Solo travel doesn’t have to mean going it alone.
For women looking for independence, connection, and curated adventure, female-led travel groups offer the perfect blend of freedom and community, especially for those over 30, 40, and 50 who are done waiting for others to say yes.
Why Women Are Choosing Group Solo Travel
Let’s be real: not everyone wants to backpack solo or plan every detail. And if you’re tired of hearing, “Let’s do a girls’ trip,” only for it to never happen, you’re not alone.
Solo group travel is a growing trend because it lets you:
- Travel on your own terms without being totally alone
- Meet women from all backgrounds, ages, and cities
- Get access to experiences curated for you
- Feel safe and supported, especially in unfamiliar destinations
- Enjoy luxury, fun, or cultural depth without having to organize a thing.
Who Solo Travel Groups Are Really For
Solo travel is perfect for everyone, and I believe everyone should try to travel alone at least once. If you are too afraid to do it just by yourself, then you should try to join a group of strangers and a curated travel group trip where you still show up solo. These groups are perfect for:
- First-time solo travelers who want structure but not stress
- Widows, empty nesters, and divorced women rediscovering independence
- Working women with limited PTO who want seamless experiences
- Women who are tired of canceling plans and waiting for friends
- Women who love solo travel but miss community sometimes
It’s not about being scared to go alone. It’s about finding a space where you can be free and connected.
Top Female-Led Travel Groups You Should Know
1. Girls’ Guide to the World
Founded by Doni Belau, this company creates luxury, small-group trips ideally suited for women over 45, but open to women of other ages as well.
Think private chateaus in France, bespoke safaris in Namibia, and chef-led tours of Tuscany. It’s all about depth, connection, and sisterhood.
“We treat ourselves and our sisters like princesses. But we also act like the CEOs of our lives.”
2. Wanderful
This global community for women travelers has virtual meetups, in-person chapters, and international trips. They also host the Women in Travel Summit.
3. Wild Women Expeditions
Focused on outdoor and adventure travel, this group is for women who love hiking, kayaking, and sleeping under the stars. It’s inclusive, active, and body-positive.
4. Sojrn
This group is more of a slow-travel experience than a tour. Each “chapter” lasts about a month in a single city, where women (and a few men) learn, work remotely, and live like locals.
5. The Solo Female Traveler Network
One of the biggest online communities turned into a tour company. Their trips span the globe and are built specifically for solo women, complete with private rooms and confidence-boosting experiences.
What to Look For in a Women’s Travel Group
Not all travel groups are created equal. Here’s what to watch for:
- Solo-focused design: Do they accommodate women traveling alone with private room options?
- Trip themes that match your energy: Some are luxury-focused, others are yoga retreats, food-based, or adventure-heavy.
- Small group sizes: 8–14 are ideal for real connection.
- Transparency about age and demographics: Some skew younger (20s–30s), others center around midlife and beyond.
- Safety practices: Look for vetted guides, travel insurance support, and strong in-country networks.
Why I Recommend It (Even If You’re Independent AF)
You can be self-sufficient and still want community. You can crave freedom and connection. Joining a women’s travel group doesn’t make you less adventurous; it just gives you a new way to explore, reflect, and grow with people who get it.
I’ve traveled with groups and on my own, and honestly, the friendships I’ve made on group trips last just as long as the memories.
Building Sisterhood: An Interview with Doni Belau and a ‘Girls’ Guide to the World’
Doni Belau turned a content site into one of the most trusted luxury travel communities for women over 45. What started as a solo tour brand has evolved into a deeply personal journey of healing, connection, and empowerment through curated, small-group trips across the world.
During my interview with Doni below, I was able to gather what this solo travel group stands for in their vision, and what the future holds in the travel industry.
What inspired you to start your original solo travel group tour, and how did that journey evolve into a luxury, female-only travel brand?
I started my original site, Girls’ Guide to Paris, back in 2009. It was meant to be a content-forward platform, kind of like an online travel guide to the city. We were getting around a million readers a year, but the monetization part wasn’t working. After trying different strategies, we found our footing in 2011 with curated tours, and everything changed.
It wasn’t an overnight success story. It was a slow build: one tour the first year, two the next, and then we kept adding on.
Over time, I realized that the real magic wasn’t just in seeing beautiful places, it was in the depth of connection happening among the women on the trips. By the second night, it was like we’d known each other for years.
Was there a moment early on that confirmed you were creating something bigger than just travel?
No single “aha” moment, honestly. The real confirmation came in conversations during and after the trips. There was this one woman who’d recently lost her husband. She told us, “Now, after this trip, I realize it’s going to be OK.” That moment stuck with me.
We started gathering testimonials and reading TripAdvisor reviews. That’s when we saw just how impactful these experiences were. One guest said, “I met 10 gals in Naples for the first time… and left with 10 new friends.” Another shared how the laughter and companionship on the trip helped her reconnect with joy.
