Travel, girl: Top women-friendly destinations around the world

Budget flights and affordable social stay accommodations have rendered travel less no longer impossibly expensive. But after deciding where and when to go, finding someone to go with is the next problem. Not everyone has a travel buddy, and it's not that easy to simply give in to wanderlust; especially if you're a woman. 

 

Adventurous as we girls may wish to be, safety is always a concern and while travelers must always be careful, some places are safer than others for women.

As featured on travel website Smarter Travel and travel blog Solo Traveler, here are some women-friendly destinations to check out. 

 

Caribbean or Mexican?

 

First on Smarter Travel's list of 10 fabulous female friendly destinations is Dominica in Lesser Antilles. "Dominica stands out from much of the rest of the Caribbean for its natural beauty, friendly people, lack of sprawling development, and low crime rate," the site said. 
 

Next on the list is Charleston, South Carolina. "Charleston's historic district is a place the solo female traveler can enjoy during daylight as well as evening hours with complete comfort," Smarter Travel quoted Debra Asberry, a South Carolina native. Asberry is also the president and founder of Women Traveling Together, which offers small group tours for solo women travelers.

 

Oaxaca, Mexico, is third on their list for being friendly and easy to navigate. According to Smarter Travel, locals and tourists mix freely in the streets and markets.

 

For the artistically inclined, spiritual travel company Journeys of the Spirit offers a weeklong women's retreat to Oaxaca called Becoming the Supreme Artist of Your Life. The tour includes visits to some of Oaxaca's cultural and historical attractions as well as daily classes in spiritual and creative arts.

 

Bucolic France, New England spas

 

For beautiful scenery, friendly people, and plenty of quiet spots for reflection, Provence, 

France is fourth on Smarter Travel's list. "Whenever we stopped at a village, I always found a little spot to be alone and absorb what I was seeing. I spent my free time taking pictures of doorways, gates, gardens," they quoted Californian Diane Korellis. 

 

According to Smarter Travel, Korellis traveled to the region with her mother on a women-only escorted tour with Gutsy Women Travel, which offers guided vacations exclusive for women. 

 

Meanwhile, Berkshires, Massachusetts was listed for its natural beauty, quaint New England villages, world-class arts, museums, spas, and health centers.

 

Visitors can go to the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, which houses over 700 of Rockwell's paintings and drawings. At the Mount Estate and Gardens in Lenox, they can visit the stately home novelist Edith Wharton designed and built.

 

For entertainment, there are daily outdoor concerts put on by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, performances by national and international dance companies in Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, and a year-round theater program at the Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield and Shakespeare and Company in Lenox.

 

Also in Lenox, the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health offers yoga and relaxation retreats as well as short courses in topics such as healthy living, athletics, Eastern philosophies, mental well-being.

 

Can't go wrong with Bali 

 

Finding what women want may be as simple as a trip to Bali, Indonesia, also included in Smarter Travel's list.

"Bali is all the things women love," said Chelsea Huntley, noting the island has affordable spas, great shopping, delicious dining, sunset cocktails, warm ocean water, tropical weather, and lots of opporutnity to delve into the fascinating Balinese Hindu culture.

 

Of course, safety is the most important thing, and according to Huntley, women can walk around day and night in Bali without getting worried.

"The people of Bali are super friendly and you don't have to worry about offending them as there are no clothing restrictions or strict behavioral taboos," said Huntley, founder of Surf Goddess Retreats, told Smarter Travel. Surf Goddess Retreats runs women's surf and spa retreats on the island.

 

For a good dose of adventure mixed with cultural travel, Smarter Travel recommends Machu Picchu and Cuzco, Peru.

 

"The area of Cuzco and Machu Picchu combines great beauty with a strong sense of connection to a past culture, evident both in the ruins of Machu Picchu and the descendants of the Incan Empire that still live [in the area] today," Marian Marbury, founder of Adventures in Good Company, said in the article.

 

They noted that the region's fairly well developed tourism infrastructure makes it easy to get around and arrange tours. "Although basic cautions should be exercised, the destination is a good one for female travelers," they said.

 

You can have adventures 

 

If you're looking for adventure, Queenstown, New Zealand, was listed as an ideal place for women with its relaxed, fun-loving vibe. 

 

"Many of the area's guides and adventure company owners are women, and it seems a foregone conclusion that women should be as active and confident as their male counterparts," the article said.

 

Travelers can choose from traditional activities like hiking and rafting to more unusual Kiwi-invented sports like river boarding and canyon swinging.

 

Ninth on the list is Central Baja, Mexico, described as "a place of amazing physical beauty, diverse wildlife, more authentic Mexican culture, and welcoming small towns."

 

According to the article, activities in Central Baja include kayaking among the marine animals and islands in the Sea of Cortez, as well as the art and mind-body opportunities of the Pacific coastal town of Todos Santos.

"On a trip to the region, you can satisfy your sense of adventure and renew your spiritual and physical health," they said.

 

According to Smarter Travel, ranch vacations have long been a popular choice for women, whether traveling solo or with others.

 

"All ranches are a little bit different, but on a typical ranch vacation, you'll stay in homey, rustic style (but often luxurious) accommodations, eat three hearty home-cooked meals per day, go riding once or twice a day, take part in other activities such as hiking or fly-fishing, and enjoy old-fashioned Western hospitality," they said, recommending Arizona Guest Ranches.

 

To learn riding skills and understanding horse behavior, women can join the five-day "CowGirl Camp" at the historic hacienda-style Rancho de la Osa Guest Ranch, which is run by mostly women.

 

At Kay El Bar Guest Ranch, women-only vacation packages include personalized riding lessons, instruction in cattle sorting and horse catching, and nightly entertainment with local musicians and writers.

 

Amsterdam? Yes!

 

Meanwhile, Solo Traveler recommended finding places where English is spoken.

 

For outdoor types, they recommend the Lake District. "It’s easy to see why this area was the inspiration for much of Wordsworth’s poetry. Walking by day. A pint at the local pub by night. It’s a perfect solo travel destination," they said.

 

They also recommend Amsterdam, which they described as family friendly, even with the red light district. "It is a place where women, pedestrians, and cyclists are all respected," they said.

 

Sometimes, the journey itself can be a rewarding experience. Solo Traveler recommended traveling across Canada by train, describing it as a fabulous experience for a woman traveling alone.

 

"On route, you make friends, pick up a card game, have cocktails at 5PM. . .In first class where people have bedrooms, it's not quite as social," they said.

 

Solo Traveler also got recommendations from Twitter, which included New Zealand, Thailand, Chile, Australia, the Netherlands, Seoul, and Baguio in the Philippines. – KDM, GMA News