visiting Vatnajökull Glacier's ice caves; and chasing the northern lights in the darker months (October to April).

Travel tip: Ly encourages solo female travelers to not let the lack of a travel companion prevent them from exploring the world. "It can be both empowering and rewarding for women to travel solo, at least once in their life," she says. "While traveling alone can be riskier than traveling with others, it can also be more fun and gratifying." Her tip is to always be aware of your surroundings.

[Read: The Top Iceland Tours .]

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

While some women may shy away from traveling to Mexico due to safety concerns, travel blogger Jeanine Romo of lewildexplorer.com , who has ventured solo to many countries, recommends visiting the charming town of San Miguel de Allende . "I decided to go on my own and had such a wonderful time," she says. "The people are friendly, the hospitality is amazing, and there are so many things to do if you love art, incredible food, and incredible architecture." San Miguel de Allende is a great option for women travelers because the city center is easily walkable and Uber is available, which Romo says made her feel safe because she could always call a ride.

Travel tip: For women traveling by themselves, Romo advises doing research on transportation options (such as local buses, metro lines and ride-sharing app availability) before you arrive. "I like to know how walkable the city I'm visiting is," says Romo. "This helps me feel so much more confident when navigating a new city."

[See more of San Miguel de Allende: Things to Do | Hotels | When to Visit | Photos ]

New Zealand

From pristine beaches on the North Island to snowy mountains on the South Island – and all kinds of geological wonders in between – the diversity of New Zealand is a major draw for tourists. Travelers can learn about the indigenous Māori culture, visit a sheep farm or go sailing in Auckland , among an abundance of other incredible things to do in this island nation.

Travel blogger Nina Ragusa of whereintheworldisnina.com enjoys visiting because of the welcoming culture, outdoor adventure and feeling of safety. "Traveling New Zealand as a solo woman is quite easy, and if it's your first trip solo, this would be a good country to start in," she says. Ragusa spent a month camping in a van by herself and said she never had to worry about her safety, even in more remote areas. "I went on hikes solo, some of them deep into the mountains for miles and miles, and was either alone or passing other tourists or friendly kiwis to wave hello to," she says. Ragusa adds that New Zealand is not the cheapest travel destination, but her personal recommendation for saving money on longer trips here is to rent – or buy and later sell – a van to live in.

Travel tip: Ragusa recommends steering clear of the outskirts of the bigger cities (particularly if you do travel by van). She warns that, as in most urban destinations around the world, those parts of New Zealand are where you're more likely to run into trouble.

El Calafate, Patagonia, Argentina

For an outdoor adventure in South America, Argentine Patagonia offers pristine ice hiking, backpacking, kayaking, trekking and wildlife viewing. Nicol Gillum-Thomas, an African-American solo female traveler whose mission is to encourage women to live life as an adventure, enjoyed her time in the town of El Calafate. "El Calafate, Argentina, was the destination that seemed the most off-putting in my imagination, but became the trip with the most adventure, awe-inspiring beauty and ease," she says.

Travel tip: Gillum-Thomas recommends a stay at the América del Sur Hostel Calafate, saying she appreciated the clean accommodations and interesting guests.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

If you dream of a getaway that includes picturesque beaches and crystal-clear water, Croatia is the perfect spot to explore. In Dubrovnik , the ancient city walls and medieval architecture of Old Town , a UNESCO World Heritage Site, set a particularly gorgeous scene when the sun goes down. Tamara Williams, owner of solo female travel-focused blog My Elated Odyssey , says the unmatched beauty of the surrounding sea and mountains is only one reason to plan a trip here.

"The locals are some of the nicest people I have ever met," Williams says. "They truly made it feel like a second home. They spoke English well, so no need to worry about a language barrier." She adds that this Balkan country is also considerably more affordable than destinations in Western Europe.

Travel tip: For solo female travelers, Williams suggests staying in the Lapad neighborhood or near Old Town. "Both are full of cafes, bars and shopping to keep you busy," she says.

[See more of Dubrovnik: Things to Do | Hotels | When to Visit | Photos ]

Svalbard, Norway

You can't go wrong in Norway , with breathtaking fjords, fascinating wildlife, scenic railways, outdoor adventure and the chance to glimpse the northern lights . Jurga Rubinovaite, founder of the travel blog Full Suitcase , says you won't want to miss Svalbard: a Norwegian archipelago located approximately 800 miles from the North Pole. "It is one of the most unique nature destinations in the world," she says. "Despite being so far north in the Arctic, it's extremely easy to visit and is also a great and safe destination for solo female travelers."

The main town, Longyearbyen, is the focal point of activities in Svalbard, which range from hiking and boat tours in the summer to winter pursuits such as ice cave visits and snowmobiling. "Because of the presence of polar bears, everything you do in Svalbard requires booking a guided tour, so you are always in safe hands," Rubinovaite explains. "Longyearbyen town itself is very lively and safe, with lots of accommodations, restaurants, shops, and a few museums, all within easy walking distance from each other."

Travel tip: For women traveling alone, Rubinovaite advises thorough research in advance of your trip to this Arctic locale; staying in hotels, rather than private accommodations; and booking guided tours or looking for a travel buddy when venturing out to very remote places.

Head to Ireland for a memorable solo getaway complete with rolling emerald-green hills, fairytale castles and Irish coffee. Experienced traveler Kelie Fiala of the Vacations Planned blog ranks this European country at the top of her list for solo travel spots. "Many attractions in Ireland are wonderful for solo travelers because they offer peaceful spots to stop and enjoy the gorgeous views, but also provide plenty of opportunities to meet friendly people at cafes and other points of interest," she says.

Fiala appreciates the nightlife and music scene of Ireland as much as the history and scenery. She suggests experiencing some of the country's pubs, even if you're a woman traveling alone, since you'll almost always find live music and friendly people. "Even if you start out by yourself, you'll easily find that you're having great conversations in no time," she says.

Travel tip: Fiala warns that for solo travelers, especially women, it's best to be careful how much you drink and leave the situation if you ever feel uncomfortable. But she also encourages women to not be afraid to have a chat. "You could hear some great stories, and make a new friend," she says.

Beautiful beaches, delicious food, friendly people, exotic animals and floating markets are just some of the incredible things that you can experience in Thailand . Loredana Gogoescu, head of content for Destguides.com , says she felt safe in Thailand as soon as she arrived. "Thai people are hospitable and kind," she says. "Moreover, as a solo traveler, I was surprisingly never alone. I had to book a private room for myself at one point just to get a breather, as I was constantly meeting new people!"

Travel tip: If you're apprehensive about exploring a new place on your own, especially if you've never traveled abroad before, Gogoescu recommends sorting out all the logistics like accommodations and transportation in advance so it's easier to acclimate once you get there. She adds, "If you're afraid of being alone, join different apps like Bumble and Facebook groups for the destination you're traveling to, to see if you can match up with other solo female travelers who will be in the area at the same time as you."

Netherlands

Nailah Hayward of TheresSoMuchToSee.com says the Netherlands is a superb option for first-time solo female travelers, based on ease of transportation, overall safety, the variety of things to do and other factors. "The Netherlands comes out high on all of these areas," she says. "And after multiple visits to the country, traveling through big cities and small towns, I always felt extremely safe." With the country's extensive train system, in addition to local trams and bike lanes, navigating the Netherlands by yourself doesn't pose too great a burden. Hayward also appreciates the ease of communicating with locals as an English speaker, since most people speak English in addition to Dutch.

"Whether you are into the arts scene, outdoor activities, luxury experiences, cultural exploration or culinary delights, the Netherlands has a huge variety of activities to dive into," Hayward says. "All of these elements make the Netherlands a place that I enthusiastically recommend for solo women travelers."

Travel tip: Don't carry cash. Hayward says most transactions can be done electronically, so there's no need for frequent trips to the ATM.

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Luxury family travel influencer Irina Claire Bromberg suggests Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands as a top spot for solo female travel, partially because of its high safety rating from the U.S. Department of State. There's also no shortage of activities in this Caribbean destination, with Bromberg calling Stingray City a must. "The stingrays are peaceful and gentle," she says. "They glide along the ocean floor and you're free to observe and even play with them in their natural habitat." She also recommends soaking up some sun at the renowned Seven Mile Beach .

Grand Cayman is also a foodie paradise, according to Bromberg. "The vibrant dishes are as tasty as they are exciting, representing the fascinating mix of cultures and traditions that make the island so unique," she says. Her suggestions for food to try include the classic Cayman-style lobster, coconut shrimp and Johnny cakes.

Travel tip: Bromberg recommends checking the U.S. Department of State safety rating and other solo travelers' experiences prior to booking a trip.

[See more of the Cayman Islands:  Things to Do  |  Hotels  |  When to Visit  |  Photos  ]

Tips on Trips and Expert Picks Newsletter

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Chart your course for Istanbul , the only city in the world that straddles two continents, Europe and Asia. This anomaly is one of many features making the Turkish city stand out as a unique destination; you'll get to experience its Byzantine architecture, Ottoman cuisine and landmarks like the Grand Bazaar on a trip here. Farihah Fuaad, a Muslim solo travel expert and founder of MuslimSoloTravel.com , says, "It offers the best of both worlds – East and West, Europe and Asia, modern and ancient – and lots of surprises." This lively, fast-paced metropolis is also rich in history and culture, with remnants of bygone eras visible in the skyline of Istanbul, according to Fuuad.

For solo travelers, there are endless opportunities for memorable experiences. "Wherever you go in Istanbul, multiple surprises await you at the corner of every street, its cobblestone alleys, or within the maze-like structure in Grand Bazaar," Fuaad says. The network of easy and convenient public transportation options also makes Istanbul a great choice for women traveling solo.

