Since active tour company Backroads launched its Women’s Adventures in 2024, that tour category has grown 170% and now includes trips in more than 30 countries. “We’ve been blown away by the positive feedback we’ve received about our Women’s Adventures,” says Tom Hale, Backroads’ founder, president, and CEO. “And as the father of two adult daughters, I know how special it is for them to travel with other women. We know these trips are about more than the destinations; they’re about shared experiences.”
Backroads recently introduced 10 new Women’s Adventures trips for 2027, including walking and hiking trips in iconic European destinations like the Austrian and Swiss Alps, Ireland’s Connemara region, and the countryside of England and Wales. A new women-only hiking and walking tour of the Netherlands and Belgium include canal-side strolls and pastoral walks, while a hiking tour of Norway’s Lofoten Islands helps female travelers explore the archipelago that sits above the Arctic Circle.
There’s also a new active culinary hiking and walking tour in southwestern France that includes meals at Michelin-starred restaurants and local family-run establishments as well visits to Bordeaux vineyards. A new women’s walking and hiking trip to New Zealand’s South Island features hikes along the Queen Charlotte Track and Kaikoura Coast.
Backroads now offers more than 70 women-only trips that provide a special sense of community along with the expert trip design and support for which the active tour company is known. According to Avery Hale Smith, Backroads’ chief experience officer, many women book their next Backroads tour before their current one even ends, often with other guests they’ve connected with on their trip.
Backroads’ Women’s Adventures have become popular for mother-daughter trips and multigenerational travel experiences. And the company has also seen an increase in the gifting of travel to women for occasions like Mother’s Day, birthdays, and college graduations.
TourScoop takeaway: For years Backroads has been helping travelers see the world in active and inspiring ways, and we love how the company’s tours offer different activity options to help participants set their own pace. Its Women’s Adventures build off that spirit, giving female travelers an extra sense of comfort and support while experiencing new things.
