Picture this: You’re sitting at a bar solo, enjoying a palate-pleasing libation in New York City. You are confident, and you don’t need others to justify your worth or status to enjoy a beverage alone. You’re content in your own company (what’s with all the stigma around women dining alone?). At the bottom of the menu, you notice a simple message: “This is not a pick-up spot. Please do not approach other guests unless you have been invited to do so.”
Small gesture? Maybe. But for women travelers, it’s everything. This is what women-centered travel looks like in 2026, and it goes far beyond safety measures.
As a travel advisor focused on responsible travel, I’m thrilled to see this shift. Women-centered travel isn’t just about creating safe spaces (though that’s crucial). It’s about amplifying women’s voices, supporting women-owned businesses, and uncovering the stories that have been left out of traditional travel narratives.
This isn’t meant to be an anti-men movement; rather, reclaiming solidarity, inclusivity, and support for women-led communities globally, often underrepresented.
3 Key Takeaways:
- 1) Women-centered travel goes beyond safety—it’s about amplifying women’s voices, stories, and leadership in the travel industry
- 2) Supporting women-owned businesses and female-led tours creates more equitable and inclusive travel experiences
- 3) As a responsible travel advisor, choosing women-centered options means investing in communities and authentic cultural storytelling
Women constitute approximately 64% of global travelers, with 82% of all travel decisions made by them. The solo female travel market has seen explosive growth, increasing by over 230% in recent years, with data indicating that women now represent between 75% and 84% of all solo travelers globally.
CBI.EU March 2025
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What Could Be Sparking the Women-Centered Travel Movement?
It could be that we’re tired of carrying the literal and metaphorical weight of being a woman in today’s society. Unpaid emotional labor. Being stripped of our rights. Perhaps the patriarchy?
While I understand women’s rights and privileges vary globally, I want to address this with a culturally competent and sensitive lens.
That we’re tired of living for others or being labeled as ‘selfish’ if we dare do something for ourselves. Having our own experiences, independence, and sense of identity.
It’s the camaraderie, sisterhood, and shared values (and struggles) that we crave and yearn to connect with. Culinary experiences. The rise in reading retreats. Wellness or adventure travel. The exploration and experiencing of new cultures, environments, and perspectives.
We’re doing it. We’re traveling, and we don’t need others to justify our worth in this society.
Women are becoming more self-sufficient, financially independent, and more educated, and we’re reclaiming what is ours. Freedom. Freedom to choose our life, not what others or society expects of us. That terrifies the patriarchy. Let’s go, ladies.
Why Women-Centered Travel Matters for Responsible Tourism
When we talk about responsible travel, we’re talking about making choices that benefit local communities, preserve culture, and create equitable opportunities. Women-centered travel checks all these boxes.
Supporting women-led businesses means:
- Breaking down barriers in male-dominated industries
- Economic empowerment stays within communities
- Diverse perspectives shape the travel experience
- Authentic stories get told by those who lived them
Where Women Are Leading the Way
From hidden histories to culinary innovation, from sports bars to sacred lands, women are reshaping the travel landscape in profound ways. These aren’t just alternative options; they’re essential perspectives that have been systematically excluded from mainstream tourism for far too long. When women lead, they bring different stories to the surface, create safer and more inclusive spaces, and ensure that tourism dollars flow back into communities in meaningful ways.
Women-led tours represent more than alternative travel options—they’re a fundamental shift in how stories are told, whose voices are centered, and where tourism dollars flow. Unlike conventional tours that often gloss over women’s contributions or treat them as footnotes, these experiences place women’s perspectives, leadership, and lived experiences at the forefront of cultural storytelling.
Whether it’s Indigenous women sharing ancestral knowledge on their own terms, female chefs claiming their rightful place in professional kitchens, or LGBTQIA+ pioneers opening the first women-owned sports bars in major cities, these leaders are proving that diversity in travel isn’t just nice to have—it’s transformative. Here’s where you’ll find them making history right now:
Women-Led Tours
- Sororal Travel – Women-led travel experiences across multiple destinations, focusing on connection, community, and empowerment for women travelers. Visit Sororal Travel
- Wild Women Expeditions (Canada & Worldwide) – One of the first adventure travel companies for women, offering trips from kayaking in Baja to trekking in Patagonia since 1992. Visit Wild Women Expeditions
- Intrepid Travel’s Women’s Expeditions (Global) – Dedicated women-only tours across Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America, led by female guides supporting local women-owned businesses. Visit Intrepid Women’s Expeditions
- Women on a Mission Tours (Morocco) – Female-led tours throughout Morocco that highlight women’s cooperatives, artisans, and entrepreneurs while providing culturally immersive experiences. Visit Women on a Mission
- Wanderful (Global Network) – A global community connecting women travelers with female guides and women-owned businesses in destinations worldwide through their platform and events. Visit Wanderful
- Purposeful Nomad (India) – Women-led cultural tours in India focusing on sustainable tourism, women’s empowerment, and authentic connections with local female artisans and communities. Visit Purposeful Nomad
Uncovering Hidden Histories
Philadelphia’s Beyond the Bell Tours has been offering Badass Women’s History Tours since 2018, highlighting women who shaped the city from 1701 onward. Guests hear about Ona Judge’s escape from George Washington and lesbian pioneer Barbara Gittings—stories that have remained largely untold.