Travel tip: For first-time solo female travelers, Fuaad suggests taking time to adjust to being on your own: "Start small, by venturing to your next neighboring town or city first, or any city in your country first before you make the leap into solo traveling abroad." She adds, "Don't do things you're not comfortable with. Listen to your gut feelings – they're always right!"

[See more of Istanbul:  Things to Do  |  Hotels  |  When to Visit  |  Photos  ]

Bali, Indonesia

For a tropical island escape, Bali is undeniably magical. Its natural beauty spans volcanoes, waterfalls and stunning beaches, as well as sprawling rice fields, diverse nightlife and breathtaking temples. Katie Caf, travel blogger at KatieCafTravel.com , who has been traveling solo full time for the past year and a half, says Bali is by far her favorite place to visit. "The Balinese people are very respectful towards female travelers, there's no street harassment based on gender like you might find in other locations, and while no place is perfect, Bali just feels very safe as a woman," Caf says. She adds that, although Indonesia is a conservative country, she found that women traveling there aren't expected to cover up except in temples or other sacred religious sites.

Travel tip: Caf recommends that travelers always use ride-sharing apps like Uber, Gojek and Grab rather than hailing cabs off the street, since the apps' tracking features make them much safer to use for solo female travelers in foreign countries. Some of these sites also allow you to share your route with chosen contacts for added safety.

[See more of Bali:  Things to Do  |  Hotels  |  When to Visit  |  Photos  ]

Paris is one of the most iconic destinations in Europe for any traveler. Antoinette Harris, founder and owner of travel blog Frolic & Courage , considers the "City of Love" a superb option for women traveling solo due to its cuisine, cultural attractions and hands-on activities of all sorts. "I consider Paris the city of self-love because it has everything solo women travelers need to care for themselves and their interests," Harris says.

With the flexibility of traveling on your own, you can plan the Paris trip of your dreams. Depending on what you're interested in, you may choose to learn about French cooking, immerse yourself in the Louvre , attend an opera at the historic Palais Garnier or browse local shops, as Harris has done. "Uninhibited by the demands or requests of others, I was able to really take the time to focus on who I am, what I wanted and what sparks joy and life in my spirit," she says. "Traveling to Paris taught me how to truly enjoy spending time solo."

Travel tip: One of Harris' top tips is to not bring more than you can carry, as you won't always find someone to help you with your luggage if an escalator breaks and you have to take the stairs. "By keeping only the essentials, you're able to move quickly to and from your destination without worrying too much about being a target for crime," Harris says. She also recommends downloading an offline map you can reference even without internet connection and sharing your itinerary with family members or friends who could help in a sticky situation.

[See more of Paris:  Things to Do  |  Tours  |  Hotels  |  When to Visit  |  Photos  ]

New York City

It's hard to beat the allure of the twinkling lights of Times Square , award-winning Broadway shows and Lady Liberty . Melanie Musson, a travel expert with AutoInsurance.org , loves taking a solo trip to New York City , saying she doesn't even have the chance to feel lonely because the hustle and bustle of the big city keeps her sufficiently distracted.

Musson says that, while there are risks for visitors in any city, the odds of anything scary happening to you in New York are low as long as you take appropriate precautions. "New York City prioritizes tourist safety because they know they’d lose this valuable industry if visitors had frequent bad experiences," she explains, adding that you may be surprised how friendly the local residents are. "They're usually happy to help you identify the right subway line to take or bus to catch. They'll probably even give you tips on the best places to eat or things to see."

Travel tip: Musson's pre-trip tip is to check crime reports in the destination you're heading to and stay within the safe areas. "Trust your gut and get out of the area if you don't feel safe," she cautions.

[See more of New York City:  Things to Do  |  Tours  |  Hotels  |  When to Visit  |  Photos  ]

The city of Singapore is known for being clean, green and safe for travelers – as well as expensive. Singapore boasts impressive architecture, the iconic Singapore sling cocktail, street food markets and luxury shopping malls. Daina Cohen, editor at WorldlyKnown.com , says, "Singapore is a fantastic destination for solo women travelers because of its vibrant, yet safe culture and exciting sights." On a solo trip to this Southeast Asian city, you can experience the unique blend of diverse cultures and cuisines, Cohen says, in addition to other benefits. "It's easy to navigate with plenty of public transportation options, plus an excellent healthcare system, which makes it a great choice for those who want to travel solo," Cohen notes. Tourists should research Singapore's laws – such as a ban on chewing gum – before traveling there to avoid fines.

Travel tip: Cohen advises staying in a hostel (which often have options for women-only dorms) or renting an Airbnb for more privacy. You'll also want to familiarize yourself with the city's public transportation system prior to arrival.

[See more of Singapore: Things to Do | Hotels | When to Visit | Photos ]

Why Trust U.S. News Travel

Sharael Kolberg is a U.S. News & World Report contributor with a wealth of knowledge when it comes to solo travel for women. Her first trip by herself was to New Zealand when she was 19. Since then, she has traveled solo all over the U.S. and to countries such as Fiji, Argentina, Chile and Italy. Her favorite destination to travel alone is still her native California, which offers a diverse landscape from the city to the sea and the mountains and the desert.

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UN Tourism | Bringing the world closer

Ethics, culture and social responsibility.

• Global Code of Ethics for Tourism
• Accessible Tourism
• Tourism and Culture
• Women’s Empowerment and Tourism

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Women's empowerment and tourism

Tourism has a pivotal role to play in achieving the objectives at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular the commitments to gender equality and the empowerment of women of Sustainable Development Goal 5.

As a specialised UN agency in the field of tourism, UN Tourism is committed to enhancing the positive impact of tourism development on women’s lives, and, in so doing, contributing to the achievement of the Fifth Sustainable Development Goa l – " achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls ". Since 2007, UN Tourism has been working – through its Ethics, Culture and Social Responsability Department - in partnership with UN Women  and a range of external partners across the globe, to bring gender issues to the forefront of the tourism sector, promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment and encouraging member states to mainstream gender issues in their respective tourism policies.

Did you know...?

• In most regions of the world, women make up the majority of the tourism workforce
• Women tend to be concentrated in the lowest paid and lowest status jobs in tourism
• Women perform a large amount of unpaid work in family tourism businesses

Centre Stage Programme

2nd Regional Conference on the Empowerment of Women in Tourism in Asia & the Pacific

UN Tourism #IWD24 Webinar Series - Invest in Women: Accelerate progress

To mark International Women’s Day 2024, UN tourism is hosting a series of webinars in different world regions on the official theme of ‘ Invest in women: Accelerate progress ’.

Women make up 54% of the tourism workforce but are concentrated in lower-skilled, lower-paid and often informal employment.

Even though women are faced with less opportunities for career progression, more difficulties to open a business and higher barriers to education and training – the tourism sector is brimming with empowered women and strong initiatives leading the way towards gender equality.

During this webinar series we will learn from some of the leading female voices and successful gender-equality programmes from the tourism sector in different world regions. In 2024 UN Tourism is saying that it is time to Invest in Women. Join us for this webinar series and leave with excellent ways on how to do just that.

  Gender Equality in Tourism Training

UN Tourism has developed the online Gender Equality in Tourism Training course that is available for free on the atingi.org platform. The course is designed for tourism workers of any level from the public sector or businesses and it takes one hour to complete. You will learn about gender equality in the tourism sector and earn a certificate once you complete all of the modules. Take the course and see how you can make a difference today!

Gender Mainstreaming Guidelines

Survey on the Gendered Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Tourism Employment

UN Tourism conducted a two-wave survey under the Centre Stage programme to explore the differing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment and working conditions between men and women in the tourism sector. The surveys were conducted in the four Centre Stage pilot countries – Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Jordan and Mexico. This Survey Report analyses the results of the surveys and reveals in detail the disproportionate impact that the pandemic had on women in the sector.   

  Snapshot of Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in National Tourism Strategies

UN Tourism published this Snapshot Publication under the Centre Stage programme to explore how gender issues and women’s empowerment are integrated into national tourism policies and strategies. This desk-based study provides an overview of the study of 70 publicly-available strategies and offers recommendations to policymakers for achieving ‘gender-transformative’ tourism policies. This publication compiles national tourism policies and strategies used for the preparation of the main report. 

  Regional Report on Women in Tourism in Asia & the Pacific

Regional Conference on women's empowerment in tourism for Asia and the Pacific

The UN Tourism Regional Conference on the Empowerment of Women in Tourism in Asia and the Pacific –the first event on the topic organized by UN Tourism jointly with Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture – brought together more than 500 key virtual participants in addition to around 100 local in-person stakeholders. Alongside UN Tourism experts, government policymakers, UN Women representatives, high-level representatives of women’s associations and NGOs, joined leading academics to address some of the key challenges and opportunities for women in tourism in the region.

The aim of this conference was to contribute to international efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG5) on gender equality and the empowerment of women, particularly in light of how the pandemic has worsened the socio-economic situation of the female tourism workforce in the region.

UN Tourism Webinar 'Women of the Middle East and Tourism in 60 minutes'

The distinguished panelists debate and discuss the main issues affecting women's participation in tourism, focusing on enabling factors, challenges and concrete measures that can be put in place to help tourism contribute to greater gender equality in the region. 

COVID 19 – An Inclusive Response for Women

Regional Report on Women in Tourism in the Middle East

The report, compiled to mark the 2020 G20 Saudi Presidency, aims to inform further work on gender equality and equip stakeholders with tools they need to boost women's empowerment in the region's tourism sector. 

