Calling all the Single Ladies....You don't have to Travel Alone

There are alternatives to traveling alone...tour groups are popping up everywhere and catering to the growing trend of single women traveling.

I've been traveling alone for over 20 months now and have for the most part enjoyed my own company. I don't have to ask permission for anything, I do what I want when I want, and have the right to change my mind repeatedly!

However, not everyone enjoys sightseeing and traveling alone. Luckily, in the past few years, there has been an uptake in companies who specialize in creating tours only for women. Some cater to adventurous travelers while others seek out certain age groups.

Here are some perks to joining an all-female tour group.

Safety

It's true that there is safety in numbers. I've often gotten lost when walking around a new city and never know if I'm in a dangerous part of town. With a tour guide and several people in your group, the danger of being attacked or mugged is cut way down.

Camaraderie

Meeting new women and making new friendships is all part of traveling together. Some of the people you meet will still stay in touch long after the tour is over. I've met people while traveling that I meet up with in different countries later on. Also, if you decide to take a hike and discover it seems to be uphill both ways, there is nothing like having a person to commiserate with and cheer each other on. Not to mention, if you run out of tampons or forget your curling iron...you have some girls who've got your back!

Good Deals

Tour guides make their living on providing the best experiences with the best prices. Simply sharing a room cuts down tremendously on costs. Also, for example, if you went on a sightseeing tour alone, you will pay the full price and often tour guides will not even lead a tour without a full group. You could be left on a list waiting for a tour to be fully booked. This happened to me last year when for Thanksgiving I decided to do a whale-watching tour in Victoria, BC to celebrate the holiday. They called me up the morning of and said they didn't have enough people to justify taking the boat out and could I come 2 days later. Sigh.

The Details

Thinking of traveling to Thailand and exploring all the beauty it has to offer? Do you know if you need immunizations and when they have to be done before you go? What about visas? How does the currency work over there? The list goes on and on. I KNOW we can do things for ourselves because we are strong and independent women but wouldn't it be nice to leave it up to the professionals and just relax? Tour companies will guide you through every step, get you through customs, and make sure that they have English-speaking people on hand at all times when you're abroad.

Reviews

In this day and age, everyone is rated on everything. Tour companies depend on great reviews on TripAdvisor or Yelp to name a few to convince people to choose them over their competitors. So, they will often go out of their way to make sure everything is perfect, offer more than the other guy, and to work out any issues. Be sure to check out reviews and don't only look at the star ratings but really read some of them. I like to read the first review ever posted and the most recent to get a feel of the company and their consistency in catering to their clients. I also like to ignore 1 or 2 star ratings if the majority are 5 stars....we've all seen a diva on vacation before!

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So, these are the touring companies I've found so far. I haven't worked with any of them or used their services, so I'm not endorsing them. Just wanted you girls to know what's out there....

Women Traveling Together

Women Traveling Together® was started in 1997 by a 40-year old business woman who desperately wanted to do some vacation traveling, but didn’t want to go alone or travel as a single on a couple’s tour. Unable to find a ready-made solution that met her needs, Debra Asberry spent seven months interviewing women in order to design a travel company that catered to the needs of women traveling solo.

https://www.women-traveling.com/

The Women's Travel Group

Welcome to The Women’s Travel Group. Since 1992, we have created affordable yet luxurious group tours for women and their organizations. We choose destinations only where we have expertise and high level connections. Our tours are inclusive: fine meals, unusual events and colorful festivals. Hotels are 4+ star. Tour groups average 10-15 with most participants coming solo. Our repeat rate is 90%. Many women take a first solo trip with us; therefore, we help and handhold for your peace of mind.

https://www.thewomenstravelgroup.com/

AdventureWomen

AdventureWomen is a women-owned and women-run adventure travel company founded in 1982 by adventure travel pioneer, Susan Eckert. The leader in adventure tours developed exclusively by women, for women, AdventureWomen now offers over 42 departures, traveling worldwide to more than 65 countries around the world. In 2016, Judi Wineland and her two daughters, Nicole and Erica purchased the company and made a commitment to ensure the longevity of AdventureWomen for generations to come.

http://www.adventurewomen.com/

The Women’s Travel Club

The Women’s Travel Club has been developed for women by women. We offer innovative trips with the women traveler in mind. Our tours are a fun, safe opportunity for women who love to travel. Membership is always free!

http://www.womens-travel-club.com/index.html