I was well into my 50s—which apparently tends to be the norm—before I discovered the joy of traveling on a women-only tour. The thirty years prior to that were all about family vacations—many of which were camping trips in North America.
My first women-only tour with WanderTours was the five-day Santa Fe Culinary Tour and, hesitant to go on my own, I persuaded my adult daughter to join me. Five days seemed like the right length of time to test out the waters and see if this was something I’d enjoy. Happily, I discovered that this type of travel was something I DID enjoy and would be happy to repeat.
Joining a women-only tour is like becoming a member of a sisterhood. Everyone is there because they have similar interests and a desire to visit a specific destination. In my case, I’ve always been interested in food and the culture of other cuisines. My daughter—one of the most innovative vegetarian cooks I know—shares the same interest. Everyone on our tour had an interest in the food of the Southwest, which immediately meant that we had something to talk about. Within hours, it was like we were all old friends.
Beth, owner of WanderTours, agrees. “Having grown up with three brothers, I’ve always been a bit of a tomboy. I now consider my women-only tour groups to be my sisterhood. It’s been an amazing learning experience for me to travel with these ladies. I have literally learned so much from them, not only about how strong and motivated they are, but also about their setbacks and concerns.”
She goes on to say, “The most fun things I’ve learned, I would never have known about growing up in a household of boys. This includes what Spanx are and what a muffin top is! I kid you not. I had no idea until I heard about these from my wonderful tour gals.”
We often see examples of how caring our ladies can be. Occasionally someone will get sick on tour and everyone rallies around her to make sure that she is well taken care of and comfortable. We’ve had situations where, for one reason or another, someone hasn’t had money when needed—someone has always stepped forward and loaned them the necessary funds.
Perhaps Rachel, who traveled to Vietnam with us in 2014 and who has recently returned from our Papua New Guinea Tour, describes it best…
“An all-women’s tour sounded good from the get go. I liked the idea of traveling with women, which I had never done before. I had never traveled in a group at all before. It was fun to be girly and make silly jokes. It was really relaxed…I never felt any pressure to do anything but enjoy the moment. It was more of a bonding experience this way I think. Friendships would have formed no matter what the makeup of the group, but it seemed special this way. Everyone was sweaty (except Krisztina…), no one seemed to worry about clothing or make up, it was just the girls. Perfect. Watching Laila re-enact her pantomime for trying to communicate needing tampons to the poor shopkeeper (who didn’t speak any English and was probably horrified) on the way to Sapa…that was priceless. I don’t think moments like that could happen easily in a co-ed crowd.”
If that doesn’t persuade you to join a women-only tour, I don’t know what will! Don’t wait too long to join us as some of them fill rapidly. Contact us or call 1-206-317-1860.
Embrace life,
Pat
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Photo credits:
Group with elephants in Thailand – Beth Whitman
Group in Vietnam – Joslin Fritz
Santa Fe Blue Corn Tamale Recipe