Featured image: Explore Worldwide wants to shift stereotypes about age and ability  | Photo by YuriArcursPeopleimages on Envato

Explore offers mature women flexible options to discover less-travelled places

by Carolyn Ray

In a world where women are often told adventure travel is only for the young and fit, Explore Worldwide seeks to shift that stereotype.

“Often, our most adventurous travellers are the women in that 50 to 60-plus category,” says Katy Rockett, Director, North America, Explore Worldwide. “I’ve witnessed it firsthand and firmly believe that women can be adventurous at any stage of life.”

As the new head of UK-based Explore’s North American business, Rockett says adventure travel should be more about going out of your comfort zone and broadening your perspective, especially for women who want to travel solo. Today, 61 per cent of its clients are female and in North America specifically, 64 per cent are female. In addition, most (58%) of Explore’s travellers in North America are women over 50.

“There’s no age limit to adventure travel,” she says. “Solo women are definitely one of our most important audiences. Our style of travel is so appealing for a solo traveller, especially women, because it is so empowering, with the safety, the security and the camaraderie of the group. You’ve got that built-in companionship. They know they’re going to be with other solo women and like-minded people in a small group.”

With a slate of trips to less-travelled destinations, Explore Worldwide wants to reframe adventure travel for older women, ensuring that its trips not only provide empowering opportunities but also support local communities.

As a B Corp, Explore underwent an extensive process to have its business practices certified. “It was really important for us to make sure that we were doing the right things across the business,” Rockett says. “From a customer’s perspective, I think sustainability definitely influences women’s decision making. Being a B Corp also helps to validate that we’re not greenwashing because everybody has a sustainability page. There are so many more layers to it. It’s also about how you’re supporting local economies.”

Adventure travel to less-travelled places

Recently, Explore expanded into North America from the UK, where it started as a small boutique tour company in 1981. Early on, its founders recognized the need for providing more authentic experiences and sustainable experiences and getting away from the main tourist trail. From six trips then, the company now has over 350 trips a year to 100 countries, including less-travelled destinations like Algeria and Poland.

“We’re really taking people outside of what you would typically think to do in a lot of the destinations and pushing the boundaries of new destinations,” Rockett says. As evidence of this, Explore launched three trips in Algeria, which is still under the radar. “We’re at the forefront of that and really trying to pioneer into new destinations and provide unique experiences for our travellers.”

Some of the more popular trips for older women include Italy, Portugal, particularly Madeira, and Turkey, as well as Croatia and the Baltics. Cycling trips in Portugal have been extremely popular especially among Canadian women, ranking in their top 10 trips.

“We have two cycling trips, one from Porto to Lisbon and then the other is Lisbon to Algarve,” Rockett says. “I think e-bikes has been a huge driver in that, making cycling trips more accessible to people who might have been a little bit reluctant or intimidated to try them a few years ago.”

“Even in the more popular destinations such as Italy, we experience them in really different ways to avoid overtourism,” Rockett continues. “In Italy, our most popular trip is our Amalfi coast walking tour. That gives you a real deep dive into the region within Amalfi but spends very little time in the kind of main towns of Positano, Amalfi, etc.”  Instead, Rockett says, clients stay in a family-run agritourism farm in San Lazzaro, which is a good 45 minutes away from Amalfi.

When it comes to choosing accommodations, Explore chooses locally owned accommodations that gives a wonderful insight into the destination. “We know that’s going to provide a more genuine and authentic experience for our travellers,” she says. “Most of our travellers obviously want a place that’s safe and comfortable and clean, but we do try to find places that are a little bit unique and really give a really genuine, authentic insight into what it’s like to live there.”

Flexible adventure at your own pace

One of the things that Explore is focused on is managing the pace of the trip. Every trip is rated, giving the traveller enough information to decide if it’s for her or not.

“With some companies, you’re up at the crack of dawn, full day of activities, every minute is booked,” she says. “And then you just sort of crash hard when you get back to your room at the end of the night. But for our cultural discovery trips, we actually have a rating based on the pace of the trip. Some people love the full pace, but others don’t. We want people to get the value out of what they’ve paid for beyond just the basics of accommodation and some meals. But we try to leave some flexibility in the trip. We really are mindful that everyone wants different experiences.”

Flexibility is also core to Explore’s itineraries. In addition to optional activities with at least one free day or free afternoons, so that women have the chance to go out and experience places on their own.

Trips for older women to get started on

For women who want to try travelling at a slower pace, Rockett recommends these four to get started with.

Greek Island Cruise:  This is a relaxed pace 8-day trip, particularly because the accommodation is also the transportation, so travellers won’t face early morning departures and there is plenty of free time to take in local life, enjoy the fantastic cuisine and swim in the sea.  The Greek Cruise also features really authentic and unique accommodation as it takes place on a family-owned traditional wooden caique, which was built in 1962. There is one of only 80 of these iconic Greek-designed boats left in existence.  This 8-day trip starts on the island of Evia, near Athens, and is priced at CAN$1710 based on double occupancy.

The Baltic States and Poland (upgraded): This trip is graded moderate due to some long drives and ensuring there’s an opportunity to experience the main sights. However, there is free time to balance it out, and we enjoy a couple of relaxing days in the Polish Lakes to refresh and rejuvenate at our spa hotel midway through the trip. This 12-day trip starts in Tallinn, Estonia and is priced at CAN$5150 based on double occupancy.

Inside Vietnam: This 14-day trip starts in Hanoi and is graded moderate as it does include some long drives to make the most of the time in the destination. That said, it is very well balanced with plenty of free time throughout. Prices start around CAN$2170 based on double occupancy.

Amalfi Coast Walking Tour: This ‘leisurely’ trip stays at a wonderful family-owned and operated farm located in Agerola and features home-cooked farm-to-table food and gives guests authentic insight into life in the region. Prices for this 8-day walking trip start around US$1520 based on double occupancy.

About the JourneyWoman Women’s Travel Directory

JourneyWoman, the world’s first resource for solo women travellers established in 1994, hosts the JourneyWoman Women’s Travel Directory as a free service to help women plan safe, women-friendly solo travel, while supporting women-owned and small tourism businesses around the world. The Directory includes hundreds of curated and vetted multi-day tours, retreats, small ships and train experiences, as well as a concierge service to connect women with travel advisors, coaches and guides. Featured categories include adventure travel, wellness, hiking and walking, special interest trips, as well as accessible, LGBTQ+ and Indigenous tours. Within the Directory, there is a ‘Places to Stay’ resource where women can find and share safe, affordable, women-friendly hotels, hostels and other accommodation options. JourneyWoman vets each business and provides a “JourneyWoman Verified” badge to those that meet certain criteria.

Disclaimer: We’re proud to feature women-led businesses in our Women’s Travel Directory, including this feature, which is sponsored by Explore Worldwide. To learn more and get exclusive discounts visit Explore Worldwide here.

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