Women are increasingly trading solo adventures for shared experiences on the trail, with a growing appetite for hiking holidays built around friendship, community and confidence rather than going it alone.
New research shows 21 per cent of women are planning a women-only trip this year – almost double the figure recorded just two years ago – as more travellers seek connection alongside adventure.
For GirlsTrek founder Frith Hudson Graham, the boom began with a simple conversation around the dinner table.
She and a friend wanted to create a space where women could challenge themselves outdoors without the pressure or competitiveness often associated with adventure travel.
“We had two trips in the first year, then we started introducing international travel. Then it just grew really quickly. We went from two to 13 trips in three years,” Hudson Graham said.
Bookings for GirlsTrek have surged 64 per cent over the past two years, with departures including Peru’s Huayhuash Circuit, Nepal’s Ama Dablam and Gokyo Lakes trek, and Portugal’s Fishermen’s Way among the first to sell out.
The trend extends beyond one operator. Google searches for “female travel” tripled in the 12 months to February 2026, signalling growing demand for travel experiences designed specifically for women.
While solo travel has become more mainstream, many women still prefer the reassurance and companionship of travelling as part of a group. A recent survey commissioned by the Tourism & Transport Forum Australia found 43 per cent of women would consider travelling alone if it was with an organised tour, compared with 34 per cent of men.
Hudson Graham believes the appeal goes beyond safety.
“Independent travel is great until you want to go out for dinner, and then you’re on your own,” she said.
“You’re sitting there looking around, everyone’s having fun, but who’s cementing the memory there with me?”
More than just a holiday
For 48-year-old mother Lindsay Cartwright, a GirlsTrek expedition through Peru became something far bigger than a hiking trip.
Months after surgery to remove an abdominal tumour, she struggled with the emotional comedown that followed her physical recovery. While everyone around her celebrated that she was healthy again, she found herself slipping straight back into the demands of work, motherhood and everyday life.
Recognising she needed something to focus on, her husband booked her onto the Peru trek.
At first, Cartwright doubted whether her body was ready for eight days of high-altitude hiking. But with encouragement from her guide, she approached the challenge one step at a time.
The biggest transformation, she said, wasn’t physical.
It was rediscovering herself beyond the roles of wife, mother and professional.
She believes too many women spend years putting everyone else first, and said completing the trek – 14 years after becoming a mum – was one of the proudest things she had ever done for herself.
For Hudson Graham, those moments are what GirlsTrek is really selling.
“I have people in tears with me, telling me how much they love GirlsTrek,” she said.
“I love hiking and I really love food and wine. But what I love most is helping women realise they’re so much more capable than they think.”
