Women only vacations

Women only vacations range from restful retreats in Portugal to staying off the map with Mongolian eagle hunters. Some of the trips to Iran, Jordan and Morocco really are groundbreaking, matching you up with a female guide who’ll introduce you to corners of the world off-limits to mixed gender groups. Read more in our women only vacations guide.

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Women only vacations

Trending, a fad, sexist (groan) – women only vacations have been called plenty of things. And they’re all way off-mark. We’d go more down the lines of enlightening. Empowering. Loads of fun. Because a lot of these vacations are what we at Responsible Travel love: pioneering trips with purpose. They introduce you to women – from Moroccan tour guides and Mongolian eagle hunters to Iranian yoga teachers and Portuguese farmers – who’ll show you a little of their world, a world which is often only open to other women.

Stereotype-smashing, barrier-breaking, cliché-challenging – women only vacations bring together female travelers from worlds apart.

On vacations to the Middle East you’ll meet people and see places that, due to cultural and religious norms, are completely inaccessible to men – women only beach resorts by the Dead Sea, for instance. The freewheeling female Bedouin desert dancers. Beauty parlours in Shiraz, where women can choose to shuck their headscarves. Then there are the wellness vacations in Europe, where discussing menstrual cycles isn’t a ridiculous taboo. These vacations are usually small group tours, so you’ll be traveling with fellow fans of slow, immersive travel. Read our women only vacations travel guide to find out more.

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Women only vacations are...

more than just a trend.

Women only vacations aren’t...

anything to do with ‘safety in numbers’.

Our Women only Vacations

Why go on a women only vacation?

We all know that travel is a vehicle for creating connections, empathy and tolerance. It’s the ultimate myth debunker – which is especially important now, when many Western visions of Middle East are practically a caricature. Spend five minutes in Iran, and any assumptions you have about the women who live here will go up in smoke.

Many of the activities – especially on Middle Eastern tours – are only accessible to women. Culturally, it’s just not possible for men to enter women’s spaces or talk to an unaccompanied woman. For instance, there’s no way a group with men in it would be allowed to sit down and break bread with Bedouin women, so it’s a real privilege to have the chance to meet women who might not otherwise get a voice.

We know these trips are about avoiding clichés... but it’s all pretty inspirational, to be honest. You’ll get the chance to chat with Iranian business owners and some of the first female guides in Morocco. Women who have packed in their nine to five and set up a wellness retreat designed to improve others’ lives. These are women who have worked hard to get where they are, inching back the boundaries imposed on them by cultural expectations.

It’s a challenge to other travel companies to get in on the act. When tour operators say ‘women only vacations’, many really mean it – most of the guides are female, too. This wouldn’t have been possible a decade ago, in destinations where women faced too many barriers to getting independent employment. The more demand there is for female guides, the more jobs will be created – it’s as simple as that. And, of course, a great female guide is your bridge between you and the sometimes closed communities you’ll come across.

On that theme, you’re investing in women. By supporting female-run businesses and tour guides, you’re empowering women who might otherwise struggle to find long-term employment in an environment where they’re expected to take on more traditional roles in the household.

These vacations are honest. You’ll get a firsthand look at the challenges often swept under the rug (or simply not recognised) by male tour guides. This isn’t sugar-coated tourist board speak. You’ll be with women who will share the country they love with frank enthusiasm – and often frank criticism.

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If you'd like to chat about Women only or need help finding a vacation to suit you we're very happy to help.

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Toll free 1-866-821-6866

Calling us from outside the US?

rosy@responsibletravel.com

Why can’t men go?

In an ideal world, all travelers would have the privilege of being invited to cook with Jordanian sisters or singing with Berber women. But realistically, it’s just not socially responsible to impose men into spaces traditionally reserved for women. And the beauty of women only vacations is that they’re immersive; you don’t watch and learn from afar.

In the Middle East, there are many instances where women would have to modify their behaviour – or even leave the room – in the presence of a male visitor. Women only vacations offer the best chance of getting a complete understanding of the lives of little-heard women, while respecting often conservative, traditional values.

Some of these trips have been created after feedback from travelers, who felt that mixed gender groups were a barrier to talking to women. In countries where men can’t be alone with women, interaction is limited from the get-go. The women only parks and beaches in Iran and Jordan, for example, were created as a space for women to jog and sunbathe without having to cover up, as demanded by the country’s interpretation of Islamic law.

Other women only vacations focus on women’s health. It’s a safe space where women can freely share information and stories about their menstrual cycle or fertility without fear of judgement.

I’m transgender or transsexual. Can I travel?

The tour operators we work with offer trips that are as inclusive as possible. But women only vacations largely work within strict and often regressive local laws. That's why they exist. Some countries recognise transgender identities; some, like Morocco, don’t. These trips do their best with the social constraints imposed on them, falling on the side of respecting and providing insight into local customs rather than regaling against them.

That said, each vacation is different. The tour operators will know whether a trip is able to accommodate transgender or transsexual travelers, so do inquire. Read our LGBT vacation guide to find out more about LGBT travel.

More about Women only

Top destinations for women only holidays

Top destinations for women only vacations

The best women only vacations give you a pass into places off limits to mixed gender groups.

Women’s empowerment holidays in Cape Verde

Women’s empowerment vacations in Cape Verde

You’ll meet female farmers and join them in empowerment workshops, buy food from their farm shops and hike in the valleys they grew up in.

Women only vacations to Iran

Remember that old traveling adage of don’t judge a country by its government? That’s what women only vacations to Iran are all about.

Women only vacations to Jordan

Petra, Wadi Rum, Bedouin camps – travelers often think they know Jordan before they see it.

Women only vacations in Morocco

Women only vacations to Morocco are about as ambitious as the people you’ll meet along the way.

Written by Catherine Roberts

ABTA member P7085 so you are fully protected

Photo credits: [Page banner: Flying Kiwi Tours] [Thumbnail icon: Jorge Flores] [Topbox (Mongolian archery): Scott Presly] [Is/isn't (Jordan woman): David Stanley] [Why go (Berber woman): David Rosen] [Iranian women: Ninara]

Women only vacations