Women Travel the World
Networking Women's Travel Businesses

Rosemary Neave is founder of Women Travel the World, a site that gathers listings for women- and lesbian-friendly businesses worldwide. Women on the Road wrote to Rosemary as she traveled across Europe checking out even more women's travel businesses.

Women on the Road: Why is women's travel networking important to you?
Women Travel the World: In my family my father went away with his mates fishing every year, and my mother went away with her girlfriends golfing and we had family holidays. I grew up knowing that while we could have a great time together, the men and the women had different and equally fabulous times on their own.

WOTR: Who is your site for?
Women Travel the World: It's for all women. These days many women are keen to travel but their partners are not, so they just say "you stay home and watch the rugby, I am off to Italy". There is no threat in it, just a recognition of different interests and passions.

For women on their own or who are single, sitting in a bus with a lot of other couples is not their idea of fun. Or, you may be part of a group of women friends traveling together. In small group tours, your needs and interests can be catered for and you can enjoy the company of a small group of women.

Finally, lesbian women too find it great to be in a environment where their reality is recognised and they don't have to keep explaining why they want a double bed.

WOTR: But isn't the web saturated with women's travel information?
Women Travel the World: There are lots of companies out there advertising women's tours, but our site puts those tours and tour companies together in one place. For example, we have a tour calender with tours from a range of different companies. If you know where you want to go and have a date that suits you, you can look up to see what is available.

Also our accommodation listings put together women-owned and run lodgings around the world. We make it easy for you to find a women's guest house in Wellington NZ or Rome or Florence or Berlin - all with Google Maps.

On my present trip I have stayed in fabulous places, in Le Couvent in South of France, Diva Espana in the South of Spain, The Pink House in Brighton, the Women's B&B in Florence and in Rome where 10 women are gathering to stay in a women's hostel and celebrate a friend's 70th birthday.

WOTR: Your site has a particularly good listing of women's festivals - why focus on these?
Women Travel the World: I have done this as a public service. A lot of women are interested in festivals around the world, and no one else was putting them together in one place.

WOTR: What is the best way to use your website?
Women Travel the World: I planned my recent four-month trip in Europe using the site - I found a couple of women's tours to join, lots of great women's accommation places, and I've had plenty of fun and met some great people. That is what I hope - that women travellers will find it a resource to plan their own trips and to do some things that they might not have done otherwise.

Also I hope that women who run travel businesses - accommodation and tours - will get business from the site and appreciate being a part of a wider network of women-owned travel businesses around the world.

Rosemary also founded Women Travel New Zealand. You can follow her travels at Women Travel Blog.

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