For International Women’s Day, Euronews Travel spoke to female-led travel companies about what women really want.

Women travellers have been on the rise in the last few years: 71 per cent of solo travellers are women – of which 25 per cent are 65 or older, according to Virtuoso’s August 2024 trends report and Skift.

Changing societal norms and greater financial independence gives us women the freedom to explore more. We get to focus on personal growth, empowerment, and chase adventure.

What’s more, women tend to give adventure and cultural experiences equal weight, a 2024 Global Rescue Survey revealed.

Why might that be? Because we want to engage more deeply with local practices and customs, as part of an attempt to seek out authentic connections beyond typical ‘fly and flop’ tourism.

This changing trend has led more female entrepreneurs with keen insight to venture into the travel industry. Euronews Travels speaks to several of these travel ‘sheroes’ making waves.

Women seek out more authentic experiences

Many women don’t get the opportunity to travel much during younger years, due to responsibilities like marriage, children, a career, or socioeconomic and cultural factors.

As such, the first time women tend to take a longer or more adventurous trip is later in life, which leads some to choose smaller, often more intimate group tours.

“There’s a growing desire to explore smaller, quaint, and charming destinations that offer rich culture, local connections, and a sense of discovery,” explains Ellen Flowers, travel blogger at The Perennial Style.

“Rather than the hustle and bustle of major cities, women travellers are drawn to hidden villages in the French countryside, serene coastal towns in Portugal, or lesser-known gems in Eastern Europe.”

Gabrielle Wise, founder of Walk Talk Eat France, recognises this desire and helps older, first-time – and often solo – women travellers feel more at ease through unhurried French food and wine tours.

“I offer a very relaxing 10 day retreat in the French countryside of the Dordogne region. Here, we go gentle: walking, talking, eating. It’s a slower pace of travel and activities. We have light exercises each morning overlooking medieval castles and villages,” says Wise. “We visit stunning prehistoric caves and visit vineyards and buy local produce from markets to take home and cook together.”

In several cases, Wise’s guests have found close companions on these trips that they then choose to travel with year after year.

Custom tours are designed for both active and ‘hobbyist’ female travellers

Many women-only trips tend to focus around specific hobbies, such as painting, horse-riding, and cooking. Future Market Insights estimates that the special interest tourism market could hit $5.1bn (€4.7bn) by 2025.

Tours by Marie, for example, specialises in gardening trips to France, Holland, Belgium, Italy, England, and Portugal.

“My clients are garden clubs and groups of passionate gardeners,” says founder Marie-Elisabeth Offierski. “Hands-on experiences such as a cooking class, a flower-arranging workshop or a photography session are popular. Women want to learn – that’s part of making the most of their time away.”

In other cases, women want to explore how other women live, and get a better understanding of their culture and lives, by championing local women entrepreneurs and spending time with female artisans.

“Our most popular women-only trips connect female travellers with women in their host country, often in ways that wouldn’t be accessible in mixed groups,” explains Sarah Faith at Responsible Travel. “These holidays are very much about seeing a country through the eyes of the women who live there.”

Active holidays, meanwhile, provide the sense of accomplishment and social connections that women enjoy – but through a more engaging low-impact exercise, such as walking, biking and hiking.

UK-based Walking Women, which has been providing walking holidays exclusively for women since 2021, offers different levels of treks depending on experience. It also sprinkles in local culture by collaborating with women winemakers, cheesemakers, and chefs. Demand is clearly there, as the company has grown from 300 guests in their first year to 1,000 today.

The company’s all-female guides go at a steady pace to ensure the entire group reaches the summits. “We hear this is not always the case in mixed hikes where sometimes women can be left behind,” says Ginny Lunn, one of the joint owners.

Women of all ages actively seek out adventure

Whether kayaking, trekking or backpacking, older women are more than happy to challenge themselves and explore the unknown. For many, it’s a sense of personal freedom.

“Women over 50 are proving that thrill-seeking has no expiration date,”says Kathy McCabe, executive producer of Dream of Italy.

“From scaling down cliffs to trekking through remote landscapes, these fearless explorers are breaking stereotypes and showing that meaningful, active travel is for everyone.”

