Cairo, Egypt. Image courtesy of Girls’ Guide To The World.
A new survey of more than 330 women, primarily in their 50s, 60s and 70s, reveals a clear evolution in what mature travelers are seeking: cultural immersion, meaningful connection, and purpose-driven travel experiences designed specifically for them.
The survey, conducted by Girls’ Guide to the World, a leading upscale women-only travel company, highlights the growing demand for small-group, women-only journeys that offer both luxury and intention. Far from the cookie-cutter packages of the past, these travelers are looking for immersive, transformational adventures, often solo, but not alone.
The survey gathered responses from 333 women travelers, with the majority aged 60+, and provides insights into the motivations, preferences, and priorities shaping the future of women’s travel.
Over 60% of respondents listed cultural immersion as their top travel priority in 2026, outpacing relaxation (56%) and adventure (43%). The results reinforce what Girls’ Guide to the World has long believed: women want more than a vacation. They want personal growth, connection, and joy.
“Women don’t just want to check places off a list, they want to be moved by them,” says founder and award-winning travel expert Doni Belau. “These aren’t just vacations. They’re opportunities to rediscover who you are, surrounded by beauty, belonging, and a circle of like-minded women.”
Tate Gallery, UK. Image courtesy of Girls’ Guide To The World.
Additional key insights from the 2025 survey include:
Solo Travel Is Rising—but Women Don’t Want to Go It Alone: 48% have already experienced a women-only group trip, and nearly 40% cited a lack of travel partners as a major barrier, making small-group, women-only travel a liberating solution.
Luxury with Purpose: The majority of women surveyed are willing to invest $7,500–$10,000 for a premium week-long, once-in-a-lifetime trip. But they’re not interested in traditional luxury. Instead, they value private rooms, expert local guides, immersive cultural experiences, and thoughtfully curated itineraries.
Cultural Curiosity Tops the List: When asked what type of experience they most crave, cultural immersion led the way, followed by relaxation, adventure, and culinary experiences, pointing to a generation of women eager to explore with all five senses.
Freedom to Explore on Their Terms: 59% of respondents are retired and unbound by traditional responsibilities, choosing to spend their time and resources on travel that is intentional, transformative, and aligned with their values.
Expertise Matters: Respondents prioritized access to local knowledge, vetted guides, and private rooms, showing a clear preference for thoughtful, seamless itineraries over mass-market tours.
Bali, Indonesia. Image courtesy of Girls’ Guide To The World.
“These women are curious, confident, and ready to explore,” said Doni. “They’re redefining what solo travel looks like, and proving that age isn’t a limitation, it’s an invitation.”
In an interview with us earlier this year, the founder shared that the reason solo travel is becoming more popular among women, especially over 40, is down to a few key cultural factors and changing trends.
“53% of women in America are single [and that is] a huge factor. Also women now more than ever before have money and most of the time they’ve worked for it or supported a partner who did while staying at home and taking care of everything else. Over the past 10 years, solo travel has become more normalized in our society as women continue to gain power and influence despite recent setbacks,” she explained.
Conducted in June 2025, this new survey is part of Girls’ Guide to the World’s ongoing effort to better understand the evolving needs of solo-minded, group-oriented female travelers.
With more options available for women to travel solo but not feel entirely alone, if you are looking to take the first step, you can visit the Girls Guide To The World website to see if it is the right fit for you.
Blue Lagoon, Iceland. Image courtesy of Girls’ Guide To The World.
For Jo Piazza and Nick Aster, a camper van trip through the national parks of Colorado and Utah wasn’t just a summer escape—it was a way to reconnect with the adventures they loved pre-kids. “It was time for a trip out west,” Jo says. “We’d visited a lot of these national parks when we lived in San Francisco, but now it was about showing our kids—Charlie, 5, and Beatrix, 3—what makes these places so special.”
The couple, who live in Philadelphia and were expecting their third child at the time (Eliza, now born), mapped out a 10-day loop that started and ended in Denver. Along the way, they visited Rocky Mountain National Park, Steamboat Springs, Dinosaur National Monument, Moab, Arches, Canyonlands, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and Breckenridge. “It was a bit of an epic romp,” Jo laughs. Here’s how they spent their family vacation—and how much it cost.
Dead Horse Point State Park at Moab National Park
Karl Hendon/Getty
Why rent a camper van?
