Empower women through tourism, says Sam Seward, managing director of Exodus Travels
Every year, over 20,000 women book a trip with Exodus Travels, and many of our trips are already led by incredibly talented female guides across the globe.
There’s a huge cultural movement in female adventures at the moment, and this is an area that is rapidly growing in our industry. This is such a positive trend, and we’re proud to be a company that is encouraging more women to go on their bucket-list adventures.
The days of the travel industry collectively thinking that women were solely interested in spa weekends and comfortable city breaks are thankfully long gone and we want to play our part in further encouraging women to explore the world.
We’ve realised that alongside the enhanced media profile of women-only expeditions and the ranks of female travel bloggers, we’ve been receiving more comments from women, who while tempted to book an adventure holiday with us, admitted they would feel much more comfortable travelling with a group of other women and the camaraderie this creates. We also must keep in mind that a holiday is a big financial outlay for many people and we have to ensure that everyone has a good experience when booking with Exodus.
It’s all about adventure
Our ethos is centred around adventure and discovering countries, cultures, environments, cities, mountain ranges, deserts, coasts and jungles; exploring this amazing planet we all live on – in a safe and welcoming environment.
I truly believe that Exodus really understand what people want when they’re looking for that once-in-a-lifetime holiday. But at the same time you can’t ignore the differences between how men and women travel, and we want to be the travel provider that provides the pinnacle in group travel.
Our new female-only departures not only benefit our travellers, but have a strong focus on social responsibility and making lasting connections in the places they visit. We believe in empowering women through tourism, and this doesn’t stop at the women on our trip.
One of the things I love about the Exodus experience is the desire to empower women in the communities we visit through local community projects – from our long-term commitment supporting women’s eco-café projects in the Himalayas to more recently working with female farmers in Tanzania and being deeply involved in organizations who strive to end FGM/C in Kenya. We also support the production and distribution of Freedom kits for Nepalese women- visit here if you’d like to see how you can help! The aim of each project is to embed lasting and welcomed change in each community.
Ultimately, an adventure with Exodus isn’t just about the spectacular scenery, culture and landscapes you experience – the entire trip success is rooted in sharing these moments with kindred spirits, be it your fellow travellers, your guide, or the people you encounter along the way.
For us to introduce these female only adventures really is just a natural evolution, and we’re excited to welcome even more women to the Exodus family. In the spirit of balance, we are also talking to the men’s health charity Movember to plan some men-only Finnish wilderness trips next year with a focus on mental health and mindfulness.