Dear Reader, August is a very special month for me, as it marks my fourth year at JourneyWoman. Who could have imagined what would happen to us all over the past four years? What a journey we've all been on together! For almost 30 years, JourneyWoman has been a place of inspiration for solo women, and that will never change. This year, we expanded our editorial team to be more representative of your needs. Last week, I was brought to tears on our webinar with 10 of the writers on our editorial team. Some, like Leyla Alyanak, Diana Eden, Karen Gershowitz and Sandra Phinney, have been solo travellers for decades. The others, like Tanzila Khan, Rupi Mangat and Dawn Booker, are helping the travel industry adapt and evolve. With their help, I hope to talk about ALL the issues we truly care about as mature, empowered women — nothing is off the table! Please watch the video and let me know your thoughts. I believe women must help lead the way forward with a more conscious and intentional way to travel, so this month we look at sustainability in travel. July 2023 was the world's hottest month on record, which created headlines like "the world is boiling". Forest fires, extreme weather, flooding, smoke and smog – this is a year when we have seen the effects of climate change first-hand, out our own windows. Climate change isn’t in the future, it’s now. What does all of this mean for us as travellers? And how can we contribute to the solution? As the primary influencers and consumers of travel, women can be part of the solution towards a sustainable future. It is always an honour to represent you and JourneyWoman and I was thrilled to be quoted in a recent New York Times article about solo travel. Here's what I said: “Stepping out of your comfort zone and embracing the unusual can lead to some of the most memorable experiences during your solo travels. Solo travel is an opportunity to foster and cultivate your own sense of empowerment." Whether you are a new or aspiring solo traveller, I hope JourneyWoman is helping you build your confidence and inspire a sense of adventure! Speaking of adventure, after a few months at home, I'm off to Ecuador next week for a month on my own sustainable travel journey. With the help of Rebecca Braak from Rebecca Adventure Travel in our Women's Travel Directory, I'll explore Quito, the Amazon Rainforest by riverboat, and visit Indigenous communities in the Andes. Then I'm going on a small 16-person ship in the Galapagos Islands as a guest of Intrepid Travel. Intrepid’s commitment to sustainable travel and supporting local communities and women has always impressed me so I am excited to go on my first trip with them and see the work of the Intrepid Foundation firsthand with the Galapagos Conservancy, which supports both women entrepreneurs and wildlife. As you know, I love the ocean and its creatures so this is one experience I can't wait to share with you. With gratitude, Carolyn Ray, Editor/CEO JourneyWoman P.S. Help us grow our mailing list. Share JourneyWoman with a friend who wants to travel solo. Please invite her to join our mailing list here. |
Did you know you can download and print all of our articles? Just click the printer icon under the photograph on our website. Women Leading Sustainable Travelby Carolyn Ray We only need to look out our own windows to see the effects of climate change. In this new series on sustainability, we feature trailblazer Shannon Guihan, Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of TreadRight, the non-profit arm of the world's largest privately-owned travel company, The Travel Corporation.
Tallinn, Estonia on Two Wheelsby Tanzila Khan Accessible or not? Tanzila Khan lets the city guide her as she explores this medieval city in Estonia on a weekend getaway.
Swan Hellenic: A New Era of Luxury Cultural Expeditions for Solo Womenby Carolyn Ray Small ship expedition company Swan Hellenic offers journeys on all seven continents, ranging from 8-day explorations to epic 21-night semi-circumnavigation voyages (and no single supplement exclusively for JourneyWoman readers on selected 2023 departures).
The July Project: Learning About Slow (and Sustainable) Travel at Homeby Sandra Phinney For the past eight years, Sandra Phinney has been trying to put into practice what she’s learned about slow and sustainable travel at home. Join us in your own 'July Project'.
Hidden Gems in France for Solo Womenby Diana Eden If you're looking for a peaceful vacation away from the maddening crowds of tourists in big cities in the summer heat, consider a shoulder-season visit to to Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (the Most Beautiful Villages of France).
Kenya's Raptor Woman: Meet Darcy Ogadaby Rupi Mangat Continuing our series on women conservationists in Africa, we profile Darcy Ogada, who is saving endangered species, including the Amur falcon, the mighty African crowned eagles, vultures and owls.
Upcoming Events
August 15: JourneyWoman Award nominations are due! Send yours in! August 16, 8 pm ET: JourneyWoman Book Club: "Still Life", set in Florence, Italy (Register here) August 22, 6 pm ET: Post-Pandemic Travel Series: Getting Started in Solo Travel (Read more here) ARE YOU FOLLOWING US ON SOCIAL MEDIA? |
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Founded in 1994, JourneyWoman™ is the world’s first and largest women’s solo travel website and community, inspiring women over 50 to travel safely and well. Led by CEO and Editor Carolyn Ray, we publish a monthly newsletter with first-hand travel tips and destination features written by experienced travel writers, host webinars and events, produce the award-winning Soul of Travel Podcast. By joining our mailing list, you have access to our Things She Loves newsletter with women-recommended travel gear, the JourneyWoman Book Club in partnership with TripFiction and exclusive travel deals and discounts with no single supplement from our partners in our Women’s Travel Directory, which features women-friendly tours, retreats, places to stay and small ships in over 120 countries. Learn more at JourneyWoman.com.
Hi JourneyWoman, Welcome to Things She Loves! This is our place to share and recommend tried and true products and services that we love — no marketing gimmicks, just honest and candid recommendations from women, for women, to make solo travel easier. It has been a while since we last published Things She Loves, but if you'd like to look at our previous issues on packing, menopause, staying safe online or more, just click here! This month, we're focusing on downsizing and decluttering. If...
Dear JourneyWoman, Our 30th Anniversary is cause for celebration, and we can't wait to embark on our 30th Anniversary Expedition Cruise in Africa, hosted by JourneyWoman and Swan Hellenic. If you've been thinking about joining us, this is the time! Of the 96 rooms available on this ship, Swan Hellenic is holding a limited number of rooms for us, but only until the end of April. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, where you'll connect with like-minded women from around the world....
Dear Reader, We've got some great news to share with you today, which includes some exclusive special deals with no single supplement just for JourneyWoman readers! Our Small Ships directory partner, Swan Hellenic have teamed up with Chopra, a leading integrative health company founded by world-renowned pioneer Dr. Deepak Chopra, to create Explore & Restore - an extraordinary new program of transformative well-being voyages. This is holistic travel at its finest – gently strip away the layers...