  Regional Congress on Women in Tourism - Focus on Africa

Action Plan on Women in Tourism

The Action Plan’s recommendations were adopted by the G20 Tourism Ministers in 2019, endorsed by the UN Tourism Executive Council in 2020 and will form the basis of an implementation programme with Member States expected to begin in 2021.

Weaving the Recovery – Indigenous Women in Tourism

UN Tourism developed a pilot programme to tackle the systematic inequalities faced by Indigenous Women in Guatemala, Mexico and Peru.

Selected for the Paris Peace Forum 2020, more information on the programme can be found here .

Global Report on Women in Tourism, Second Edition

The creation of the Global Report on Women in Tourism, Second Edition  arose from the joint commitment of the World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) and UN Women, the German Development Agency GIZ, World Bank and Amadeus, with the aim to illustrate the contribution tourism is making towards the UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 - Achieving Gender Equality and Empowering all Women and Girls.

By exploring the five thematic areas, with the use of quantitative data and in-depth case studies, corresponding thematic goals were developed to demonstrate what gender equality and women’s empowerment in tourism would look like. This Second Global Report on Women in Tourism outlines key regional trends, including the findings of in depth analyses of regional case studies in four regions. The report also includes an extensive analysis of four key branches of the tourism sector and a strengthened qualitative dimension, including a literature review, field research, interviews and a rich tapestry of in-depth case studies from across the globe.

Global Report on Women in Tourism

The Global Report on Women in Tourism 2010  was officially launched at ITB Berlin in March 2011. As the first attempt to map women’s active participation in the tourism industry worldwide, the Global Report represents a landmark in the field of tourism and gender, focusing on five main areas: employment, entrepreneurship, leadership, community and education. In the context of responsible tourism and local development, this study confirms that tourism can act as a vehicle for the empowerment of women whilst highlighting the remaining challenges for gender equality in tourism.

Why Gender and Tourism?

While the world has achieved progress towards gender equality and women’s empowerment under the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women, women and girls continue to suffer discrimination and violence in every part of the world including the tourism sector.

First, national governments and international organizations are committed to gender equality through a series of commitments: the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW); the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular Sustainable Development Goal 5. Gender equality and women’s empowerment are fundamental components of just, equitable societies. Tourism has been proven to provide pathways to empowerment, and that the opportunity for tourism to make a difference in this area should be maximized.

Second, due to women’s concentration in lower status and lower paid jobs in tourism, their potential to contribute fully is currently untapped. Empowering women to participate fully in economic life is essential to building strong economies; creating more stable and just societies; achieving internationally agreed goals for development, sustainability and human rights; and improving the quality of life of women, and consequently, that of communities. For the tourism sector, the impact of greater gender equality and women’s empowerment would be highly beneficial, because diverse and gender equitable organizations perform better.

Useful Links

• International Labour Organization
• Gender and Responsible Tourism
• Equality in Tourism

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12 Travel Pants for an Effortlessly Comfortable Long Flight

Travel with first-class comfort, even if you’re sitting in basic economy

After a 12-hour red-eye, you don’t want your outfit to be the reason you arrive exhausted. A high-quality, well-fitting pair of travel pants can make the difference between a smooth flight or a bumpy ride. As someone who flies often for work, I can tell you: Wearing pants that didn’t stretch or that were too tight at the waist has been my downfall too many times, leaving me fidgety and uncomfortable in my teeny seat. Now, I’ve got the routine down—the best travel pants must be soft, forgiving, and able to keep me warm.

You might be in a coordinated knit ensemble or sweats you can style with a stylish travel jacket up top, but the pants you wear in transit should take at least a bit of the pain out of the experience. For upcoming trips, whether you’re jetting somewhere tropical or simply flying home, here are 12 pairs of pants for travel that deliver first-class comfort, even if you’re sitting in economy.

High Sport Kick Pants

These buzzy pants are a favorite among editors and fashion insiders because they look dressy but are surprisingly comfortable when you have them on. That’s a win-win in my book.

Sizes: XS–XL

Materials: 68% cotton, 32% Lycra

Colors: Blue, navy

Everlane Linen Pants

When arriving at a tropical destination, the worst feeling is the humidity and heat hitting you while you’re still dressed for the chilly plane. These linen pants bridge the gap nicely.

Sizes: XXS–XXL

Materials: 100% European flax linen

Colors: Bone, sage, black

What reviewers say: “The drape of the fabric is fabulous - not to light, not to thick. The cut and tailoring fit perfectly for my curves. The color is a great basic. Well done Everlane!”

Sporty & Rich Syracuse Sweatpants

These days, I’d guess that 50 percent of passengers on my flights are wearing some form of cotton sweats. Sporty & Rich’s take are my favorite, since they’re relaxed, but not schlubby.

Materials: 100% cotton

Colors: Brown

Amo Sandra Baggy Jeans

I have friends who hate soft pants and will fly only in jeans. If that’s the case for you, at least opt for a style that’s roomy and relaxed.

Sizes: 23–32

Colors: Blue

Lululemon Align Super-High-Rise Tights

For long-haul flights, I often choose a pair of super-soft leggings. The waistband doesn’t cut in, and seams don’t rub when I’m stuck sitting for hours on end.

Sizes: 0–20

Materials: 81% nylon, 19% Lycra

Colors: Black, navy, coal, olive, espresso

What reviewers say: “I absolutely love how comfortable these are. They are so high waisted that they touch my ribcage, but I love it! I am only 5'5" so it makes sense.”

Tory Sport Cashmere Joggers

Planes can run chilly, and as someone who is constantly freezing, I try to prepare by wearing warm knits from head to toe. These cashmere pants would protect me from the pumping AC.

Sizes: XXS–XL

Materials: 100% cashmere

Colors: Gray, blue, natural

What reviewers say: “Fair to good quality cashmere (thickness). True to size. Very warm & soft.”

Asceno Aurelia Pants

When a red-eye is the only option, why not wear pants that basically feel like you’re wearing pajamas? You’ll be as comfy as you can be—eye mask on, plane blanket tucked in.

Materials: 100% silk

Argent Jones Trousers

If you travel frequently for work, you might need to head straight to a meeting from the airport. These pants are comfy, but will help you pull off a professional vibe when you land.

Sizes: 0–14

Materials: 98% wool, 2% elastane

Colors: Blue, fuchsia, black

What reviewers say: “A direct quote from my husband, ‘Makes you look like you're all legs.’ I love, love, love this suit and am having a hard time not buying it in all the colors.”

Bode Quincy Stripe Joggers

Bode’s soft, swingy pants are a fashionable way to feel comfy on a flight. There’s also a matching polo top if you want to complete the look.

Materials: 65% linen, 35% viscose

Colors: Red, white

Nike ACG Smith Summit Cargo Pants

For the traveler who prefers to fly light, these cargo pants will hold your phone, Kindle, passport, and gaggle of headphones, no bag necessary.

Sizes: XS–XXL

Materials: 96% nylon, 4% spandex

Colors: Black, navy

The Frankie Shop Bonnie Croc-Effect Faux-Leather Straight-Leg Pants

L.A. to Vegas is only an hour-long flight. If you’re planning a quick trip for a friend’s birthday, these pants are a pair you can wear straight from the plane to a fancy dinner.

Materials: 50% polyurethane, 25% polyester, 25% cotton

Vince High-Rise Satin Pants

Stretchy, loose, and lightweight, these pants will keep you comfy even if you’re squeezed into an economy middle seat.

Materials: 73% recycled polyester, 27% polyester

Colors: Beige

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Watch CBS News

California Governor Newsom launches abortion travel ban ad campaign in Alabama

By Dave Pehling

Updated on: April 22, 2024 / 1:41 PM PDT / CBS San Francisco

California Governor Gavin Newsom is taking aim at states considering abortion travel bans with the launch of a new ad campaign.

Newsom's Campaign for Democracy ad is set to air in Alabama starting Monday. The governor tweeted out the ad in a social media post Sunday morning.

Alabama’s abortion ban has no exceptions for rape or incest. Now, Republicans are trying to criminalize young women’s travel to receive abortion care. We cannot let them get away with this. pic.twitter.com/gHbYJYlEXk — Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) April 21, 2024

The text with the video post reads, "Alabama's abortion ban has no exceptions for rape or incest. Now, Republicans are trying to criminalize young women's travel to receive abortion care. We cannot let them get away with this."

The 30-second commercial shows two nervous young women driving in a car passing a sign that reads "State Line 1 Mile." 

"We're almost there. You're gonna make it," the passenger tells the woman behind the wheel just before they hear a siren and are pulled over by a state trooper.

"Trump Republicans want to criminalize young Alabama women who travel for reproductive care," a voiceover says as the state trooper walks up to the car.

"Miss, I'm going to need you to step out of the vehicle and take a pregnancy test," the trooper says, waving a test stick in one hand. The next shot shows the driver leaning on the hood of her car as the trooper puts her in handcuffs.

"Stop them by taking action at RightToTravel.org ," the voiceover intones as the ad ends.

Alabama is currently weighing a bill that would make it a crime to help women travel outside the state in order to receive an abortion. The ad is part of a larger effort to combat travel bans across the United States. Newsom was behind a similar ad that ran in Tennessee.

The RightToTravel.org website says that those two states and Oklahoma are considering bills that ban minors from traveling out of state to get an abortion without parental consent, even if it's a case of incest or if there is abuse in the family.

