They often say, travel makes you speechless and then turn you into a storyteller. On the occasion of World Tourism Day, we bring to you eight such unique women founded travel platforms that will take you on the journey of a lifetime. Happy Travelling!
Women play a variety of positions in the tourism industry, including those of entrepreneurs, teachers, trainers, and tour guides, as well as, of course, those of tourists. The majority of workers in the worldwide tourism industry are women, although they frequently have low-status, low paying jobs that are not legitimate.
Wherever we go, we are always inspired by the women who push boundaries while defying social and cultural norms—to lead their own businesses and use tourism as a means of strengthening their communities.
Some of the largest advancements and innovations in the travel business are being made by women all around the world. Ecotourism and socially responsible travel are spearheaded by women. Attempts to increase the number of women working in the tourism sector frequently result in game-changing innovations.
Women are reshaping tourism for the better in a variety of ways, including by giving women more possibilities for employment, coaching the next generation of female leaders, and recognising women's historical contributions to create more respect.
Traveling with enterprises that support women can help travellers form closer bonds, shed awareness on the unique and universal difficulties that women face, and eventually motivate them to give back to the places they visit.
Do you travel alone as a woman? Do you like going on trips with just women? Here is a list of companies operated by women who are willing to plan your vacation and handle the logistics.
The Wow Club
SumitraSenapaty, a journalist and traveller, founded the WOW Club, Women On Wanderlust, in 2005, a time when upscale travel attire for women in India was essentially unheard of. Senapaty reflected on the 15-year history of WOW Club and said, "All women travel is something that didn't exist and WOW invented it and ladies enjoyed it. She explained, "My issue was that women adored the idea fifteen summers ago, but their families were cautious and unsure. So, despite being a single trip for a woman, she had the security and safety of a group. They began with two visits annually, quickly increased to 50, and currently do over 125 travels annually.
In a society where women were frequently told "no," WOW Club offered a space where they could freely express "yes." Now, WOW Club receives customers from tier two cities in addition to women travellers from large cities.
Girls on the Go
After corporate lawyer Piya Bose was mesmerised by the beauty of the Himalayas while travelling by land from India to Nepal to Tibet in 2008, Girls on the Go (GOTG) was launched. In order to start the travel agency, she resigned from her position. Over the years, the agency has assisted women in travelling to far-flung locations, including camping in Mongolia, expedition cruising in Antarctica, photographing the Northern Lights in the Arctic, and exploring volcanoes on Reunion Island and Santorini, to name a few. Forbes listed her TEDx lecture about the process of founding GOTG as one of the top nine TEDx talks ever given on travel.
The company claims that GOTG has assisted ladies in wheelchairs to go scuba diving and women as old as 90 to travel to the Arctic Circle in the winter to view the Northern Lights.
Wandering Jane
This travel agency, founded by GarimaPande and Akshat Sharma, specialises in planning solo journeys for women. They offer local female travel specialists who can assist a single traveller when needed. They set up pick-up, drop-off, local transportation, etc. They also arrange for women who enjoy exploring new places while on vacation to have access to activity-based travel possibilities. The business website states that every destination is personally endorsed.
Ladakhi Women Travel Company
Have you ever considered using a group of female guides and porters to travel to off-the-beaten-path locations in Ladakh? This is the area of expertise of the tour service formed by ThinlasChorol, a well-known female guide in Ladakh. Although they specialise on treks, they can also be able to assist you with specialised tours. Additionally, they make arrangements for lodging in female-run homestays, where female visitors and host families connect to learn about one another's cultures. The primary objective of the organisation is to "promote Ladakhi women to demonstrate their skills and abilities, particularly in the remote areas."
Women on Clouds Club
ShireenMehra founded this travel organisation exclusively for women after having a great time with her girlfriends in Dehra Dun. This network's itineraries are all about ladies pursuing their love of travel. While they primarily promote their upcoming tours on their Facebook page, they also rely on word-of-mouth advertising. Both local and foreign trips on defined dates are available.
Wonderful World
The founders of Wonderful World, Liane Ghosh and ShivaniVig, are both avid travellers who believe in defying convention and going outside the box to design unique adventures. They have been in business since 2013 and cater to female travellers who want to escape the routine of their everyday lives and explore new locations.
F5 Escapes
Despite juggling a variety of responsibilities, MaliniGowrishankar and AkankshaBumb gave in to their wanderlust and established F5 Escapes, a company dedicated to "redefining the way women travel in India." They offer set date departures for those who would prefer the comfort of an all-female group and don't mind sharing space with strangers. Additionally, if you prefer to travel alone, they have specially selected itineraries that are tailored to your needs and include remote assistance.
Appooppanthaadi
Sajna Ali founded the Keralan women's only travel organisation Appooppanthaadi. A software engineer, she had an early love in travel. Appooppanthaadi seeks to produce memorable moments and memories. The first snowfall of the season in Tawang, the sun rising over the crimson hills of Gandikot, birds circling the party at daybreak aboard a boat on the Ganga in Varanasi, and the expressions of wonder and delight on everyone's faces at each location are all described by Sajna in awe. It is a young company that has planned more than 100 excursions for women all around India.
