How travel empowers women

Kelly Jackson, the general manager of top youth travel brand Contiki, explains why:

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Travelling solo allows for self-growth and reflection

“In the decade since the "Eat, Pray, Love" phenomenon, a growing number of women are opting for a little soul-searching solo travel. These days, there’s no shortage of inspiring female explorers who are taking charge and transforming their lives through travel,” says Jackson. Not only do you learn about the people, culture, architecture and history of foreign places, you learn about yourself. With the help of GPS technology and easy access to transcribers, independent female travellers are less daunted by the idea of a solo adventure, and travelling in a group also allows for freedom and flexibility and the safety in numbers.

A community development trip empowers you and others

In addition to business and leisure travel, women are also taking more meaningful trips (in today’s climate, we need all the meaning we can get, after all).

Travel offers the chance to interact with female-focused organisations worldwide, allowing women to empower both themselves and other women in their journeys. Contiki’s social responsibility partner, The TreadRight Foundation and the MeToWe association, offer guests the chance to volunteer and make real change in the communities they travel through. Many community development trips include initiatives that allow travellers to enrich women from less advantaged parts of the world through educational and infrastructure-building opportunities.

“Our MeToWe volunteer trips can be done in India or Ecuador and are a one-of-kind experience connecting our travellers with local families and their extended community,” says Jackson.

Adventure trips force you to challenge yourself physically

It’s no secret that female travellers are swapping the swanky spa and beach vacations for more experience-filled adventure trips. An escape from the daily grind is also increasingly a chance for women to challenge themselves physically – whether that means climbing a mountain, heli-skiing or white water rafting down a wild river.

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Trips with like-minded females create global connections

Making new friends is one of the best side-effects of travel, and you’ll gain confidence as you network and bond with other driven women. This means that, not only will you have a tour guide if you ever happen to be in a newfound friend’s city, you’ll also make valuable business connections in our increasingly global economy.

Girls’ trips feed your soul

A little oestrogen-filled conversation is always good for the soul. There’s something empowering and therapeutic about girls’ trips. Not only is there no shortage of laughter and inside jokes, they also offer quality time to exchange stories, goals and challenges with the leading ladies in your life.

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You can make a living out of it

Travel has also offered an opportunity for countless female travel bloggers to turn their passion for travel into a lucrative business, as they share their experiences, tips and seasoned insights with fellow travel-loving followers. Not only do blogs offer a powerful platform for a woman’s voice to be heard, working for yourself means more flexibility to manage other life responsibilities once strollers and diapers become household staples.

If you’re well travelled, you’ll have more to say

Now that the world’s finally listening to the ladies, we better have something to talk about. Knowledge fuels empowerment – and there’s no better way to learn than through travel. This could include anything from gaining new insights into foreign cultures and history, to picking up a new language.

“Let’s face it, if you’re well-travelled, you’ll have more stories to tell and, therefore, have more to contribute to the conversation whether on a first date, at a dinner party or during a job interview,” Jackson concludes.