Pregnant, outdoorsy, and realistic about the physical demands of camping with two small kids, Jo knew she needed more than a tent. “Sleeping on the ground just wasn’t going to cut it,” she says. “A van gave me a good place to sleep—and full disclosure, Nick often slept out in the tent with the kids to give me a bit of luxury.”
They rented their “cabin camper” through Outdoorsy—a fully tricked-out truck with a massive cap in the back that felt like a log cabin on wheels. “People commented on it everywhere we went,” Jo says. “We’d get high fives, people asking to take pictures. At one point, someone said, ‘Hey man, we saw you in Canyonlands two days ago! That thing is awesome.”
Planning a flexible route around national parks
Unlike their usual meticulously planned vacations, this one was intentionally open-ended. “We had a general loop in mind,” Jo explains. “We knew we wanted to hit Rocky Mountain right away since it’s so close to the airport, and we knew Charlie would go bananas for Dinosaur. But the rest we figured out as we went. That’s the beauty of traveling by van—you don’t need to lock in hotels every night.”
This flexibility came in handy during a July heatwave in Moab. “We broke up the camping with a stay at the super-unhip Marriott,” Jo says. “It had a fake red rock pool and a mini water park. It flew in the face of the National Park ethos, but with 100-degree heat and two little kids, we just leaned in. They loved it.”
Jo Piazza and Nick Aster with Charlie, 5, and Beatrix, 3
Jo Piazza
Dinosaur Monument Quarry wall shows visitors dinosaur fossils still half buried in stone.
Peter Unger/Getty
Top highlights for parents and kids
The kids’ favorite moments weren’t always the ones Jo and Nick would’ve picked, but they rolled with it. “They’re still talking about the pool in Moab and the fossil quarry at Dinosaur National Monument,” Jo says. “Also, they were weirdly into how much attention the van got.”
From the port of Stari Grad, one of the oldest towns in Europe, we slip into the water and begin swimming out of the harbour, past the church of Saint Jerome and around a pine-clad headland to a nearby bay on Hvar’s northern coast. We emerge like an amphibious invasion force – about 160 swimmers, making our way to the hotel pool bar where drinks await. So far, so civilised. But this is only a warm-up …
On 24 August 1875, Captain Matthew Webb became the first person to swim the Channel, slathered in animal fat to fend off the cold. At the time, it was heralded as a feat of near-superhuman endurance. One hundred and fifty years later, I signed up for a modern take on the 33.3km (21-mile) swim (the shortest distance across the Channel, although Webb was blown off course and ended up swimming something like 63km). This Croatian adaptation involves swimming between islands off the Dalmatian coast, is split across four days and includes a welcoming hotel (the three-star Places Hvar by Valamar) to recuperate in at the end of each day. And thankfully, neoprene has replaced tallow.
The trip is run by UltraSwim 33.3, a new company named after the Channel stretch, offering multiday swim challenges in spectacular locations – Croatia, Montenegro, Greece and Switzerland – with an emphasis on comfort and support.
“The Channel is the Everest of swims,” says Mark Turner, UltraSwim 33.3’s co-founder. “But the window to do it is short, it’s expensive, and – let’s be honest – not a particularly appetising stretch of water. With us, you get the same distance in beautiful surroundings, without having to rough it.”
The writer, ‘trying not to think about how far I am from dry land’
I’ve been on swimming holidays before with companies such as SwimTrek and Strel Swimming Adventures, and I’ve swum up to 5km a day, but with breaks for drinks, lunch and soaking up the sun. UltraSwim takes a more structured, challenge-oriented approach. Each day begins early – we are in the water by 8am, before boat traffic picks up – and swimmers go up to 12km without pausing for more than a quick pit stop.
A detailed training plan landed in my inbox after I’d signed up and I quickly realised I wasn’t fit enough, or perhaps was mentally unprepared, for the full 33.3km swim. Thankfully, there were two shorter options available: the 11.1km “Discovery” and the 22.2km “Build” packages, both nodding to the Channel challenge.
On the first day, we set off from a jetty close to the hotel and, within minutes, I spot an octopus waving lazily from its underwater garden. I’d love to linger, but time and tide wait for no swimmer. Several kilometres later, I stumble out of the water on to the beach at Uvala Veli Dolac, exhausted but elated. We are greeted by a spread of high-energy snacks and a lot of talk about carb loading – a far cry from Webb’s fuelling strategy of beer, brandy and beef tea.
