Empowering Women Through Travel: Tips and Trips to Commemorate International Women's Day

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a day reserved for celebrating the contributions and achievements of women across the world. At Global Family Travels, we understand the important roles that travel and tourism play in supporting and empowering women across the world and in promoting sustainable development. Keep reading to learn more and how you can support these causes!

Rights, Justice, and Action – 2026 International Women’s Day Theme

The theme for International Women’s Day 2026 highlights the global call for “Rights, Justice, and Action for All Women and Girls.” This theme emphasizes the importance of moving beyond awareness and accelerating meaningful progress toward gender equality worldwide.

The United Nations continues to stress the importance of investing in women’s education, health, and economic empowerment as key drivers of sustainable development. When women have equal opportunities to participate in economic and community life, the benefits extend far beyond individuals to strengthen families, communities, and entire nations.

In their influential book Half the Sky, New York Times columnists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn highlight how expanding opportunities for women can be one of the most powerful forces for reducing poverty and driving social progress. Their message echoes the UN’s call for continued action to ensure women and girls have the resources, opportunities, and rights needed to thrive.

These ideas are closely reflected in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 5: Gender Equality, which underscores the importance of empowering women and girls worldwide.

Gender Equality (Global Goal 5): Why it Matters  

Gender Equality is the fifth of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). The UN recognizes gender equality not only as a fundamental human right, but also as a necessary foundation for building a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world. Ensuring women have equal access to education, healthcare, economic opportunities, and leadership roles strengthens communities and supports more sustainable and resilient societies for generations to come.

As a company that is entirely women-founded and women-owned, Global Family Travels is especially dedicated to these goals, and we would like to share a few meaningful travel tips and trips to empower women and girls on your next travel adventure! 

Travel Tips to Empower Women and Girls 

Travel and tourism activities have the potential to contribute positively to almost all 17 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals through its impacts on promoting decent jobs.  Improving gender equality is a critical tourism activity, as the UNWTO states: “As one of the sectors with the highest share of women employed and entrepreneurs, tourism can be a tool for women to unlock their potential, helping them to become fully engaged and lead in every aspect of society. A sustainable future for all involves ending discrimination against women and girls.” 

Statistics reveal that 54% of people employed in tourism are women, yet they hold less than 40% of the managerial positions and earn 14.7% less than men (UNWTO).  As travelers, we can choose meaningful ways to spend our time and money, to empower women and girls in the tourism sector.   Here are a few meaningful travel tips to support gender equality on your next adventure! 

1.  Support Women-owned Businesses & Use Female Guides on Your Next Trip! 

When women generate income, they invest it in their families and communities, therefor supporting women-owned businesses is a worthy investment. No matter where you’re traveling to, we recommend doing a little research on what hotels, restaurants and stores are owned by women as much as you can! Also, a fun and fulfilling part of traveling is engaging with these women in the community you are visiting, and of course shopping for handicrafts made by hard-working women as a memory of your trip!   

A great resource to learn how to support women-owned businesses is Unearth Women, an empowering women’s travel magazine and resources that lifts women’s voices and creates feminist city guides.

Another great way to empower women on your next adventure is to hire female tour guides and drivers. For example, a great way to see the medieval Pink City of Jaipur, India is to do a tour on an ecofriendly Pink City rickshaw, driven by smart, enthusiastic and well trained women.

2.     Support Girls Education  

Educating girls has an enormous impact on a society, particularly in the some of the poorest countries of the world where an estimated 31 million girls are not enrolled in school.   Education is essential to break the cycle of poverty, and looking at the big picture: Girls who receive an education marry later, have fewer children, and are more likely to seek healthcare for themselves and their children, and as women they are more likely to have economic opportunities that wouldn't otherwise be available. 

When you travel next, why not find a way to support literacy for girls in the destination you visit? While there are many global initiatives to support girls education, two non-profits you can research before you venture off are:

• Room to Read, an organization that partners with schools to establish libraries and advocate with governments to ensure every child has access to child-friendly library, specifically focuses on girls’ education and early primary school for literacy acquisition and secondary school.

• Working to help keep girls in school is Days for Girls (DfG), an organization that addresses period poverty by producing and distributing washable, sustainable menstrual period pads (DfG Kits) and delivering vital health education.  

3. Empower Women through Skills Training and Community-based Tourism 

Investment in skills training for women in the tourism sector leads to greater outcomes for gender equality. Unskilled women are often pushed into the informal sector and prone to manipulation, therefore we recommend looking for ways to support these training initiatives when you travel.  

Photo Credit: Awamaki

In Peru's Sacred Valley, for example, you can visit and engage with female artisans at Awamaki, a nonprofit whose mission is to give rural Andean women a skills-based education and connect them to the global marketplace through tourism. Tourism allows these women to access the cash economy and to invest in their families. They can buy food, pay school fees, or put on a new roof or floor.  