It isn't the first action the governor has taken in the political battle over abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June of 2022. Two days after the ruling, Newsom partnered with the governors of Oregon and Washington to issue a multi-state commitment promising to defend access to reproductive health care, including abortion and contraceptives.

In September of that year, he launched a billboard campaign in seven of the most restrictive anti-abortion states urging women seeking the procedure to come to California for treatment. He also signed more than a dozen new abortion laws  protecting women's reproductive rights and ordered the state to end its contract with Walgreens after the pharmacy giant  indicated it would not sell an abortion pill by mail in some conservative-led states . 

• Gavin Newsom
• Roe v. Wade

Dave Pehling started his journalism career doing freelance writing about music in the late 1990s, eventually working as a web writer, editor and producer for KTVU.com in 2003. He moved to CBS to work as the station website's managing editor in 2015.

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Region by region: How these states could broaden abortion access

The year began with nationwide conservative efforts to shrink abortion access . Advocates for the procedure hope to end 2024 by reversing some of these restrictions, via the ballot box.

And the outcome of their efforts could have major implications for something opponents have long waged war on − interstate abortion travel.

With ballot initiatives underway in nearly a dozen states to let voters weigh in on where to set the limits, the success or failure of these measures will have impacts beyond state lines and on regions broadly, advocates told USA TODAY.

Acting as a sort of sanctuaries for neighboring abortion access deserts, states with more liberal abortion laws have seen an influx of out-of-state patients since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case guaranteeing a constitutional right to the procedure. 

And a slew of proposed abortion-related constitutional amendments in 2024 could add to the map.  

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

How many people got abortions in 2023? New report finds increase despite bans

“Unless there's a national right to abortion care, we're absolutely doing it state by state, community by community as best as possible,” said Adrienne Mansanares, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. 

Abortion travel escalated post-Roe

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and decades of federal abortion precedent in June 2022, decisions around the procedure and any limits or exceptions returned to states, creating a nationwide legislative patchwork.  

Over a dozen predominantly red states have implemented near total bans on abortions, while a handful of blue states including Oregon and Vermont allow abortions regardless of the gestational period, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. Some states restored an abortion limit similar to that of Roe. 

The varying laws have led to a rise in patients traveling between states seeking an abortion, Mansanares said.

Planned Parenthood’s health centers in Colorado, a state with wider abortion access, saw a tenfold increase in patients seeking care from nearby Texas, Oklahoma and Arizona between 2020 and last year, according to the organization's records. In October 2020 through September 2021, their Colorado health centers saw 374 of these out-of-state patients; from October 2022 through September 2023, the clinics served approximately 3,800 patients from the same three states. Over 75% of these women scheduled appointments for abortions.

The bulk of women came from the Lone Star State, where the procedure is almost completely banned. 

"When state bans go into effect, they impact the entire country,” Mansanares said. 

This year, voters in at least three states will decide whether to enshrine abortion access in their constitution. And there are still ongoing initiatives to add such a decision to the ballot in about a dozen more states, including Colorado. 

If passed, these referendums could cement some states’ statuses as abortion access points, while opening new points of access in others. 

Women travel both to and from Florida for abortions

Sitting in the southeast where some of the country’s tightest abortion laws are concentrated, Florida has been a relative haven for patients in the South in the wake of Roe’s overturning. 

But with the state’s current 15-week limit about to drop to six weeks, after a recent state Supreme Court ruling, women in Florida and the surrounding region could face a shortage of care, said Serra Sippel, interim executive director of The Brigid Alliance, a group that provides resources for abortion travel. 

Already, Florida is among The Brigid Alliances top states from which they help patients travel, often seeking abortions in D.C. or Maryland, Sippel said.

And she said the group is bracing for this need to grow after May 1, when the six-week limit is set to go into effect. 

November ballot measure could change Florida yet again

The Florida Supreme Court at the same time cleared the way for a measure protecting abortion through viability, often around 24 weeks, to appear on November’s ballot.  

Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of the “100% pro-life" group North Carolina Values Coalition, said she is worried about the effects of both Florida court decisions in her own southern state. 

“All states in the South, once Florida's heartbeat bill goes into effect, will have either a heartbeat bill or a gestational limit at conception,” Fitzgerald said. “And so that means North Carolina's 12-week limit on abortion will cause women to flood across our borders, again, to obtain abortions.” 

Along with Virginia, which allows abortion through 26 weeks of pregnancy, North Carolina has some of the lowest restrictions on the procedure compared to the rest of the south. Even after the state legislature last summer lowered the limit from 20 to 12 weeks, with exceptions, North Carolina saw one of the highest number of out-of-state patients in 2023, behind Illinois, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Fitzgerald said she wants a limit like other southern states for the Tar Heel State and is concerned about referendums like Florida's.

“It should be a concern for everyone who believes in the sanctity of human life,” she said. 

Travel for abortion care is 'not ideal'

Still, abortion access advocates say interstate travel is an imperfect solution. 

“It is not ideal," said Tara Romano, executive director of Pro-Choice North Carolina, “because not everyone can leave the state to access abortion. And this is really just how chaotic it's been since (Roe was overturned).” 

“If you're in a state where you cannot access abortion, being able to get to another state is going to be really critical,” she added. “It's just that it's not going to be able to help everyone,” including patients in emergency situations, Romano said. 

For those seeking an abortion, Mansanares said considerations range from travel costs to finding somewhere to stay in a different state, along with taking time off work and, for the many women who are already parents, finding childcare. 

“It's a huge financial burden. And then the act of traveling out of your home state for care has a tremendous psychological impact as well,” Mansanares said. “Our patients are very fearful. They experience a deep amount of shame or stigma. Many of them feel terrorized." 

And aid from organizations like The Brigid Alliance are “being stretched to the max, Sippel said. 

“I want to emphatically say that it's a good thing that this referendum will be on the ballot,” Sippel said of Florida. “If it's passed, that is excellent news for Florida. And then, of course, it won't be enough.” 

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Life Advice

Sense & Sensitivity

Woman seeks clarity about group travel expenses.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have an upcoming birthday trip planned in Hawaii, and I'm unsure about the etiquette of asking the people I've invited to contribute toward the cost of the trip. These are mostly close friends and acquaintances from college. Is it considered acceptable to request that guests pay a share for the trip, or is this not a common practice? I want to ensure that everyone is comfortable with the arrangements. Any insights or advice would be nice. -- Birthday Girl

DEAR BIRTHDAY GIRL: Your friends should not assume that you are paying for their trip, even though it is your birthday. It is important to be clear with them what the anticipated activities and expenses will be.

I would suggest that you build an itinerary that includes activities you do together and time when they can be on their own. If you can, plan a meal a day that you pay for, which can be just for the food or for food and drink. Organize with the hotel or resort for a group discount for rooms, and let your guests know how to access that.

If you plan your trip thoroughly and communicate clearly about every detail, your guests will understand the commitment they are making and plan their individual trips accordingly.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently found out that I'm expecting triplets. While I'm overjoyed by the news, I can't shake this overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety. I am a first-time mom, and triplets don't run in my family, so this was a huge surprise to me and my husband. The thought of caring for three newborns at once is daunting.

I'm worried about everything from finances to simply managing the day-to-day tasks. Our families have offered to fly in and help as we don't live in the same state as either of our families; however, they won't be able to stay for that long because they all have their own jobs and lives they need to attend to. I have six months to get ready, but it feels like six days! How can I overcome these fears and prepare myself for this new journey as a first-time mom of triplets? -- Welcoming Three

DEAR WELCOMING THREE: Set up the nursery with everything you need for the children. Find help locally through your network of mothers, your health care facility or your friends so that you do not need to rely solely on your family. Speak to a financial adviser about family planning. It's never too early to map out a financial strategy to care for your triplets. Consider getting a midwife or doula to support your birth and immediate aftercare. Do your best to plan ahead. This will help you when you are exhausted or at your wits' end. Look for a support group of other moms and, if you can find one, moms of multiples.

If you want a midwife and need financial support, reach out to a new not-for-profit started by activist, media personality and mom Elaine Welteroth, birthfund.com, to get help.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to [email protected] or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

Copyright 2024, Harriette Cole

COPYRIGHT 2024 Andrews McMeel Syndication. This feature may not be reproduced or distributed electronically, in print or otherwise without the written permission of Andrews McMeel Syndication.

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More From Forbes

Deloitte's women at work study is a wake-up call to companies.

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Workplace wellness for women is in need of a reinvention.

Today's fast-paced business culture glamorizes success without acknowledging the hidden costs. While leadership and building a successful career requires sacrifice, these burdens can vary significantly depending on gender. A recent Deloitte report highlighted the nuanced challenges women face in the workplace beyond the well-known gender pay gap.

Deloitte's Women at Work: A Global Outlook report, now in its fourth year, highlights the critical issues affecting women's careers. While the gender pay gap remains a pressing issue, the survey of 5,000 women across ten countries highlighted three often overlooked areas of concern: mental health, physical pain, and safety in the workplace and during travel.

Creating an Organizational Shift

Bio-individuality is a concept used in health and wellness to indicate that each person has a unique biological makeup. What works for one person in terms of diet and exercise may not necessarily work for another. Just as an individual has a unique biological constitution, organizations must recognize and address their team members' diverse needs, especially regarding women.

Creating an organization that adheres to a bio-individualized philosophy in its approach to wellness and culture could benefit talent retention and recruitment , employee engagement , productivity, and legal and ethical considerations. Here are three ways to incorporate organizational bio-individuality into your culture:

Expand The Approach To Mental Health

With 48% of women in the study stating that they are concerned or very concerned about their mental health, along with half of women expressing their stress levels are higher compared to a year ago, organizations need to move beyond generic wellness initiatives. Mental health is a potential financial tsunami, forecast to reach an unfathomable $6 trillion in global expenditures by 2030, according to a joint study by the World Economic Forum and the Harvard School of Public Health.

