How globetrotting with female-led groups is enabling women to come into their own

If there is one life-lesson that the pandemic taught us amid all the death and fear of denouement, it is this: carpe diem. Seize the day. No one seems to have cemented it to their lives as much as women have. For once, it made them step back, take a wide-angled look at their stereotypical existence within domestic and career moulds, and spurred them to look at new possibilities of leading lives as veritable individuals who deserved to get their dues. They stepped out of the shadows to explore a world hitherto unknown to them, like Barbie did from her Mattel box, but without their Kens in tow.

The world suddenly opened up to them as if the lines on the map had been erased with a wave of hand, and the mental and physical hitches that held them back got obliterated by their innate desire and resolve. Women have finally decided to leave their traditional alcoves and begin globetrotting with their bucket-lists and backpacks firmly in place as attested by the new buzz around female group travels. The din is only getting louder with girls of all ages making a beeline to tour operators, lapping up itineraries that will transport them to exotic lands and experiences extraordinaire.

A new dimension to life

“The rewards of travelling either solo or with groups of women are many,” says Stephanie Neuer, a seasoned traveller and tour operator who heads Female Explorers, a Dubai-based group dedicated to curating exclusive travel experiences for women. “When I started travelling alone, I realised how much open to the world I am, learning a lot, adding new angles to myself and gaining fresh perspectives on the world.”

She asserts that it didn’t mean leaving out the family or abdicating domestic obligations, but it exposed her to a new facet of life, which she hadn’t considered before. It inspired her to extend this eureka moment of self-discovery to other women and she started Female Explorers over a year ago. “All travel decisions in a family are typically made by women, but it is often centred on the children’s needs and rarely their own interest. But women are now beginning to think what they want for themselves and are taking time to fulfill their dreams. It is a big shift,” she says.

The fact that women are now tabulating their life experiences differently by counting what is important to them is echoed by Razia Abbas, a sexagenarian, who met her epiphanous moment of freedom on her 50th birthday. It was an inflection point in her life when she decided to start living for herself along with keeping her familial commitments and has stood steadfast on it for a decade now.

“It gave me the space to do what I liked. It charged my mind, body and spirit, made me feel younger and gave me a sense of dare, which had lain hidden inside me,” she says summing up the perks of striking out on her own unaccompanied by people in the family. She also adds that knowing you are on your own makes you confident, responsible and independent.

Less concerns, more comfort

The natural comfort of travelling with family and friends, especially in terms of safety, cannot be understated. It has been the way a majority of women have travelled for decades — sans hassles, and secure in the thought that they are ensconced by their loved ones, and they will sort out any hurdle on the way. But those days are passé now. With the emergence of tour operators who curate trips exclusively for women by offering foolproof programmes, the fears associated with unfamiliar territories and unexplored terrains have dissipated.

“I take my groups only to places that I have been to and recced extensively. The hotels, tours, guides and all other services are vouched by my experience,” says Dubai-based Ankita Gupta, who had hopped on all the seven continents before she started TravelholicShe, a company that exclusively caters to women’s travel cravings. Backed by her odysseys to 75 countries on her own, Gupta converted her passion for travel into a professional pursuit. She compiles unique itineraries that interest women, ranging from culture, shopping, history to adventure activities.

“Our groups are limited to 10-12 people and tours are customised as per the combined interests of the women in the group. It gives a lot of scope for specialised attention and to work out alternative options based on their tastes,” says Gupta.

Gupta ascribes the new trend in women’s travel to the dispersed nature of interests and agendas among family members. “Life has got complicated with each person wanting to do their own thing. Women now want their me-time too, and travelling with women’s groups gives them comfort, safety and freedom, all at one go.”

The support system offered by boutique companies spearheaded mostly by women makes it a guaranteed proposition for scores of women who have baulked at the idea of going places without their male chaperons.

Discovering potential and positivity

Despite all naysaying, women have come up trumps in whatever they have attempted, chiefly aided by their indomitable will and fortitude. Travelling on their own and finding new inspirations from their experiences have only added to their newfound confidence and pluck to break societal biases and norms. The barriers might have often been self-imagined, but now they are ready to transcend them to fulfil their long-cherished dreams.

To Rashmi Kavindran, a nuclear medicine consultant based in India who goes on frequent women-only tours, “it’s all about unleashing the inner strength” and paving the way for “self-discovery, personal growth, resilience and a sense of accomplishment”. “My travel is inspired by the belief that there are no foreign lands, only foreign people. I want to live the life I love and love the life I live”. These are affirmations that can lift any sagging spirit living in cloistered confines and make it want to soar.

Like Kavindran, travel carries sublime connotations for Anna Lukawska, an ex-flight attendant who has visited 34 countries. Even as she acknowledges that such trips help women find “others who are hungry to experience life”, what she is primarily searching for in her travels is “something to be grateful for”. “Each travel changes something in me, like adding a puzzle. It teaches me not to take anything for granted.”

While boundless enjoyment, safety, synergy, sharing life experiences, asserting freedom, establishing identity and forging new friendships are all key takeaways for most women group travellers, what endears girl trips to Lamia Damerje are their “no drama, no pressure” aspects. “Every day is like a girl’s night out,” she quips.

“Going with like-minded women who have tasted different flavours of life and who can become our friends is a delightful experience. I even get to learn about fashion, which helps me refresh my wardrobe,” confesses Geetanjali Punjabi, a Dubai-based professional.

From short weekend trips to distant destinations spanning days, women are now ready to decamp from their erstwhile fortresses of diffidence, thanks to new avenues that navigate them safely through unacquainted territories. As Neuer precised it, “Travel is a lot more than bringing back sun tan on your skin.”

One couldn’t agree more. The wanderlust has now become hugely transformative to women who have grown new wings and are raring to go wherever the wind blows.

wknd@khaleejtimes.com