According to the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation, Webb’s swim has now been repeated 3,250 times. The endurance trend is visible in other areas, too, from ultramarathons and multiday cycling tours to open-water relays. Increasingly, it seems, people want to return from holiday not rested but with a sense of accomplishment.
On days two and three, we tackle some proper “Channel” swims across 2-3km stretches of open water, from the Kabal headland to Stiniva beach, and Cape Pelegrin to Palmižana. On the map these are marked as ferry routes, but the views I enjoyed from the deck when I arrived in Hvar – all pine-studded islands and turquoise waters – feel very different when in the water: a distant headland to aim for, choppy seas and the occasional jellyfish.
I’ve never attempted anything quite like this before, and it’s not a challenge I relish. But I put my head down and try not to think about how far I am from dry land. There’s a GPS tracker in my tow float, kayakers on either side, and a clear course to follow – thankfully more straightforward than the one Webb swam, where strong tides dragged him way off course, turning a 21-mile crossing into a 39-mile slog.
Stari Grad on Hvar, one of the oldest towns in Europe. Photograph: Nathaniel Noir/Alamy
As I swim for just over two hours, I find it hard to fathom how he kept going for nearly 22. I distract myself by recalling snapshots from the trip: the 16th-century Tvrdalj Castle in Stari Grad, where the poet Petar Hektorović once lived; and the Diocletian’s Palace in Split, where I spent a relaxed day exploring its golden alleyways and multiple layers of history, from the Roman and Venetian empires to Yugoslavia and the past 30 years of an independent Croatia.
Once we complete the open-water channels, we circle back into gentler waters around the Pakleni archipelago, covered with the pine, wild rosemary and lavender that flavours the local honey. The name “Pakleni” comes from paklina, a pine resin once used for boat building.
Our 160-strong group is made up of swimmers from across the globe, from as far and wide as Brazil, Dubai and Australia. There are almost equal numbers of men and women, with ages ranging from 20 to 73. Some are training for an actual Channel crossing, others just want a challenge.
“It’s type-two fun,” Joe from Dublin tells me. “The kind that’s only fun after it’s over.” I think I’m more of a type-one (enjoying things at the time) person, but I do enjoy swimming across the sun-dappled kelp forests, the calm rhythm of stroke after stroke, and the quiet pride of finishing each day’s swim.
The Pakleni archipelago, off the southwest coast of Hvar island. Photograph: Ivan Coric/Alamy
“We find that people surprise themselves,” says Turner. “The way we structure it with pacing and support, swimmers who’ve never gone beyond a few kilometres leave feeling they’ve done something extraordinary.”
Non-swimming partners aren’t left out. They can follow by boat, cheer from the shore or explore Stari Grad and Hvar. One non-swimmer told me he’d racked up a fair few kilometres on an ebike, visiting lavender farms, vineyards and sleepy fishing villages. “Other than a brief dip, swimming’s not really my thing,” he shrugged. “But my girlfriend loves it, so we’re both happy.”
On the final day, we aim for the bell tower of St Stephen’s Cathedral and swim the last few kilometres into Hvar’s harbour, emerging beside the Venetian arsenal to a glass of champagne, handed to us after we pass the finishing posts, to bemused stares from regular tourists.
A few hours later, after a soothing massage in a spa hotel, I’m wandering Hvar’s labyrinthine streets, stopping to enjoy fresh fish and Croatian wine, with no more talk of carb loading. I didn’t win anything. I didn’t swim the full 33.3km. But I completed the 11.1km course and tasted something akin to what Captain Webb must have felt: the slow, steady triumph of body over distance, albeit without the freezing water of the Channel, or the beef tea. And, instead of the pale grey cliffs of Cap Gris-Nez to signal the end, the golden limestone of Hvar.
The trip was provided by UltraSwim 33.3. Packages from €1,800pp for four nights (in a group of four, the fourth swimmer goes half-price), including hotel accommodation, breakfasts, post-swim lunches and guided swims. The next Croatia dates are in 2026 but places are available this year on trips to Montenegro, Greece and Switzerland
You must be logged in to post a comment Login