The women-owned and women-run tour company AdventureWomen has helped female travelers step out of their comfort zone and explore the world in an active and exciting way since 1982. Exclusively offering travel tours for women, its trips range from highly challenging (trekking to Everest base camp, hiking to Machu Picchu) to moderately paced adventures meant to stimulate the mind as much as the body (cultural journeys through Oman and Morocco, for example).
Participants in AdventureWomen’s women-only travel groups enjoy support and encouragement to try new things like rafting and zip lining. And all of the company’s tours provide the opportunity to meet with and learn from local women who share their skills and experiences with the group in the tour’s destination.
TourScoop Takeaways: AdventureWomen
- Continents covered: 6
- Price range: Eighty percent of AdventureWomen tours fall between $3,995 and $6,995 in price; the other 20 percent are higher-end tours in specialty destinations that are more expensive.
- Tour size range: Average of 12 to 14 guests
- Tour types: Active and adventure tours that include hiking excursions, private cruises, and multisport adventures
Credibility Check
AdventureWomen is a member of the Adventure Travel Trade Association. It is recognized as one of the world’s best tour operators by TourScoop, Travel + Leisure, and Condé Nast Traveller. More than 70 percent of guests are repeat customers.
Tour Destinations
AdventureWomen offers more than 50 trips that travel to more than 65 countries on six continents. Newer tours include excursions to Antarctica, Sri Lanka, and the Holy Land.
Tour Types
AdventureWomen leads women-only, small-group active and adventure travel tours where participants tend to feel comfortable trying new things. Tours include women-to-women cultural exchanges in the destinations, where participants can meet with female artisans, educators, and business owners to experience a location through the perspective of local women.
The company’s website allows you to filter trips by region and activity level, with tours ranging from moderate to challenging. Tour descriptions include day-by-day itineraries, more detailed info about activity levels, and some reviews from past guests.
AdventureWomen’s Tour Guides
Tours include local vetted and experienced guides who share their first-hand knowledge of the destination with participants. Each tour also features an AdventureWomen Ambassador who provides communication and organizational support and helps create a comfortable environment for participants. AdventureWomenmaintains close relationships with its in-country guides, and many have worked with the company for more than a decade and with hundreds of guests.
Inclusions/Extras on AdventureWomen Tours
Once participants arrive at their trip destination, nearly everything is included, such as:
- Lodging
- Ground transportation
- Most meals and activities
- Guides
- Some gratuities
Pre- and post-trip transportation is not included in the tour price. Alcoholic beverages, some gratuities, and some meals are also an extra charge.
Typical Travelers on AdventureWomen Tours
AdventureWomen travelers are typically women in their mid-40s and older. Participants include solo travelers, first-time adventure travelers, friend groups, mothers and daughters, and groups of sisters. The company says guests find commonality beyond age through a shared “state of mind, an adventurous approach to travel with a positive, active way of living life.”
Communication
Participants are introduced to their trip manager after booking a tour. Their personal trip manager serves as the point person to help them prepare for the trip and answer questions from the time of booking through their return home. The company answers every call that comes into the office during the workday (800-804-8686) and prides itself on the fact that it’s easy for guests to speak with someone for needed support.
Final trip documents are sent out about three to four weeks before the tour departure date, followed by an email with further trip guidance for participants. Information provided includes a packing list and a discount to work with a virtual fitness trainer.
Private Tour Options with AdventureWomen
AdventureWomen uses its signature trips as the basis to personalize experiences for a group’s interests and has done this for groups of healthcare professionals, college friends, and mothers and grown daughters. Its Utah multisport adventure to Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks works well for a more personalized tour as it’s an easy-to-fly-to destination featuring a large shared lodge with common areas.
Sustainability Efforts
AdventureWomen’s education and activities focus on topics like ecosystems, natural resources, the sharing of local traditions, and supporting local communities. Each AdventureWomen tour interacts with women at a local level, often learning from and supporting female entrepreneurs in the tour’s destination.
Health and Safety Practices
All in-country operators have a destination-specific crisis and emergency plan based on the local protocols and medical services available. AdventureWomen also monitors the destinations to which it travels and provides needed updates to participants before departure.
AdventureWomen has a COVID vaccine requirement; information is available on the company’s website and the policy is communicated to guests at the time of booking. All participants must provide proof of full vaccination by the time of final payment. The company advises participants to consult with their doctors for recommendations for other vaccines and medications based on the specific destination of the tour, as well as the age, health, and past medical and vaccination history for the individual traveler.