Even higher-end travel experiences, such as a relaxing cruise, now offer opportunities for women to step out of their comfort zone and try new activities, and McCabe expects to see more spa-at-sea sanctuaries and exclusive women’s excursions in the coming months.

“We’re starting to see a range of cruise lines launching women-only voyages featuring female-led expeditions, immersive activities, and adrenaline-packed activities like scuba diving and polar plunges,” she says.

This growing trend of adventure travel is not only restricted to the more mature women, as co-founder Erika De Santi of WeRoad, an Italian scaleup focusing on group adventure travel for Gen Z and millennial solo travellers, observes:

“Whether it’s young professionals taking a break from the workforce, those looking to rediscover themselves after a breakup or major life event, or those in their 20s-40s who find themselves at different life stages from their friends and unable to find a travel partner – women are increasingly seeking out adventure, and going it alone,” she says.

The stresses and pressure of modern life, especially on younger adults, have caused a boom in wellness travel too, further influenced by social media platforms TikTok and Instagram.

WeRoad’s group yoga trips, for example, have seen a 400 per cent increase in bookings.

“These experiences aren’t just about relaxation but also personal growth and emotional rejuvenation, offering travellers the chance to disconnect from their everyday lives and connect with others,” adds De Santi.

Women worry about safety when travelling

Several of the female-led companies Euronews Travel spoke to told us they prefer to partner with women-owned hotels and transport partners as a way to guarantee comfort and safety.

This includes choosing female guides who have a unique women’s perspective into the local culture and know how to deal with harassment and women-focused scams.

Providing a good support network in case of issues or emergencies is also paramount.

Byway, a travel company specialising in flight-free holidays, focuses on providing this support with a WhatsApp chat which its female travellers can use throughout the holiday, along with a 24/7 emergency phone number.

“We always book private sleeper cabins and private hotel rooms, and focus on safer neighbourhoods with good nighttime lighting,” explains founder Cat Jones, who adds that as a female-led company all women travellers are “well catered for by default.”

Megan Vila, innovation manager at London-based TourAxis, agrees that women deserve more advice when navigating new destinations and cultural differences: “Understanding local customs, advising which areas or what behaviours to avoid, and putting a plan in place should they feel unsafe are the best ways to do this.”

Once the “best-kept secret” from travellers worldwide, Saudi Arabia is now a must-visit destination for Europeans.

Speaking at ITB Berlin 2025, the CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority, Fahd Hamidaddin, told Euronews Travel that European visits surged by 24 per cent in 2024 and that the country is rapidly becoming a global sports hub – hosting more events than Las Vegas.

From upcoming premier sporting events like the World Cup 2034 to luxury travel experiences along the Red Sea coastline and even desert camping in the starry-skied desert, Saudi Arabia is meeting a whole host of travellers’ wishes, making it an ideal ‘best of both worlds’ destination for guests who have very different interests.

There are more European visitors in Saudi than anywhere else

“Saudi Arabia has been the best and the largest secret kept from travellers around the world,” says Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority.

“Last year we witnessed the highest growth coming from Europe, with 24 per cent growth from Europe alone, out of which 44 per cent were women.

“When we started in 2019, our ambition was to hit 100 million visits by 2030. By the end of 2023, we exceeded 106 million.

“Now, the new target is 150 million, and we are continuing to grow in double digits every year. For the past four years, we’ve been the fastest-growing destination in the world.”

From the stunning Red Sea coastline to vast desert landscapes and world-class sporting events, Saudi Arabia offers a unique blend of adventure culture and luxury.

Here are the best ways to discover the Kingdom in 2025.

From World Cup to Grand Prix: The world’s premier sporting destination

Saudi Arabia has quickly established itself as a key player in global sports tourism.

World-class athletes Christiano Ronaldo, Tyson Fury and Max Verstappen have all competed on Saudi soil, while major sporting events draw crowds from around the globe.

In 2034, millions will touch down in Saudi Arabia for the FIFA World Cup, while 2025 is already jam-packed with sporting events.

In April, the AFC Asian U17 Cup will showcase Asia’s brightest young football stars, while motorsports fans can witness Lewis Hamilton kitted out in Ferrari red as he takes to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the Saudi Arabian Formula One Grand Prix.