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Acknowledging and understanding the nuanced factors contributing to stress, such as work environment, ageism, and other gender-specific challenges, is essential. Mental health apps and meditation classes are valuable but just the tip of the iceberg. Organizations must go deeper than the surface level to identify and address the root causes of the various workplace mental health stressors .

Don't Overlook The Stages of Life

In the Deloitte report, around 25% of women were dealing with health issues related to menstruation, fertility, or menopause. And 40% of women experiencing high menstrual pain or menopausal pain worked through it. Menopausal symptoms ranging from brain fog to insomnia to hot flashes are issues that affect roughly 25% of the U.S. working population . With that said a large percentage of women kept these challenges hidden, and to no surprise, even fewer women felt comfortable discussing these challenges compared to a year ago.

With a high percentage of women in the workplace dealing with gender-specific challenges on top of fertility rates dropping to their lowest in a century, it's beneficial for organizations to recognize the evolving needs of women's health. Providing tailored resources and support for these challenges through specific leaves of absence, focus groups, and other actionable steps can help create a supportive and high-performing environment.

Reimagine Travel and Workplace Safety

Business travel is back in full effect, with both men and women jet-setting across the globe. However, safety concerns, particularly during business travel , are significant for women. In the Deloitte study, almost half of the women worried about their safety at work or while traveling. Key actions include improving corporate travel wellness programs and policies by:

• Providing destination-specific research and intel.
• Placing team members in top-notch hotels.
• Offering readily available emergency support services.
• Utilizing dedicated car services instead of rideshare apps to enhance security.

While these statistics and the entire report may seem daunting, they nevertheless present themselves as an opportunity for forward-thinking CEOs and organizations to differentiate themselves by acknowledging (and taking action toward) the unique health challenges faced by women in the workplace.

By embracing a bio-individualized workforce culture, organizations can attract and retain the best people and, ultimately, create their unique advantage and thus stand out in the competitive business world.

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We Asked Flight Attendants to Reveal the Shoes They Wear on Long Travel Days — Here, 11 Comfy Picks From $30

The travel professionals have spoken.

If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.

Travel + Leisure

This morning I hoofed it from the Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park down to my new hotel, NH Collection New York Madison Avenue . I dropped off my luggage, then I walked west to the Neil Simon Theatre to pick up my tickets for MJ The Musical before strolling east on 42nd Street to get to Summit One Vanderbilt where I enjoyed a bird’s eye view of the Big Apple (where I’ll probably log another 10,000 steps before noon tomorrow). Still, I wasn’t worried about my feet. I treat them to flight attendant-approved footwear . 

Why are flight attendants the next best thing to podiatrists in my book? They’re on their feet all day. Yesterday, I flew Qantas’ 16-hour flight from Auckland to JFK. I never saw any of the flight attendants sitting or even leaning against the lavatory. They were always standing or walking, and more importantly, doing it with gusto. Their secret? It isn’t Red Bull (I’ve guzzled gallons and have never grown a single feather let alone wings). It’s their shoes. 

Unfortunately, or fortunately, airlines don’t give flight attendants footwear with their uniforms. Instead, flight attendants have to use trial and error to find the comfiest, cutest shoes that adhere to their airlines’ dress codes. But thanks to word-of-mouth — flight attendants love to share best practices — they usually succeed. The result? Walking a mile in their shoes isn’t painful, it’s actually pleasant. I recently polled several flight attendants to see which pair(s) they wear for travel, both for work and leisure, and below are the results.

Hoka Bondi 8 Sneakers

“They feel like walking on a yoga mat,” Favian Flores, a flight attendant for United, told me. He packs these APMA (American Podiatric Medical Association)-approved shoes because “consolidation is key” and he likes being able to wear them for sightseeing as well as for workouts. His bonus tip? “Opt for a white or off-white color to match all your outfits.” On Zappos, they come in 23 colors and have more than 2,700 five-star ratings. “I noticed many nurses wearing Hoka,” wrote one shopper who spent two weeks visiting her mom. “My feet had been hurting, so I gave them a try…and loved them. Just returned from a two-week vacation, walking much more than normal, and my feet feel great.” 

NAOT Footwear Women's Argus Sneaker

Meanwhile, Katie Storck, a Southwest flight attendant for more than a decade, told me not even a pair of Louboutins can get between her and her favorite sneakers. “They’re easy and quick to remove as well as being super comfortable for walking through airports and breathable to keep on your feet for long flights.” Despite the lace-up look, they’re slip-on and the knit fabric means they’re slightly stretchy, which comes in handy when your feet swell. The removable footbed “molds to the shape” of your foot, and the padded cups keep your heels from hurting. While they’re relatively new and only have one rating (albeit five stars) so far, NAOT has been in business since 1942.

Dansko Women's Professional Clog Slip-on

Jennifer Vincenzo McLucas’ mom didn’t retire from her flight attendant career until she was 76. These shoes were one of the reasons she lasted so long. “Her crewmates would be cranking about their aching feet, and she — at often twice their age — would be tootling right along.” Dansko’s “anti-fatigue rocker bottom” helps with stability, and the reinforced toe box is great for durability. Currently, they come in dozens of colors and styles. I had a fun felt confetti back in college and wore them all over New York City where I went to school. More than 70 percent of this clog’s ratings are perfect five-star ratings with most coming from professionals who work on their feet. “These shoes served me well in medical school,” said one shopper . “When I’m traveling, I have noticed that I prefer to wear these rather than tennis shoes. On the airplane, my feet swell and I constantly have to fiddle with my shoelaces to readjust. These shoes are great during security screening, fast to take off, fast to put on.” 

Franco Sarto Women's Bocca Slip-on Loafer

After 35 years of service, Delta flight attendant Hermann Ortiz can confidently say that rubber soles are the way to go. And Ortiz loves a slip-on. This particular pair of Italian-designed loafers for women features a reasonable 1-inch heel, a rounded toe, and 100 percent leather. It’s available in 11 colors and has nearly 3,000 five-star ratings. “I’ve been a flight attendant for over 20 years and these are the only shoes that don’t kill my feet after working 14-plus-hour nights on the plane,” wrote a flight attendant . 

ECCO Men's New Jersey Slip-on Loafer

Personally, Ortiz sports these slip-on ECCO loafers. “My flights are long haul, usually between 9 to 17 hours, so comfort is important,” he told me. They’re made with full-grain leather, the heel is 1.25 inches, and they have Ortiz’s favorite: rubber soles. Many of the more than 2,000 five-star ratings come from professionals who work on their feet all day. “These got me through three trade shows over three weekends in a row,” recalled one satisfied shopper who says they’re their “go-to” shoes for traveling because, in addition to being comfortable, “they look classy enough to wear with a suit, or to dress down with a pair of jeans.” 

Clarks Men's Whiddon Step Loafer

When it comes to dress shoes, Flores doesn’t sugarcoat it. “They can often be uncomfortable,” he admitted before telling me that he prefers Clarks when he’s working. “They are affordable, durable, and the slip-on design without laces makes them incredibly convenient for traveling.” Available in four colors, they all feature Clarks’ removable signature OrthoLite footbed which minimizes shock impact and wicks away moisture. They have more than 1,000 five-star ratings including this five-star review by another flight attendant who wears them daily praising their “ perfect fit .” 

Soda Top Shoes Jaber Ankle Boot 

When it came to choosing a career, Allison Uno chose to follow in her flight attendant mom’s footsteps. She’s been servicing Hawaiian Airlines travelers for nearly 20 years now, and she has lots of opinions when it comes to footwear. When she wears pants while traveling, she prefers a pair of boots like these faux leather ankle boots with a nice chunky heel. They’re surprisingly lightweight for being so sturdy and having a 2.5-inch heel. Choose from nine colors, and know that because they’re slip-on, they’re perfect for going through TSA. Many of the 2,300 five-star ratings refer to a short break-in period, and they’re overwhelmingly positive. “Day two: I got 20,000 steps and could have kept going,” reads a review titled “ Cute and durable .” 

Dream Pairs Women's Chunky Heel Knee-high and Up Boots

In the winter, you’ll find Storck rocking this look. “The chunk heel makes them comfortable for long days of work and travel,” she told me before confessing that she also wears them off the job. This particular pair has a 2.5-inch heel and features a soft, faux-fur lining and insole. The zipper makes them easy to put on and take off. They’re currently available in seven colors, and more than a few of the nearly 3,500 five-star ratings come from flight attendants. “Comfortable and classy,” described one flight attendant who appreciates all the compliments they get on these shoes. “These really are a dream pair of boots,” they said. 

LifeStride Women's Rozz Mary Jane Pumps

Come summertime, Storck is usually sporting these best-selling (they have more than 3,600 five-star ratings) Mary Jane pumps from LifeStride. “The block heels help increase the surface area your foot is applying pressure to and makes them comfortable enough to be on your feet for hours,” she explained to me. By far her favorite heels, they feature a 2-inch heel, faux leather upper, rounded toe, and adjustable buckle strap. Plus, they come in both medium and wide widths in three colors. “I can wear these for a three-day trip at work and not have pain or foot fatigue like so many other shoes,” wrote one flight attendant who says they’re also her favorite after trying “literally dozens and dozens of different kinds of shoes.” 