When you plan a trip of a lifetime to the beautiful Island of Bali, think about doing an Exchange for Change tour in support of Bali Wise, an organization that offers a 6-month skills in hospitality class to empower marginalized women.

Learn, Serve & Immerse Adventures to support Women’s Empowerment and Community-Based Tourism

Here at Global Family Travels, our mission is to use travel as means to foster global citizens and support local communities in the destinations we work in. Empowering women through travel is a central aspect of our work, and many of our retreats are guided or facilitated by inspiring female leaders, healers, and cultural ambassadors.

Many of our journeys are designed as transformative wellness retreats, inviting travelers—especially women—to blend holistic self-care with meaningful cultural connection and a deeper relationship with Mother Earth. Through mindfulness practices, community engagement, and immersive cultural experiences, these retreats encourage personal renewal while supporting the communities and environments that host us.

🌿👉Explore our wellness journeys here.

Rooted in our Learn, Serve, and Immerse travel pillars, these journeys support gender equality by uplifting women’s leadership, education, and entrepreneurship while fostering meaningful cultural exchange. Below are a few trips that highlight these values.

Compassion in the Himalayas: A Retreat with Buddhist Nuns in Ladakh, India

Step into Ladakh, India, a Himalayan sanctuary where ancient Buddhist traditions and dramatic landscapes inspire deep renewal. In June 2026, Global Family Travels offers a special retreat dedicated to supporting Buddhist nuns in Ladakh and the important role they play in their communities.

This experience blends cultural immersion with personal reflection, offering the opportunity to learn from nuns who care for their fragile mountain homeland while guiding others through compassion, mindfulness, and spiritual practice. Through shared dialogue, meditation, and daily interactions, travelers gain insight into the powerful role these women play in preserving Buddhist traditions while advancing education, sustainability, and leadership for women in the Himalayas.

India: Celebrating Women, Culture & Community During Holi

Timed to coincide with the vibrant festival of Holi, this 9-day journey through North India highlights organizations and social enterprises that are creating opportunities for women and strengthening communities. Travelers will experience India’s cultural treasures while meeting inspiring women leaders and visiting initiatives focused on education, artisan livelihoods, and community development. From exploring historic cities and colorful markets to celebrating Holi alongside local communities, this joyful journey offers a meaningful way to engage with India’s living traditions.

As one of our travelers reflected in a blog post about our 2025 journey:

"Traveling through India with a group of women during Holi was both exhilarating and meaningful—guided by local women who helped us experience the country’s culture, history, and spirit in a deeply personal way."

Rwanda: Women’s Empowerment & Wildlife Adventure

From urban to rural, Global Family Travels ultimate Rwanda adventure to empower women gives travelers a deeper understanding of how Rwanda is seen as a global leader for the economic and political empowerment of women, and through this are able to provide a higher level of education, health care and standard of living for themselves and dependents.

Since the devastating genocide of 1994, Rwandan leadership has helped to amplify gender equality and narrow the gender gap and the country is revered as the most pro-woman country in the world. Participants on this heartfelt Learn, Serve and Immerse 10-day journey to Rwanda will have an opportunity to learn firsthand about this remarkable achievement through engaging visits with representatives of non-profit organizations, who will share and their initiatives and programs supporting community members and women, and experience life and culture in the Kigali region.

Uplifting Women in Travel through Community Partnerships

As a woman-owned company, it is important to us that Global Family Travels work with other woman-owned travel partners to uplift the women’s travel community as a whole. Below are a couple of our travel partners that we align with this important goal:

Women Travel Leaders: Our Founder, Jennifer Spatz is a member of Women Travel Leaders (WTL), is an inspirational and influential group of female business owners, executives, influencers, journalists, managers, and directors from around the world. The WTL mission is to elevate diverse female industry professionals through community connections, peer-to-peer coaching, tailored community lead learning, and masterminding.

Wanderful:  If you’re feeling extra inspired to take the leap into solo world travel (or you’re just a fan of a good read!) we encourage you to read Wander Woman, by Beth Santos, the founder of another one of our partners, Wanderful.  In this book, you will uncover the best tips for solo-woman travel to allow you to have the most rewarding and empowering experience possible, while traveling sustainably and ethically.  And, Global Family Travels is proudly mentioned in the book!  

Champion Female empowerment and gender equality!

As travelers, we have the power to make choices which support the empowerment of women and girls across the globe. Women make 80% of travel decisions and comprise two-thirds of all travelers. It is important for us to make an active effort to engage in travel which uplifts and empowers women, whether that be through volunteering for local organizations or supporting women-owned businesses.

It is important, not only today, but each and every day for us to champion female empowerment and gender equality. Whether abroad or in your own community, we hope you find a way to celebrate and honor the milestone that is International Women’s Day!