Why Do Women Travel?

There are probably as many reasons women travel as there are women - and as many types of travel.

Plain human wanderlust is often at the root of travel - that age-old desire to move on to new pastures, see new things, have new experiences.

I come from a long line of nomads and don't dwell on the why - I just need to.

Yet there are many reasons...

Perhaps you need to get away - too much stress, too many pressures at home or at work, a sometimes unexplained need to turn your back on life for a time. You may be asking - should you quit your job and travel?

You may be shopping for a new life. Perhaps you're coming out of a difficult relationship or health scare and want to start over, emotionally or on your own. Or the opposite - maybe you want a relationship and hope you might find it abroad.

Perhaps you missed out on long-term travel when you were younger and want to make up for it. Or you are young and you don't want any regrets or 'I should haves' later.

Women travel because is a great way to acquire a new skill or study a language abroad - Spanish in Central America, cooking schools in Europe, reflexology in Thailand, wildlife photography in South Africa...

Or maybe you'd like to trace family roots and uncover your ancestry - from Europe, Africa, Asia or elsewhere.

Independent travel or backpacking is a great way to get fit. You almost have no choice - all that walking to far-off beaches and on hiking trails, carrying a backpack and simple sports like snorkeling and swimming will probably help shed the pounds and build the muscle. I lost 20kg in three years and never once thought 'I shouldn't eat this.' Strange as it may seem, getting fit is a great reason to hit the road.

More than just getting fit, women's adventure travel can provide you with extreme adventure - mountains to climb, gorges to traverse, bays to kayak across, caiman-filled rivers to cross... You may want to stretch yourself, to see if you can do 'it', whatever it is.

Perhaps you feel a need to help, to put back a bit of your own good fortune. You may want to try some volunteer work overseas, for a week, a month or a year. Altruism and public service have always been great reasons to push beyond your comfort zone.

You may have a yearning for a different culture than your own, a curiosity for faraway lands. Perhaps you've studied history or archaeology, or you've read foreign authors and dreamed of following in their footsteps - the Russia of Leo Tolstoy, the France of Balzac, the Istanbul of Orhan Pamuk... Maybe you should be checking out the ads for overseas jobs.

You might have a deep desire to document your trip - travel writing by gutsy, adventurous women might be just the inspiration you need!

Perhaps you need to make connections - to meet people of all sorts, from all over. This helps us feel like members of the same human race.

A trip is often a quest. On my own three-year trip through nearly 30 countries, what started as an external adventure slowly became an inner quest for serenity. I left to get away, propelled by wanderlust, and ended up finding answers rather than asking questions. Finding yourself may be part of your search.

Maybe it's a question of taste, of taste in every way - tasting unusual foods, of course, but also a taste for new and different colours, shapes, scents...

Your idea of travel may have a spiritual reason. You may be following one of the world's great pilgrimage routes, visiting a sacred site, or headed on a spiritual retreat in the Himalayas.

You may simply want to touch and feel. Maybe books, television and the internet aren't enough. Maybe you just want to be there.

My own round the world travel adventure took place without forethought, when a six-month 'escape' turned into three years on the road.

So why do women travel?

Whatever your reason - it's good enough!

And if you don't have one - just go. You don't need a reason.

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