Clarks Women's Emslie Lulin Pump

When Uno wears her uniform, which includes a knee-length skirt, she opts for these practical 100-percent Mary Jane pumps. They’re made of leather and include Clarks’ signature “impact-absorbing OrthoLite footbed.” With a 2.16-inch heel, they make your legs look longer and give you added height, but they’re not so tall you risk twisting your ankle. Many of their 1,100 five-star ratings come from flight attendants. “Love these,” wrote a flight attendant in training , who said, “Now everyone from my class has ordered a pair, too.”

Rockport Women's Total Motion 75mm Pointed-toe Pumps

Siobhan Grogan, a flight attendant for JetBlue, has tried her fair share of Clarks and Naturalizers (two brands beloved by flight attendants) before ending on this 3-inch pair of heels which she told me “hit spot on.” More specifically, she said, “I have high arches, and I can walk through airports in these shoes and on the aircraft all day, sometimes 12 hours, and these heels are the best” On Amazon, they come in 20 different colors and materials including leather, suede, and faux snakeskin. Many of the 530 five-star ratings praise the removable padded insole. “It’s like walking in my slippers,” summed up one flight attendant who describes themself as a “self-proclaimed full-time fashionista.” 

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Introducing the Women Shaping Travel Right Now

By CNT Editors

All products featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

How should we use our power, once we have it? As the CEO and founder of El Camino Travel , a company that organizes small group trips and builds community among women travelers, I am always thinking about what guests want out of their travels—and what direction we, as an industry, are headed. It's 2024, yet the CEOs of most major travel companies are still men , dictating the trajectory of a marketplace in which women account for 85% of travel planning decisions and spend $125 billion annually on trips. It’s no doubt the reason so many of our community members tell me they have struggled to find experiences that speak to them in the marketplace.

But this year’s Women Who Travel Power List , which I was previously honored on, is a vivid reminder that the people actually driving the wider conversation around travel, and the many ways we choose to define it, are by and large women. Change doesn’t only come from the corner office. It is inspired by influencers like Charlotte Simpson, best known for her IG account @travelingblackwidow , who is redefining the societal narrative about finding joy as a single traveler in later years. It’s model and activist Quannah Chasinghorse (Hän Gwich’in and Sičangu/Oglala Lakota), whose efforts for Native land rights and environmental protection hold me accountable to critically reassess our impact at El Camino, on both the places we go and the people we meet. There are also women who use their knowledge of the world to create greater cultural understanding. Take singer Kali Uchis, for example, whose music beautifully bridges American and Latin American cultures, blending sounds that are both exotic and familiar, depending on who you ask. I imagine a first-time visitor to Colombia , my parent’s homeland, finding comfort in the rhythms they’ve come to know through her songs.

There are also women who underscore the fact that travel transcends leisure. I think of Bisan Owda, the Palestinian travel creator, whose content was once focused on joyfully celebrating her culture—but who has now, out of necessity, become a civic journalist offering the world a look into her current reality in Gaza.

These women are changing the tides of a once gate-kept industry from so many different directions. They are the ones who get me fired up about what the next decade of travel could look like. In 2024, we aren’t just dreaming of a more representative future; it’s being built up, all around us, by the most impressive of women. — Katalina Mayorga

Lolá Ákínmádé

“If I could sum up every single thing I do with just three words, it's, I see you ,” says award-winning author and travel photographer Lolá Ákínmádé . The Nigerian-American-Swedish storyteller, currently based in Sweden , didn’t see women who looked like her when she entered the travel media industry 17 years ago—she has since made it her mission to foster cultural connections and create community among those who have also felt excluded from mainstream travel narratives. From photographing Inuit mushers and their huskies in Greenland for National Geographic Traveller to writing novels about navigating the world as a Black woman, Ákínmádé’s work showcases the beauty of the world while addressing important social issues such as racism, classism, tokenism, and fetishization. “A lot of the stories I write are about what it feels like to live in my skin in a place where I'm a minority, a visible minority,” she says. Ákínmádé is also intentional about appearing in high-profile publications and platforms as a speaker and photography expert , and adamant that she is visible for others, particularly people of color who may want to follow in her footsteps. “I’m a big believer of creating your own table instead of begging to be at somebody else's,” says Ákínmádé. ”I'm also a big believer in shaking tables where your narratives are being crafted without your voice.” Through her Geotraveler Media Academy , she mentors aspiring storytellers and leads intimate photography workshops where she can show people ways of seeing the world that honor the places they delve into. Her popular Aurora workshop, for example, takes travelers to northern Sweden to learn about reindeer herding culture from the Indigenous Sámi , whose deep connection to the environment and stories of their homeland create meaningful experiences for guests. “It's not about consumerism,” she says, “but traveling with intention, photographing the places we visit with respect, and making sure that we're fully acknowledging the people we interact with.” — Katherine Gallardo

Katia Barros

When Katia Barros created Rio de Janeiro -based fashion brand Farm Rio 25 years ago, she was struck by the lack of color she saw in the clothing around her. “Amazingly, Brazilian fashion was very linked to international collections,” she says. “I immediately started adding color—it has so much to do with our culture, our geography, and our personality as a country.” In the decades since, bright maxi dresses, floral blouses, and skirts with punchy prints have defined Farm Rio as the ultimate vacation attire. “When you [travel], you allow yourself to do more, even in how you dress.” As Farm Rio has expanded beyond Brazil (its first US store opened in New York in 2019) Barros has taken the country’s “party culture and joy” to new audiences and locales. In 2020, Farm Rio partnered with Levi’s on painted denim jackets and jeans designed for city adventures. Then, in 2022, the brand launched its first-ever ski collection , with hot pink jumpsuits and toucan-adorned snow pants. “In Brazil, the place to have fun is the beach, but in other countries, you go to the snow,” says Barros. “It’s about bringing this feeling of joyfulness to many places.” (Barros got “hooked” on skiing while researching the collection.) Now, Farm Rio’s lines are sold in 39 countries. As global expansion continues, with new stores in Los Angeles and Paris on the horizon (both set to open this May), Barros hasn’t forgotten her roots. In January, Farm Rio launched a collaboration with the iconic Copacabana Palace for the hotel’s 100th anniversary; in February, Farm Rio launched a new capsule celebrating seven years of partnership with the Yawanawa community in the Amazon , through which 180 women have contributed their artisanry to the brand’s jewelry collection. “Farm Rio is more than a lifestyle,” Barros says. “It embodies and represents our culture.” — Megan Spurrell (interview translation by Tatiana Cury)

Quannah ChasingHorse

There aren’t enough hyphens to do Quannah ChasingHorse (Hän Gwich’in and Sičangu/Oglala Lakota) justice. She’s a model, actress, Indigenous rights advocate, climate warrior, and land and water protector who’s urging all of us to be more intentional in how we move about the world. Hailing from Eagle Village, Alaska, the 21-year-old activist encourages globetrotters to ask themselves: “Whose land am I on?” The question should prompt visitors to learn about the history and current events of any given destination, particularly if it’s an Indigenous community. “It’s super important for travelers to learn about, not just the people living there, but also the environmental crises and other issues going on—to ensure they’re not taking up space in a way that perpetuates harm to that community,” she explains. “For instance, Alaska is going through some of the worst climate catastrophes [in the state’s history], with extreme weather that’s devastating our lands, our waters, our animals, our communities, and our economy.” In some cases, ChasingHorse says, travelers might determine upon researching that the most responsible decision is not visiting those places at all. ChasingHorse uses her vast platform across fashion, entertainment, and environmentalism to uplift Native stories, hold brands accountable, and remind us of our shared humanity. “No human is less than another; we all deserve to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live a happy, healthy life,” she says. “With everything that’s happening in the world right now, I’d love to see more people stand in solidarity with voices that need to be heard, with people who need to be seen.” Her work will continue: ChasingHorse just served as co-chair for the annual Green Carpet Fashion Awards and narrated and executive produced the new film Bad River about the namesake tribe’s battle for its land, culture, identity, and Lake Superior (out March 15 in select AMC Theaters). Says ChasingHorse: “We need to remain loving, compassionate, and open-minded about other people’s perspectives.” — Kate Nelson

Cynthia Chavez Lamar

When Cynthia Chavez Lamar (San Felipe Pueblo/Hopi/Tewa/Navajo) became director of the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) in 2022, she made history as the first Native American woman to head a Smithsonian museum. Since then, she’s been deepening relationships with tribal communities whose cultures are represented in the institution’s collections. “We want audiences to learn from Native artists, leaders, and cultural bearers just how meaningful a piece of pottery or a cradleboard is,” says the curator and scholar, who’s been named one of the most powerful women in Washington, D.C. “It’s so important that audiences recognize that Indigenous peoples are very much part of the fabric of American and global society.” NMAI is leading the national charge when it comes to repatriation and shared stewardship of tribal artifacts. “There’s still a lot of work to be done, but we’re coming at it with the mindset that it’s a very different day and age [regarding] ideas of ownership and care,” Chavez Lamar says. She’s looking forward to this summer’s Smithsonian Folklife Festival focused on Indigenous Voices of the Americas (complete with cultural programming, musical performances, cooking demos, and more), when she hopes to see the National Mall filled with Native visitors—just like it was for the 2022 dedication of the National Native American Veterans Memorial , one of her proudest accomplishments. If NMAI museum goers come away with just one lesson, she asks that it be an understanding that Native peoples “have been part of American history since the very beginning, even before written history.” —K.N.