Indigenous Women-Led Tours
Native Women’s Wilderness (United States – Various Locations) – Indigenous women-led outdoor adventures and cultural experiences across Native lands, founded by Jaylyn Gough (Diné/Navajo), offering hiking, camping, and traditional knowledge-sharing in the Southwest and beyond. Visit Native Women’s Wilderness
Señora Tours (Guatemala) – Indigenous Maya women-led tours in the Lake Atitlán region, offering authentic cultural experiences including traditional weaving, cooking classes, and village visits that directly support local women’s cooperatives and families. Visit Señora Tours
These aren’t just tours, they’re acts of historical justice, ensuring that women’s contributions are finally recognized.
Women-Owned hotels
As a FORA travel advisor, I’m proud to partner with women-owned hotels that are redefining hospitality through authentic leadership and community impact. These properties aren’t just places to stay—they represent decades of breaking barriers, building legacy, and reinvesting in the people and places that make travel meaningful. When you choose a women-owned hotel, you’re supporting businesses where leadership decisions are made by women, where profits often flow back into local communities, and where the guest experience is shaped by perspectives that have historically been excluded from the industry’s top tables. This isn’t performative; it’s a structural change you can be part of with every booking.
- Jnane Tamsna by Meryanne Loum-Martin (Morocco) – An eco-luxury boutique hotel and organic farm in Marrakech founded by Meryanne Loum-Martin, featuring traditional Moroccan architecture, sustainable practices, and support for local artisan communities. Visit Jnane Tamsna
- Salamander Collection by Sheila Johnson (United States) – A collection of luxury hotels and resorts founded by Sheila Johnson, the first African American woman to attain a net worth of at least one billion dollars. Her properties include Salamander Resort & Spa in Virginia and The Innisbrook Resort in Florida. Visit Salamander Collection
- Royal Portfolio by Liz Biden (South Africa) – A curated collection of luxury boutique hotels across South Africa founded and led by Liz Biden, offering authentic African experiences with properties like Royal Malewane, La Residence, and Birkenhead House. Visit Royal Portfolio
Women Reclaiming the Kitchen (Professionally)
Cooking classes offer something guidebooks can’t: the intimate transfer of knowledge passed down through generations of women. When you learn to make pasta from a nonna in Tuscany or prepare traditional tagine with a Moroccan mother, you’re not just following a recipe—you’re receiving stories, techniques, and cultural wisdom that have been refined over centuries.
In many cultures, the kitchen has been women’s domain not by choice, but by necessity. Yet within that space, women became the keepers of culinary tradition, the guardians of family recipes, and the teachers who ensured cultural practices survived migration, colonization, and modernization. When we participate in cooking classes led by local women, we honor this legacy and ensure these stories continue to be told.
Unlike professional chef-led classes that focus on technique and presentation, family-style cooking classes often reveal the “why” behind the “how”—why certain ingredients are combined for health reasons passed down through generations, why specific dishes are prepared for celebrations, why cooking methods evolved based on available resources. These classes become oral history lessons, cultural anthropology, and sensory experiences all at once.
For travelers seeking a genuine connection, cooking classes provide a rare opportunity to enter someone’s home, share their table, and participate in the daily rituals that define a culture. The act of cooking together breaks down barriers that typical tourist experiences maintain. You’re not observing culture from behind glass—you’re actively creating it, using your hands the same way countless women before you have.
Supporting women-led cooking classes also means economic empowerment stays within families and communities. Many of these classes are run by women supplementing household income or supporting their families independently. Your participation directly benefits the women who have preserved these culinary traditions, often without recognition or compensation.
Book a TravelingSpoons cooking class and use my discount code, EricaH10
How to Travel More Responsibly Through Women-Centered Choices
As your travel advisor, here’s what I recommend:
- Share your experiences and leave reviews to help these businesses thrive
- Research women-owned accommodations and restaurants in your destination
- Book tours led by women, especially those highlighting underrepresented histories
- Support women artisans when shopping for souvenirs
- Seek out spaces designed with inclusivity in mind, from LGBTQIA+-friendly bars to family-owned eateries
The Bigger picture
Women-centered travel isn’t just a trend; it’s a necessary evolution. When we center women’s experiences and leadership, we create more authentic, equitable, and enriching travel for everyone.
The businesses and tours mentioned here are just the beginning. Across the U.S. and around the world, women are reshaping what travel looks and feels like. As responsible travelers, we have the power to support this movement with every booking we make.
So the next time you plan a trip, ask yourself: Whose stories am I hearing? Who benefits from my travel dollars? The answers might just lead you to your most meaningful journey yet.
Let’s Connect
- Need support planning your next trip and selecting sustainable stays and activities? Reach out to me.
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