The Best Active Travel With A Woman’s Touch

Since summer is prime vacation travel time and many Americans are starting to plan their return to travel right now, I’m devoting June to profiling and speaking with the women who run some of the best tour operators in the business. After all, the majority of travel decisions and bookings are made by women, so whether you are traveling solo, with other women, or with your husband, boyfriend or partner, you might appreciate the perspective these women have about what will make your trip the best. This is the first and make sure to read the other entries as well.

Today I chat with Kathy Stewart, co-CEO of Toronto-based Butterfield & Robinson, a legendary and oft-awarded company generally credited in the industry with inventing the entire category of upscale guided active travel. B&R, as its loyal customers call it (they enjoy very high repeat rates and travelers who take trips with them annually) was founded around cycling in Europe in 1966, and in the more than half-century since, has expanded to hiking, walking, e-biking, paddling, sailing, wellness, safaris, active cruises, multi-sport and expedition trips. Today they cover pretty much the entire world, and their catalog has so many stunning trip options of various activities and destinations it can be overwhelming to peruse.

They make Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best list almost every year (20+ times), have taken the coveted title of World’s #1 Best Tour Operator (of any kind) and countless awards from many other leading publications. They are famed for local connections, the most curated accommodations and world-class guides, and having traveled with B&R, I know all of this is true, it’s a seamless, complete, and perfection-oriented travel experience. They offer both scheduled small group departures on which you can book a slot as one or more travelers, the same trips as privates just for your group, or totally bespoke trips. B&R is definitely a luxury company, but if that pushes your budget, they also offer several more affordable self-guided trips, featuring the same great lodging and itinerary with local support, routes, luggage moved for you and such, but no guide or van following.

Stewart has been in the travel business her entire life and started in the mailroom before becoming a Trip Designer and eventually taking the reins. As she recalled in an interview, “I simply picked the company that I dreamed of working for, got a job in the mailroom, and moved up from there.”