Aditi Dugar

Growing up in a large multigenerational family in Mumbai , Aditi Dugar has long known what an elaborate kitchen operation looks like. “I had 15 first cousins, so every meal was like a catering event,” she says. It was handy prep for when, in her twenties, she swapped a career in finance for food. “I’m a hustler,” she says, recounting how, without formal training, she pressed her way into an apprenticeship at Le Gavroche in London , then persuaded her family to let her run a boutique catering company (“non-vegetarian food in a Marwari household is a sensitive subject”). When Dugar came across a disused space in a textile mill compound in Mumbai, the seeds of a new kind of dining destination were sown. After 18 months of traveling across India to meet farmers, she and Prateek Sadhu, an exciting young chef, opened Masque in 2016 with an ingredients-first approach combined with a New Nordic-style multi-sensory dining experience—all served via a chef’s tasting menu. “The first few years were great because diners had never seen anything like it,” she says. But when Sadhu left in 2022, Dugar—intuiting another shift in the Indian palette—saw an opportunity to double down on regional cooking. A year later, with chef Varun Totlani at its helm, Masque topped India’s restaurants on Asia’s 50 Best , making Dugar the first Indian woman restaurateur to feature on it. “We combine things like seaweed harvested from Goa with seasonal green ponkh from Gujrat for our spin on bhel,” says Dugar. In January this year, Masque took to the road, with a pop-up at Nahargarh Fort on the fringes of the Ranthambore forest, and then in a mango farm in Chennai, where 100 diners sat at a single wooden table for a dinner by India’s top chefs, including Totlani. “Everyone says fine-dining Indian restaurants aren’t valuable investments and they’re wrong,” says Dugar, “But Masque is more than that: it’s a platform to showcase India—and there’s an exciting future in that.” — Arati Menon

Laila Gohar

Just as many travelers pick up souvenirs, Cairo -born artist Laila Gohar gathers morsels of creative fuel as she moves through the world. “Inspiration is not a linear process—it’s sort of like a web of visual and nonvisual cues, and those that resonate leave a little flash or impression on the brain.” The tease of crochet in a restaurant check-holder in Porto, Portugal , for example, might later influence a collection of delightfully bizarre housewares for Gohar World (the eccentric tableware brand she founded with her sister, Nadia), or an installation of eight-foot-tall cakes filling the garden of the Prince de Galles, a Luxury Collection Hotel , in Paris , part of her role as Global Explorer for The Luxury Collection . “When you travel, you have heightened senses,” says Gohar. “I feel like you become a sponge, ready for new experiences.” As much as travel energizes Gohar, her often absurdist designs are leaving an imprint on the places she visits, too. In addition to Paris, she worked with artisans in Kyoto on a barware collection for The Luxury Collection. She also recently completed an installation for Mexico City Art Week, featuring a room of photographs layered with food items, and is headed to Milan in April to lend her touch to design fair Salone Mobile. The world of Gohar doesn’t end there: “My dream is to design an amusement park,” she muses, describing an Epcot-like experience where instead of moving through various countries, you’d explore further afield, like the moon or sun. In the more immediate future, Gohar and her partner, chef and restaurateur Ignacio Mattos, hope to fuse their hospitality know-how into an experience set on this planet. “We dream about buying a felucca , a traditional ancient Egyptian boat, and transforming it into a hotel,” she says. “A little bit Orient Express , but we’d lean more into Egyptian history, and there’d be dining experiences in remote towns along the Nile , where there’s nothing around and it feels surreal and magical.” May we all look forward to fighting for a booking. —M.S.

Emily Henry

For bestselling novelist Emily Henry, the setting comes first. “Even before I was publishing, when I was trying to write fantasy, I would have a world that I was excited about, but like, no plot whatsoever,” she says. Her days as an unpublished author are long gone of course. Henry’s first adult romance novel, Beach Read , came out in 2020 and follows its romance-author protagonist in a summer bet with her hunky neighbor (a literary fiction author) to convince him of the genre’s merit—a cheeky meta-commentary of sorts about her own writing. Since then, she’s published at an impressively steady clip: People We Meet on Vacation in 2021; Book Lover s in 2022; and Happy Place in 2023. Her books are set in the types of places most people dream about on gray afternoons at the office: North Carolina’s Smoky Mountains ; the rocky coast of Maine ; sun-drenched Palm Springs . If you’ve stepped foot in a bookstore or cast your eye down a row of hotel sun loungers recently, you’ve seen her impact. Henry has sold millions of copies, and at least three of her titles are contributing to Hollywood’s burgeoning romcom-aissance. A midwesterner, Henry and her protagonists often share some on-paper similarities—hovering around 30, in some way connected to publishing—and her new novel, Funny Story , is set in Waning Bay, Michigan, “a fictional Traverse City.” When she was writing it last year, she rented an Airbnb and “really lived there” (the real TC, that is): “There's a reference in the book that [is] based on a bait and tackle shop that is also a barber shop,” says Henry, who was introduced to it by YA writer Brittany Cavallaro and then “tweaked” the details so “it’s not exactly the same thing.” It’s a perfect illustration of how Henry lands on her locations, however fictionalized: “It has to be a place I've traveled a lot. What's drawn me there initially is just that I know people there and I [visit] them,” she says. “Then they get to play tour guide.” —Nora Biette-Timmons

Shay Mitchell

When Canadian actor and entrepreneur Shay Mitchell mocked up the original design of Béis’s signature Weekender bag on an airplane napkin, she couldn’t have imagined it was the first step towards growing a $200 million company. Mitchell, who rose to prominence via roles in Pretty Little Liars and You , founded Béis in 2018 with just five employees, after seeing a gap in the market for luggage that was equally fashionable, functional, and affordable. “My bag shouldn’t cost as much as the trip I’m taking,” she says. Mitchell now oversees a team of 30 (mostly women) employees and has become a leading figure in the luggage space—popularizing smart features like built-in weight indicators and dedicated shoe compartments, and winning over the next generation of travelers on TikTok and Instagram; even personalities like Alix Earle and Hailey Bieber have given Béis their stamp of approval. But for Mitchell, it was never just about designing luggage. “We want people to get out there in the world—no matter where it is—and you don’t always need a plane ticket to do so.” What started as traditional duffels and suitcases has now expanded to sustainably-made shopping totes for the farmer’s market, chic diaper bags for parents, and kid-friendly rollers , the latter of which was inspired by her two young daughters and their growing travel needs. Looking ahead, traveling to meet consumers in real life is a priority when it comes to maintaining Béis’s success, whether that's across the US and Canada, or to the Philippines, where her mother was born. Unlike other celebrity founders, though, Mitchell prefers to keep her high-profile name out of the Béis branding. “The products will speak for themselves,” she says. — Meaghan Kenny

In her Instagram dispatches, Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda often greets her 4.3 million followers with the same words: “Hey everyone, this is Bisan from Gaza; we're still alive.” Amid Israel's ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip, her refrain serves as a reminder of the steep risks local reporters face to share unfiltered accounts of what is unraveling on the ground. The reality is stark; at least 90 Palestinian journalists have been killed since the war began, making it the deadliest war for reporters since recording commenced in 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. While some of Owda's peers, including Motaz Azaiza , Plestia Alaqad, and Wael Dahdouh, have ultimately left Gaza for safety or medical care, the 25-year-old remains. Reporting from bombed-out buildings , makeshift shelters , and the hallways of overcrowded hospitals , Owda offers a vivid portrayal of daily life in Gaza, documenting the challenges facing Palestinian doctors and exploring the mental health impacts of war, as well as the disturbing realities children have been forced to contend with; her work has also sought to show the resilience of Palestinian mothers. Many have come to know Owda for her war reporting, but before the war she was a filmmaker and youth activist committed to advancing gender equality in Palestine. She vlogged about travel and culture, too, channeling her appreciation for the ancient Arab tradition of oral storytelling (known as Hakawati) in the TV show Hakawatya . Pre-war Instagram posts—everything from a look inside Palestine’s first women-only boxing academy to selfies on the beach at sunset—show a hopeful , curly-haired Owda, full of ambition, curiosity about the world, and a deep love for Gaza. “We still have the rain, the sun, and the sea, and of course, the rainbow," she shared in a February 3 post . "I hope we are so near to a permanent ceasefire and to a return to our homes, our places, to a rebuilding of our hopes and dreams." — Zahra Hankir

Amanda Silverman

It was a New York Times Styles story about the cultural impact of Snoop Dogg sporting a Tommy Hilfiger rugby shirt on Saturday Night Live that initially piqued Amanda Silverman’s interest in publicity. “I just thought it was fascinating the power that artists have when they are in the press, on culture and fashion and politics,” she says over the phone from her New York office. Silverman has since spent two decades turning this curiosity into a booming business as the co-founder and co-chief executive officer of The Lede Company , one of Hollywood's most powerful PR firms. With a highly-coveted roster of clients including Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Amy Schumer, Penélope Cruz, and Pharrell Williams (to name a few), Silverman is on the road “all the time” as their right-hand woman, guiding high-profile talent through interviews and media appearances. This requires her managing some of the most complicated travel schedules imaginable—it’s not uncommon for Silverman to hop from New York City with Pharrell to the Super Bowl with Rihanna. With high-profile clients constantly hitting red carpets or on tour, it can be “hectic” especially if she’s several continents away. “When you're in Asia or Europe, you're working New York, LA hours, so all through the night,” she explains. But work has also allowed her to have some unforgettable experiences, like accompanying her client and native South African Charlize Theron to locations where her foundation The Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project helps with sexual and reproductive health advocacy. “For part of it, Oprah was there doing a piece on the work she was doing and it was just so impressive,” she says. “We went on a safari , it was nothing I've ever experienced.” With “90 percent” of her excursions related to running her company, Silverman has carefully set aside three vacations a year with her husband and two kids—like hiking biking and swimming in Mykonos or visiting Anguilla with family friends. This year, she’s venturing to Costa Rica . With each excursion, she tries to prioritize taking a tech break. “It only makes you better at your job.” — Ilana Kaplan

