Everything You Need to Know about Our Women-Only Tours

by | 8 Mar 2024

We want women to feel confident in their travels, and desire to see the world

Women of the world, this one’s for you. Perhaps you’re traveling solo – for the first time or the fiftieth – and want to share the experience with other like-minded women? Or maybe it’s that long-overdue all-girls’ getaway, with all the complicated bits taken care of? Or are you a grandmother, mom or daughter, looking to make incredible memories with the most important women in your life​? Whatever your reason for craving an all-female adventure, our small-group Women-Only Tours could be the answer.

 

Explore the world with curiosity and confidence

Female Insight guest looking closely at hieroglyphics in a tomb in Egypt

Can you picture yourself visiting Graceland, the Taj Mahal, exploring Machu Picchu or the Pyramids of Egypt? Maybe you dream of strolling through an Italian vineyard, sampling seafood in Cape Cod or meandering through the markets of Marrakech?  

With 11 incredible itineraries to choose from, you can turn that long-held travel dream into reality. Operating from 2025, each of our Women-Only Tours will be led by a female Travel Director and feature Insightful Encounters and MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences with inspiring, enterprising and insightful women.

Take a look at our full collection of Women-Only Tours 

 

To bring you further insights into the tours, and the work that has gone into creating them, we spoke to the inspirational woman behind their creation. Claire Hanney is Managing Director of Travel Experiences at Insight Vacations, and our sister brands at The Travel Corporation.

Created for women, by women

“Our Women-Only Tours offer everything you would get from a standard Insight tour, such as handpicked 4- and 5-star hotels, premium dining and a great range of included Insightful Experiences,” explains Claire. “However, they also feature a different variety of inclusions that cater more to women travelers, celebrating women and their achievements across cultures and countries.​  

“From artisans, to songwriters, great historical figures to a champion sheep dog trainer, you’ll meet and celebrate women from all walks of life. But also, through everyday aspects of the tour such as dining, we’re also focusing on businesses that are run by women or giving back to the women of the local community in some way.”  

a close up shot of a brown bear’s face, with shaggy brown fur
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The Taj Mahal, built as a mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, took 20 years and over 20,000 workers to complete

Who are our Women-Only Tours for?

“We’re seeing an increased demand for women only trips, so we’re responding with a broad range of tours,” explains Claire. “We want women to feel confident in their travels and desire to see the world. Our Women-Only Tours are perfect for those who wish to travel with girlfriends, family or solo, creating an inviting and empowering space from which to pursue a love of travel.” 

A great way to find friends around the world (a friend made traveling is a friend for life), a women-only trip is perfect for those who wish to step out solo​. Traveling with a group of like-minded women ensures all the camaraderie coupled with the freedom to do your own thing. There are plenty of single rooms (with a solo) supplement available on these journeys*.  

Further insights: 4 Female Guests on Why They Choose to Travel Solo with Us 

 

Experiences that bring guests together

“We’re not only meeting some really inspiring women, but we’re also learning about what women around the world like to do,” says Claire. “Our Women-Only Tours guarantee lots of fun, such as with belly dancing classes and Bollywood classes in India. Both a lesson in history and heritage and a chance to bond and have a real laugh together.  

“We’ve also added more wellness type experiences onto these trips, such as spa visits in Italy, Sweden and Morocco, and yoga classes in India. And a range of cooking classes with the opportunity to practice that the culinary arts of Portugal, India, Morocco and New Orleans.    

“So, we’ve focused on a variety of different types of inclusions for these tours to be able to better cater to the market.”  

Bookmark for later: A Friend Made Traveling is a Friend for Life

a close up shot of a brown bear’s face, with shaggy brown fur

MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® along the way

“Sustainable travel is at the heart of everything we do and forms a strong basis on these tours,” says Claire. “Each trip features at least one of our MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences, ensuring we make a positive impact on the places we visit.   

“For example, in Perugia, Italy, we’ll meet Marta (pictured, above), founder of weaving association that offers employment opportunities for local women. In Agra visit the ‘Sheroes Café‘, a local business run by women survivors of acid attacks and in New England, USA, enjoy an insightful talk by a female naturalist expert on the North Woods’ wildlife and ecology.”  

Further reading: This Female-Led Organisation is Changing Women’s Lives in Egypt 

 

‘Business Class’ Tours, as you deserve

“With Insight you’ll enjoy a premium experience every step of the way, and benefit from travelling in a small group,” says Claire. “You can choose from Small Groups with an average of 30 guests or a Small Group + with an average of 20.”   

Handpicked 4- and 5-star hotels, business class style coaches with increased leg room and larger window spans for better views and 24/7 service from your Travel Director are standard features of our premium tours.  Dine in top rated restaurants, savor Farm-to-Table meals, be invited by locals for home cooked dinners, with a thoughtful vegetarian option on every menu. Enjoy insider access to the sights, with the best Local Experts sharing the history and Insights of each destination, making this a memorable women-only trip..  

“Every one of our Women-Only Tours will be an unforgettable and empowering experience,” says Claire, “and we’re very excited to welcome our first guests in 2025.” 

 

Some of the women-led experiences you’ll enjoy

Meet Julie Hill, Champion Sheepdog Trainer in Edinburgh

Full of curiosities, the world of sheepdog training will inspire the mind of any curious traveler. On Scenic Scotland, a Women-Only Tour you’ll meet Julie Hill, the first and only woman to have won the Supreme International Sheepdog Championships. Over dinner, learn how Julie trains Border Collies in some of the remotest and most rugged hill terrain in the UK, single-handedly tending to 1000 sheep that graze over 8000 acres. 

In Lima, lunch with a celebrated archaeologist

On Peru with Machu Picchu, a Women-Only Tour, art lovers will love their visit to Museo Larco, the highest-rated museum in South America and home to the largest collection of Pre-Columbian art. Indulge in a lunch against a backdrop of an 18th-century garden, learn all about the role of Women in ancient Peru and meet with an archeologist who shares her knowledge of this fascinating museum.

 

 

In Umbria, visit a women-run winery

On Country Roads of Italy, a Women-Only Tour you’ll visit a women-run winery in Umbria, where two sisters are creating outstanding wines alongside other members of their family. Founded by Giorgio Lungarotti, pioneer of modern Italian oenology, the company continues its focus on quality production and sustainability. Today, the family legacy is carried on through the passion and skill of sisters Chiara and Teresa, their mother Maria Grazia and Teresa’s sons. 

Meet civil rights activist Elaine Lee Tumer in Memphis

On Country Roads of the Deep South, a Women-Only Tour, embark on a transformative tour of Memphis focusing on women’s rights and civil rights movements, led by Elaine Lee Tumer, an educator, civil rights activist, entrepreneur and historian. She participated in the Selma March in 1965 and also the Meredith March Against Fear in 1966, where she met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other Civil Rights leaders. 

Learn about notable figures such as Frances Wright, the first woman in America to act publicly and oppose slavery, and Ida b. Wells, a teacher, a journalist, anti-lynching Crusader, Suffragist and a social worker. This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience supports UN Sustainable Development Goal: 10, Reduced Inequalities. 

 

To learn more, take a look at our collection of 11 enlightening and empowering Women-Only Tours

* Solo rooms on Splendours of Egypt – A Women-Only Tour are limited, and on a first come first served basis, due to the ship cabin restrictions

I'm a writer, editor and interview specialist with a lifetime's love of travel. There’s nothing more inspiring to me than meeting, and writing about, the world's leading destination experts and travel industry insiders. The thing I love most about writing for Insightful is that I'm always learning something new.

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