In August, basketball fans can watch the continent’s leading basketball-playing nations chase victory at the FIBA Asia Cup, while tennis fans can witness the world’s best eight tennis players on centre court at WTA Tour Finals in November.

“With every large sporting event, be it a Formula One or the World Cup, you will see a series of cultural events,” says Hamidaddin.

“Saudi has been hosting more events per week than Vegas had events per week, from the Formulas, to boxing, to the World Cup, to tennis, and Dakar [Rally – the off-road endurance event].”

Sun, sand and serenity: Experience total luxury at The Red Sea

With pristine coastlines, unrivalled marine life and a string of opulent five-star hotels, the Red Sea is a 28,000-square-kilometre paradise on Saudi Arabia’s western coast.

Already, two luxury properties have opened on its shores, including the Six Senses Southern Dunes, and the St. Regis Red Sea Resort with overwater villas perching above turquoise waters.

“The Saudi Red Sea is the largest vertical riviera in the world,” explains Hamidaddin. “It’s a super destination that stretches from the top of Neom and Sindalah Island down to the south of the Saudi coast.”

By the end of 2025, the destination will be home to 16 resorts, with a total of 50 planned by 2030, as well as luxury marinas, golf courses, and residential properties.

Red Sea Global, the destination’s developer, says that responsible development is at the heart of the project.75 per cent of the destination’s islands are due to be left untouched, while the rest will operate on renewable energy.

Camping under the stars in the Saudi desert

About 30 per cent of the land in Saudi Arabia is covered by desert, and the Kingdom is famous for its towering dunes, from the reddish hues of the Ad Dahna Desert to the sprawling expanse of Rub’Al Khali (The Empty Quarter), the world’s largest continuous sand desert.

“The great Arabian dunes are a global offering in winter that is potentially as big as safari in Africa and skiing in the Alps,” says Hamidaddin.

“From sand healing to sand sports, extreme adventure to stargazing, there’s so much that can be done, including witnessing rewilding initiatives through which we’ve introduced 21 species to create a new animal kingdom.”

In the ancient city of AlUla, you can enjoy camel trekking, desert camping, and stargazing under the vast desert sky.

For more adventure, hike through the Red Sands near Riyadh or explore the historic Najd region, where off-road experiences are unparalleled.

For one of the Kingdom’s most high-octane desert attractions, head to the Edge of the World, a 1,131-metre cliff within the Tuwaik mountain range, also near Riyadh. Here, you can climb to eye-watering heights for some of the most spectacular views in the country.

Passengers and crew have been praised for their bravery after they restrained and disarmed a 17-year-old attempting to board a plane in Australia with a loaded shotgun on Thursday.

The incident took place at Avalon Airport, near Melbourne, in the state of Victoria.

Victoria Police Superintendent Michael Reid said the boy entered the airport through a hole in the security fence, before approaching a Jetstar Airways plane that was preparing for take-off.

“This would have been a very terrifying incident for the passengers of that plane and Victoria Police really commend the bravery of those passengers who were able to overpower that male,” Reid said.

Reid singled out two passengers and a pilot for their roles in disarming the teenager before police arrived.

Barry Clark, a former professional boxer, was one of the passengers involved in restraining the suspect.

Clark said he noticed the boy had grown agitated at the plane’s entrance, where he was being questioned by a flight attendant.

In an interview with Network 10 television, Clark said he then spotted the gun.

After approaching the boy from behind, Clark said he “put him in a bit of a lock”, “threw him to the floor” and then held him in position by putting his knee on the boy’s back.

The teenage suspect has been charged with numerous offences, including unlawfully taking control of a plane and possessing a weapon.

Responding to the incident, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese insisted that the country’s airports have robust security.

“This incident is concerning for members of the public. I commend the work of police and aviation officials in responding to it quickly,” he said.

Ari Suss, Avalon Airport’s chief executive, said his organisation had implemented further security measures as a result of Thursday’s event.

Meanwhile, Jetstar, a budget subsidiary of Qantas Airways, said it was working with the police and the airport to understand what had happened.

The flight, which was supposed to carry about 150 people to Sydney, was cancelled.