You can see more of these powerful stories on our Instagram: Client Testimonials
Why was it important for you to center women in this experience?
Because women travel differently, over 53% of U.S. women are single, and many are looking for ways to travel without waiting on a partner. In fact, 85% of female solo travelers are over 45. Some are widowed, divorced, or simply done waiting around for friends to get on board. They’re ready to explore, on their own terms, but not necessarily alone.
The need was clear. So many women told us they didn’t want to eat dinner alone or be the fifth wheel on someone else’s vacation. They wanted connection, safety, and some real “me” time. That’s exactly what we’ve built into every trip.
Your trips go beyond logistics. They feel like soul work. What values shape each one?
Connection, authenticity, and respect. Every trip is designed with a guiding code, one we’ve outlined in full on our site. Read our Travel Code of Ethics
Here are a few core values we always return to:
- Go off the beaten path. And when we go mainstream, we try to go off-season to avoid crowds.
- Travel responsibly, with care for local culture, people, animals, and the earth.
- Support women and local entrepreneurs, from Oaxaca’s street vendors to community education programs in Kenya.
- Dive into a place through its people, food, stories, and language. We’re not tourists, we’re guests.
- Pick lodging that reflects the local charm. No big-box hotels.
- Keep trips stylish but grounded. We like turn-down service and fine wine, but we’re also rolling our own suitcases.
- Encourage self-love and self-leadership. Each traveler is both a queen and the CEO of her own life.
- And most of all: stay curious, stay grateful.
Let’s talk about representation. What does true diversity look like in your travel community?
This is something we’re always working toward. Ideally, we want trips that are diverse in age, background, race, and nationality. The truth is, our clients choose us; we don’t hand-pick them. Statistically, most solo female travelers over 45 are white, but we’ve made it clear in our visuals, marketing, and messaging that all women are welcome.
Still, there’s work to do. It makes a huge difference when women from different walks of life come together and connect; that is cross-cultural, cross-generational bonding.
That’s where the magic happens.
How do you foster trust in a group of strangers traveling together?
We set the tone early. Every guest signs a personal acknowledgment form that outlines our expectations: kindness, openness, and flexibility. On night one, we do icebreaker questions and explain how the trip will flow. We ask guests to sit with different people at each meal, learn each other’s stories, and stay curious.
Our guides are trained in group dynamics, like encouraging a quiet traveler to open up or gently guiding a talkative guest to listen more. It’s all about creating a safe, respectful space where everyone feels seen and valued.
What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned from leading these trips over the years?
To really listen. We created a private Facebook group where women can connect, cheer each other on, and just share life, without ads, without pressure. We also survey our travelers about where they want to go next, and that’s how we ended up planning upcoming trips to the Galápagos (on a private yacht!) and Norway & Finland to chase the Northern Lights.
This work is about meeting women where they are. The more we listen, the better we get.
Beyond the destination, what do you hope women take away from your trips?
Empowerment and real connection.
There’s something incredibly powerful about realizing, “I can do this. I can go it alone. I can make new friends and laugh till I cry with people I just met two days ago.” For widows or women who’ve never traveled solo, it’s transformational. Some haven’t traveled without a partner in 30 or 40 years. Our trips show them they still can, and they deserve to.
And the connection piece? That’s the secret sauce. When a group that met in Morocco reunites at someone’s house months later, or when an entire Greece group signs up for Namibia just to be together again? That’s how you know it worked.
What does the future of ‘Girls’ Guide to the World’ look like?
More trips. More stories. More purpose.
We’ll stay true to our roots, small groups, and meaningful travel, but continue to expand to unique destinations. This year, we’re launching a trip to Finland themed around happiness and what we can learn from the women who live there. Even the LA Times picked it up.
My goal is to always give each destination a new lens. Maybe it’s bread-making with grandmas in Puglia or sipping homemade limoncello in someone’s backyard. The soul of a place lives in its people.
This year we devised a trip to Finland focusing on the women of Finland and why they are voted the happiest people on earth year after year. It’s a reconnaissance mission. Unique enough that the LA Times wrote about it here.
If you could change the narrative around solo or luxury travel for women, what would you want people to understand?
Stop assuming that women want to share rooms with strangers or pay extra for being single. We don’t. We’re grown. We’re independent. And we’re one of the most powerful segments in travel today.
We want to see the world on our own terms. That doesn’t mean we’re lonely or lost. It means we’re alive. The fear that holds women back from solo travel is real, but it’s also beatable.
Most people in the world are kind. And when you step outside your comfort zone, your brain lights up, your heart opens, and you start living in a whole new way. These experiences don’t just make for good photos; they change who you are.
