Women-only travel boom continues with launch of new trips

Women-only itineraries may soon no longer be a niche product. Across the global travel industry, operators are expanding all-female departures in response to sustained growth and rising demand.

Then there’s the fact that when it comes to travel, women make more than 80 per cent of decisions, according some sets of data analysed by Virtuoso, a global network of agencies that specialise in luxury travel. It also reports that 71 per cent of its solo travellers are women.

It’s little wonder operators such as Intrepid Travel have set up women-only programs, alongside long-established specialists including AdventureWomen and Wild Women Expeditions.

Australian tour operator Inspiring Vacations is the latest to launch this kind of product. Titled Inspired Women, it’s a new collection of women-only small group tours across India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Japan and South Korea.

Each itinerary is led by a female tour leader and centres on women’s lives, work and cultural traditions.

While women-only travel is often framed around social aspects and shared experience, its appeal is also practical, particularly in destinations that can present additional challenges for solo women.

Australia’s Smartraveller advises that women travelling in India, for instance, should avoid doing so alone, even in major cities and tourist areas.

Elsewhere on Inspired Women’s itinerary map, risks are more situational than systemic. Japan is widely regarded as a low-crime destination, but official travel advice highlights issues in nightlife districts. Likewise, South Korea.

Sri Lanka and Vietnam, while popular with independent travellers, require cultural awareness and careful navigation of transport and rural areas.

In Inspiring Vacations’ case, a guided small-group format offers reassurance without sacrificing depth of experience.

On its Japan and South Korea tour, Inspiring Vacations travellers take part in a Kyoto pottery class, share a traditional Obanzai home meal, meet a Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor, engage with South Korea’s famed Haenyeo free divers and visit the DMZ with a North Korean defector. The 13-day tour costs from $8395 a person from Australia.

In Sri Lanka, a 14-day itinerary focuses on craft, wellness and women-led enterprise, with visits to a cinnamon product centre, a mask-making workshop, the Barefoot Gallery Colombo and Selyn Fair Trade Handloom, alongside yoga and Ayurvedic treatments. Prices from $3595 a person.

In Vietnam, the company offers 10- and 13-day Inspired Women journeys, incorporating a social enterprise dinner at KOTO, a visit to the Vietnam Women’s Museum, lantern-making in Hoi An and, on the extended itinerary, time in Sapa with Red Dao and Hmong women’s communities. Prices from $2495 a person.

Small groups of between 16 and 20 travellers make up the tours which include daily breakfast, select additional meals, accommodation, internal transport and guided sightseeing.

Most departures also include airport transfers, and several feature traditional accommodation such as Japanese ryokan and Korean hanok stays. “Paired solo” options are available on all tours, allowing solo travellers to share accommodation with another woman.

See inspiringvacations.com