Women’s Expeditions

Women’s travel has been happening for a long time, but in the last few years more companies have started coming out to offer their own brands of women’s only programs.

To understand why Intrepid started this, the company has always been at the forefront of human rights and ethical travel. One of the pillars of Intrepid’s operating policies is gender equality. They state,

” Diversity and inclusion has always been at the forefront of everything we do. Here at Intrepid Travel, we know our strength comes through our differences and the freedom everyone has to be themselves – locals, leaders and travellers alike.
Around 65% of Intrepid travellers are female, and 60% of our staff around the world are women, but in 2017 only 22% of our leaders were female. This is something we have been working to change.
Our goal is to double the number of female leaders globally by 2020. While this may not be a difficult target in many countries, in traditional societies such as India recruiting women is a much greater challenge. When we first set our goal in 2017 we only had 156 female leaders around the world, but by the end of 2018 this number had increased to 266 female leaders. 
There’s still a long way to go, but we’re continuing to promote women’s financial independence and fostering greater understanding by offering trips such as our Women’s Expeditions.”

In an updated report from 2023 they state that they have 375 female tour leaders, 30% of the total.

Intrepid Travel

Asked on the FAQ’s how are the women’s expeditions are different from regular tours?

These are certainly off-track trips, but what sets them apart is cultural, not geographical. In traditionally conservative countries or places where women are not viewed as equal, certain traditions and customs can make genuine cultural interaction difficult. Travelling in an all-female group means women can connect more directly with each other, and travellers can learn more about Middle Eastern women and their day-to-day lives. What these trips are not about is replicating run-of-the-mill itineraries for women-only ‘girls clubs’ which fuel gender stereotypes and exclusivity.

Intrepid Travel

For the present the tours range mainly in the middle east, India, Pakistan and Nepal.

Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.