Charlotte Simpson

Recently, Charlotte Simpson was hiking alone on Angel Island in California when she spotted a bear. She credits years of solo travel for the fact that she didn’t pass out on the spot. Instead, she made a plan: Play dead. But as she continued walking, Simpson realized the “deadly predator” was actually just a rotting tree. On a call from her home in Indianapolis she recalls laughing at herself in the moment, then feeling empowered. “Every time I take a trip there's something else I discover about myself,” she says. “I think it's the ultimate in self-care and self-discovery.” Simpson has come a long way as a traveler: A retired special education teacher and guidance counselor, she was once entirely dependent on her husband, Roy, as a travel partner. While she did almost all of the family’s trip planning, he was the one who seized any opportunity for an adventure: “I’d be like, you go ahead and do whatever scary adventure, I’ll sit here, have a glass of wine and watch you.” After Roy passed away in 2008, shortly after they had both retired, Simpson slowly found the confidence to explore the world on her own. Now, the woman who was once happy to let her husband lead chases the adventures herself: Hot air balloon rides over the Maasai Mara in Kenya , zip lining through a St. Lucia rainforest, and meditating with a Buddhist monk in South Korea , among them. She documents all of this via her Instagram handle @TravelingBlackWidow , which Simpson says brought “a whole new joy” to her life since starting the account in 2014. It has since ballooned into a community of 27.5K followers. In an arena dominated by millennial and Gen Z content creators, Simpson’s platform speaks to travelers who are often left out of the conversation. Midlife and older women see themselves pursuing bigger lives as a result of her travels, frequently seeking solo travel advice in the comments; younger followers show her posts to their parents, especially those who’ve recently lost a spouse. “Many have said they admire my energy and my gutsiness,” says Simpson, who has visited all seven continents and reached her 100 th country, Malta , in 2023. They are traits she’s embracing and hoping will inspire others—even as she continues to battle her own fears and shyness. “There's a whole big world out there and so many women just aren't getting what it has to offer.” — Heather Greenwood Davis

Anomien Smith

The work of Johannesburg -based architect Anomien Smith aims to honor that which came first. “Our infrastructure should help nature shine,” says Smith, the creative director and principal architect at sustainably-minded hospitality design firm, Luxury Frontiers , which earned its reputation creating Africa’s leading safari camps , and partnering with brands like Wilderness on destinations where the design never scars the land or distracts from the environment. At Puku Ridge in Zambia , an artful assemblage of timber respects the natural flows of the area’s floodplain. Wilderness Usawa , in the Serengeti , has canvas tents crafted with mesh walls for cooling—and fully immersive views of the Great Migration —creating the sensation of sleeping on the open savannah. But for Smith, the physical environment is just one influence. “Sustainability means cultural preservation,” she says. “It means making sure heritage is maintained.” She takes cues from the local vernacular: For a current project in the Middle East , she is using the stone materials seen in endemic shepherd huts and angling her structures to catch mountain breezes. “You need to let the site guide you, and pay attention to the building practices that have been there for ages,” she says. And in an industry where luxury and responsibility are increasingly synonymous, Smith is bringing this uniquely African design ethos—one with conservation in its DNA—to the global stage. Recent projects include Camp Sarika at Utah’s singular Amangiri , where an elevated roof creates a passive cooling system; Mexico’s award-winning Four Seasons Naviva , made of renewable materials like bamboo; the all-recyclable canvas tents at Costa Rica’s leading eco retreat, Nayara Tented Camp (word is that owner Leo Ghitis admired his safari set up in Botswana so much, he insisted Smith and her team design for him back home); with more projects in the Americas, including inside Virginia’s pristine Shenandoah National Park ( Simply Shenandoah , coming 2026), on the horizon. “Our model is protection first, hospitality second,” she says. “I believe that is the way forward.” — Erin Florio

On her top-charting album Orquídeas , released in January, the Grammy-winning soulstress Kali Uchis offers a sonic first class passage through Latin America—using her beloved Colombia, and elements of Cuban son, reggaetón, and merengue, as a launch pad. Born in Alexandria, Virginia, to Colombian immigrants, 30-year-old Uchis spent much of her childhood in transit between the US and her parents’ hometown of Pereira, an Andean city at the center of the Coffee Axis. As a teen, Uchis played saxophone in her high school jazz band, while hopping from rasta to punk parties with her cousins during visits to Colombia. It was in that liminal state of in-between, she says, where her creativity began to flourish. “I got to experience both worlds,” the artist said in a 2018 interview for Rolling Stone . “That was really nice to have as a kid, and I would definitely want to give that to my own kid—the ability to have multiple places to call home.” Citing inspiration from timeless Latina icons who sang in English and Spanish—namely Shakira, Christina Aguilera, and La Lupe—Uchis’ blended upbringing plays a critical role in many of her songs and music videos. In her first No. 1 hit “Telepatía,” a long-distance love ballad sung in Spanglish, Uchis treads goddess-like through the hilly streets of Pereira, imbuing the town’s verdant scenery and colorful stacked houses with an air of Old Hollywood romance. “ A kilómetros estamos conectando [we are connecting kilometers away],” she sings of her far away flame. “Moving in between languages [often] feels like working overtime,” she said in a 2024 interview with the Los Angeles Times . With Orquídeas , she dares listeners to embrace not just Latin music, but a kaleidoscopic pop future that traverses borders both musical and geographical. “I [want to] expand what it means to make popular music today,” she said. “Our music can extend beyond the niche.” — Suzy Exposito

When Nicole Kidman approached Lulu Wang to collaborate on an upcoming project, the director’s gut reaction was to say no. “So often in the industry, somebody makes a film that's a hit and people want to snatch them up to make a big studio movie where they don't get full creative control,” says Wang, whose 2019 film The Farewell clocked numerous awards and earned lead actor Awkwafina a Golden Globe win. “And then, whether it works or fails, you're not quite sure if it's because of you.” But Kidman won her trust, and the pair created Expats , the six-part TV adaptation of Janice Y.K. Lee’s novel The Expatriates , with Kidman starring and Wang directing. The show, which wrapped up on Amazon Prime on February 23, follows a group of foreigners in Hong Kong as their lives unravel in the wake of a traumatic event, exploring complex issues of class, privilege, domestic labor, and motherhood against a glittering backdrop of soaring high rises and neon signs. “Hong Kong being a central character was essential for the series, but also for me to be interested in making it,” she says. “There's not just an intersection of East and West, old world, new world, but an intersection of so many different identities, different classes, different races, different genders, and the conflicts and friendships that come with it.” For Wang, who was born in China and moved with her parents to the US at age six, the show was also an opportunity to interrogate the thorny word of “ expat ” itself: why some people get to call themselves one, while others are immigrants. Even as she becomes more established within mainstream Hollywood, filmmaking will always be her tool for asking uncomfortable questions. “For a long time I got used to working from a place of feeling hidden, like nobody's watching,” says Wang. “The more that you are in your power, the more that you trust yourself and your voice, the more you go against the grain and challenge the status quo, the more fearless you are.” — Lale Arikoglu

Listen to the complete interview with Lulu Wang on the Women Who Travel podcast.

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant

Growing up in San Francisco , Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant’s only exposure to the wilderness was through nature documentaries. “I remember realizing, ‘There are jungles out there,’” she says. The wildlife ecologist knew that she wanted to someday host a nature show of her own, but had no clear road map for how to achieve that. Her journey to becoming a co-host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom , first broadcast on NBC in 1963, is a study in both perseverance and pivoting. She studied environmental science in college, realizing that “TV show or no TV show, I can have a career helping to design the science that saves endangered species from extinction and takes me around the world and offers me adventures— and I can be a smarty-pants scientist.” Her research took her from the mountains of Montana to the savannahs of Tanzania to the jungles of Madagascar , often as the first Black American woman entering these spaces in a position of scientific authority and expertise—experiences she chronicles in her forthcoming memoir, WILD LIFE: Finding My Purpose in an Untamed World , out April 2. The more she immersed herself in her work, the more she realized her passion for ecology and equity intersected. “I had been taught to keep science and social justice very, very separate, and they came crashing together over and over,” she says. Using her platform today, she advocates for better representation in environmental work . “I don't think any of us are happy with the place the environment is in right now. The habitual practice of excluding certain people and elevating others to leadership has gotten us to this point,” Dr. Wynn-Grant says. “Having more people from diverse backgrounds with different experiences that come from different parts of the world, or different ideologies or societies or communities, will only strengthen the ideas and innovations that are necessary in order to create a healthy, balanced planet.” — Sarah Khan

Lead editors: Lale Arikoglu, Megan Spurrell

Research: Alexandra Sanidad

Lead visuals: Andrea Edelman, Pallavi Kumar

Supporting visuals: Matt Buck, Karin Mueller, Zoe Westman

Global social lead: Mercedes Bleth

Supporting social media: Emily Adler, Kayla Brock, Crystal Waterton

Newsletters: Erin Paterson, Claire Leaper

Public relations: Erin Kaplan

Special thanks: Virginia Buedo, Eva Duncan, Jude Kampfner, Eugene Shevertalov, Jessica Rach

Read the ‘2023 Women Who Travel Power List’ here.