In the past, I have written about womenonly tours and since then, a number of you have attempted such trips. Some successfully, some not so successfully. particularly due to the pandemic.
But now as we’re emerging from the COVID-19 nightmare, a number of you are wondering if it’s time to attempt a trip just for the ladies in the future. And, if so, what would such a trip look like? So, let’s review some of the basic reasons many women find such tours so fulfilling and popular.
First, women love knowing they’ll feel safe, that they’ll be with their peers who may have similar fears and life experiences. Also, they may be looking for some old-fashioned fun after months of lockdown and worry. They’ll also love the camaraderie of traveling with others who may share their same interests (or maybe inspire them with new interests).
They’ll also love the physical indulgence of a pampering experience – perhaps an included spa treatment or massage – something they might not get at home. They’ll look forward to the opportunity to do things men may not enjoy – shopping, sitting in a café or attending a fashion show. Many women may see a trip as an opportunity to fulfill yearnings for cultural activities, theatre or art museums.
Many women enjoy an opportunity to fulfill interests in their home decor or ideas related to food such as cooking demos, visits to interesting food markets, table settings, kitchen gadgets and wines. They may also welcome the tour as an opportunity to explore current social issues in our society such as health, retirement and aging.
Many of the ladies may have an interest in fashion and might like to visit famous stores and boutiques – even if they have no interest (or the money) to buy the latest designer fashion. You’ll find that regardless of age, most women like to explore youth issues such as crime, drugs and health in a given destination and how the local society may be handling (or mishandling) these. We always like to think we might learn something in a foreign society that might help us in ours.
I find that most of my past tour members have enjoyed an opportunity to explore local arts and crafts such as weaving, quilting, pottery and the like. They may like to meet the actual workmen/women and watch them do their crafts, then buy them to take home as a memory of the trip or as a gift.
You’ll probably find that many in your groups may search for spiritual fulfillment and may appreciate an opportunity to be calm and contemplative – perhaps to do yoga or simply to sit in a gorgeous church with stained glass windows of the Middle Ages.
And finally, you’ll want to include features and moments that bring fun into one’s life, giving your tour members those opportunities to feel appreciative of beauty, friendship and enjoyment of life to take home with them long after the tour is over.
By Marty Sarbey de Souto, CTC
