On this episode, we are joined by Susan Heinrich from Midlife Globetrotter. Susan is a Canadian writer living in Denver, Colorado. She is passionate about travel and supporting women in tourism. In 2020, she created Midlife Globetrotter, a website and platform that helps women over 40 follow their travel dreams to new places, with destination guides, practical tips and stories of her own adventures. Susan is passionate about reframing midlife as an opportunity, and explores themes of reinvention and self-discovery in her work.  You can follow Susan on Instagramand Pinterest.

In this episode, we talk about group tours and group tour operators, especially those that offer group trips just for women.

To learn more, see Susan's blog posts about:

• Women's tours around the world: https://midlifeglobetrotter.com/womens-tours/
• How to select a small group tour: https://midlifeglobetrotter.com/how-to-select-a-small-group-tour/
• Croatia group tour with Adventure Women: https://midlifeglobetrotter.com/a-womens-sailing-trip-in-croatia/

Episode Highlights

• Some things to think about when choosing a group tour include:
  • What is the pacing of the trip -- is there any free time, how often do you switch hotels?
  • What is the group size? Small group tends to be under 14 people. Small groups have advantages in terms of the type of accommodation and the size of the tour group when exploring cities
  • What is the activity level? Some companies like Adventure Women and Adventures in Good Company specialize in active trips and offer detailed explanations of the activity level involved in the trip
  • If you are traveling solo, you can also look for tours that are only solo travelers
• When you are evaluating a group tour, be sure to read the itinerary in detail.
• You can also call the tour operator and see if they can give you any information on how many solo travelers there might be versus those traveling with a friend or relative.
• Also look at what the single supplement is. Some companies like Girls Guide to the World have private rooms by default but typically group tours are priced based on double occupancy and if you want your own room they charge a single supplement.
• Some companies will pair you with another solo travel as a roommate if they don't charge a single supplement.
• Be sure to read through the documents to understand what is included in terms of transfers and meals
• Understand who is guiding the trip -- is it a local or a U.S.-based guide
• Make sure you understand the cancellation policy and buy travel insurance
• If you aren't sure if a group trip is for you, opt for a private room, start with a shorter trip, feel free to opt out of activities, and maybe start with a trip in the U.S. that doesn't require a more expensive airfare.
• If you just want to relax or if you don't like having scheduled activities, then a group tour may not be a good fit
• Good tour operators for budget travelers include G Adventures (now have tours for women and certain age groups) and Intrepid Travel (who have women expeditions to places where you can meet and interact with locals in a way that you couldn't if there were men on the trip)
• For a luxury trip, Girls Guide to the World is a good fit and Insight Vacations is upscale and have women-only trips
• For nature and wildlife, Natural Habitat Adventures partner with the World Wildlife Federation and are known for wildlife trips and have women's only expeditions
• Adventure Women is one of the first companies to get into women only tours and typically offer four-star accommodations with active adventures
• Backroads is known for cycling and hiking tours and offers some just for women and they have trips that accommodate a variety of activity levels each day
• There are also group tour operators focused on certain destinations like Viking Women in Iceland
• Another themed tour is the British Book Club Tour: https://thebookclubtour.com
• Susan is also co-hosting an art-history based trip to Paris this spring

Some women-only focused travel companies and others that have women-only trips

• Next Chapter Travel - small group, curated trips in Europe
• Next Tribe - over 45 women
• Gals Abroad Getaways - luxury
• Untethered Expeditions - adventure
• Adventure Women - small group adventure
• Adventures in Good Company - active 
• Girls’ Guide to the World - authentic, responsible (luxury)
• Sisterhood Travels - over 50
• Country Walkers - walking/hiking
• Scout Escapes - mother daughter travel and group trips for women over 40
• Viking Women - Iceland
• Explorer Chick - hiking and adventure in National Parks and abroad
• Insight Vacations - upscale group trips some women only
• Backroads - women only hiking and cycling
• Road Scholar - educational, some women only, over 50
• Uniworld - women’s cruises