Why women are increasingly choosing active and adventure travel

Pilot Amelia Earhart, around-the-world navigator Nellie Bly, B&R’s own co-founder Martha Robinson. Adventurous women travellers are not new, but they are certainly growing in numbers, so much so that these curious and passionate women are changing the travel industry.

Part of the change is a growing demand for group trips, because it’s an opportunity for women to explore the world and feel safe and secure while doing it. Small group trips are being filled by friends who are looking for a getaway, mother-daughter pairings wanting quality time together and solo travellers looking to meet like-minded women. Indeed, luxury travel agency network Virtuoso noted in their fall trend report that women make up 71% of all solo travellers hitting the road.  

“There’s comfort for women joining these trips, especially in some destinations that may be a little outside of their comfort zone,” says Laura Benn, Sales Manager at B&R. “They know that when they’re travelling with us that we're going to look after them.” 

Perhaps it’s a new destination, or a place where they don’t know a single word of the language, or a trip that has new-to-them activities. Knowing that there’s a guide and other travellers in the same situation is not only comforting, but builds camaraderie. 

Just as important is the opportunity to come together and connect with like-minded peers who prioritize adventure—and that doesn’t always mean scaling mountains. “Women seizing the opportunity to join these trips are tired of travelling on their own. They want to meet other women who have similar interests and passions. And they want to pair their active adventures with wellness, arts and culture,” says Laura. 

Another benefit of joining women’s only trips is that they can offer access to experiences and people that may not be an option for mixed groups.  

This is the inspiration and motivation behind B&R’s new Women’s Only Collection, four trips that were designed by women at B&R for women and that feature some exclusive opportunities to meet with incredible women in the destinations the trips explore. 

These new Scheduled Group trips will help women explore Tuscany and Umbria, Spain’s Camino de Santiago, Cambodia and Vietnam, and Vancouver Island, British Columbia’s largest island.

Designed exclusively by Experience Designers who are women and guided by women, these one-of-a-kind journeys offer a new way to see these incredible destinations. In Tuscany, for instance, travellers will visit women-owned wineries and share a drink with the owner. In Cambodia, transportation will be handled by a fleet of female tuktuk drivers. Something Laura says is very rare: “Typically, that is a male-dominated industry.”  

The opportunities for women travellers to explore the world on their terms is only growing, something Laura is personally excited about. She has her own travel tradition with her mother—“We love travelling together. We do at least one trip a year together”—and is now encouraging her mom to join a trip on her own. “The group environment is such a welcoming option for travellers like her.”