Featured image: Northland, New Zealand , one of 30 less-travelled places recommended by women, for women in 2024 | Photo by Rosemary Neave.

30 first-hand recommendations from female travel experts

In celebration of its 30th anniversary as the world’s first solo travel website for women, JourneyWoman has revealed its “30 Less-Travelled Places for Women in 2024” List. The list was developed with female travel writers and travel experts to focus on off-season travel, sustainability, accessibility and personal safety. For each destination, there are suggestions on ways to are ways to extend travel into a longer stay of weeks or months, and recommendations for women to support women-owned businesses from JourneyWoman’s Women’s Travel Directory, including small group tours, retreats, safe places to stay and small ship experiences. Some of the Directory partners included in the list are Trafalgar Tours, Insight Vacations, G Adventures, Swan Hellenic, Intrepid Travel, Adventures in Good Company, and Wild Women Expeditions.

“In 2024, we want to inspire women to rediscover travel as an adventure,”says Carolyn Ray, Editor and CEO, JourneyWoman. “We hope our list of unique and meaningful places inspires women to think differently not just about where we travel but also how we travel, with a sense of purpose and intention. In the midst of so much conflict and uncertainty, travel offers us the opportunity to learn, expand our understanding of humanity, and to connect with cultures and communities vastly different than our own. Above all, we hope women travel to embrace self-discovery and the wisdom that comes with stepping into the unknown.”

30 Best Places for Women’s Solo Travel in 2024

In keeping with JourneyWoman’s ethos of sharing first-hand experiences, the 30 Best Places for Women’s Solo Travel in 2024 are recommended by JourneyWoman’s editorial team, female travel writers and experts who have actually travelled to these places. In addition to JourneyWoman Editor Carolyn Ray, contributors include Norie Quintos, Tonya Fitzpatrick, Mariellen Ward, Sandra Phinney, Diana Eden, Karen Gershowitz, Shawna McKinley Robins, Sandra Phillips, Nora Livingstone, Rosemary Neave, Tanzila Khan, Dawn Booker, ​Rupi Mangat, Leyla Alyanak, Jules Torti, Nancy Drolet, Kathy Buckworth, Christine Winebrenner Irick, Franny Bergschneider and Rue Mapp. Many of the photographs of these destinations are original, taken by these talented travel professionals. 

The 30 Best Places for Women’s Solo Travel in 2024 include North America: Four Canadian destinations made the list, including the Arctic*, Banff, Alberta; Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and Abitibi-Temiscaming, Quebec/Ontario. In the US, there are three destinations, including: Cedar City, Utah; Finger Lakes, New York, Maui, Hawaii and Mexico, Oaxaca.  Five destinations in Asia/Oceania include: Hiroshima, Japan; Kerala, South India; Bora Bora, Tahiti; Perth, Western Australia and Northland, New Zealand.  In Africa and the Middle East, eight destinations are included: Istanbul, Turkiye; Cairo, Egypt; Petra, Jordan; Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE); Cape Town, South Africa and Zanzibar, Tanzania. Caribbean destinations include: Bequia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Martinique (French Overseas Territory) South American destinations include the Ecuadorian Andes and Medellin, Colombia. European destinations include: Haugesund, Norway; the Basque Region, France; Splitska, Brac, Croatia; Malaga, Spain; Edinburgh, Scotland; and the Arctic*. Last but not least, our 30th destination is an invitation for women to travel in their own backyard.

(Please note, the Arctic includes: the United States (Alaska), Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark (Greenland), and Iceland.)

Women over 50 in travel

Women are the primary travel decision makers in travel, making 80-85% of all travel decisions. Women 50+ represent over $15 trillion in purchasing power and are experiencing the largest population growth over the next 10 years, according to a recent study conducted in the US by the Coca-Cola Group and Mass Mutual. JourneyWoman’s previous recent global study, “The Influence and Affluence of Solo Women 50+ in Travel”, published in December 2022, showed that 70% of women over 50 felt ignored and undervalued by the travel industry, despite representing trillions in spending power. In addition, an April 2023 JourneyWoman survey, “JourneyWoman Women 50+ 2023 Travel Outlook” shows that women over 50 are leading the trend of off-season travel to reduce travel costs, focusing on less-travelled places and longer trips, with 81% planning to travel more than two weeks per year. The study revealed that 96% of women are the primary travel decision makers in their households, and that 51% spend more than US$3,000 a week on travel.​

About JourneyWoman

Founded in 1994, JourneyWoman™ is the world’s first solo female travel resource and one of the most trusted women’s travel brands in the world. JourneyWoman operates the world’s largest Women’s Travel Directory, providing women with hundreds of women-friendly tours, retreats, guides and accommodations while supporting small tourism businesses around the world. To elevate women’s voices, the award-winning Soul of Travel Podcast joined JourneyWoman in 2023. JourneyWoman also launched the travel industry’s first Women’s Speaker’s Bureau to share wisdom from women over 50 and accelerate diversity.  To learn more, visit Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn. JourneyWoman is a registered trademark of Journeywoman Enterprises Inc.

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