For those who living with and beyond cancer, it is sometimes a struggle to hope again, to regain confidence and self love.  A new travel company Travel Toward Wellness based in Seattle has been set up to focus on the needs of these women. Their current programmes include a weekend in the San Juan Islands, shopping in Tuscany and  spa retreat in Sausalito, California – and more are planned. Read more

4th to 18th of September 2010

The village of Skala Eressos on Lesvos Island in Greece will host the 10th anniversary of the International Women’s Festival. Read more

In the network of Women Owned Travel businesses around the world, Gayle Lawrence’s Journeys of Discovery have always been out there and visible with a great range of trips that touch the soul.

I have just updated the Tour Calendar at Women Travel the World with her latest tours and what a choice there is:

• Meditation and service in Bhutan
• encounters with Humpback Whales in the Dominican Republic  (get in early for 2011 these sell out very fast!)
• Women’s Quest to Avalon in Britain
• A writing retreat in Mexico Read more

So many to choose from – that is the only problem…

Accommodation Options:

Women Travel the World websites lists 6 options in the South of Spain – from the fabulous women only Diva Espana (I have stayed there, and would gladly have stayed longer) to a new listing near Almeria that offers horse riding as part of the package. Search

Tour Options

The Women Travel the World website Tour Calendar lists tours for women – most of them are women only and cater especially for women travellers.  There are walking, writing courses, painting, horse riding, and riding and writing courses

Women Tour Companies

What are we waiting for….

Picture yourself swilling wine in a hot tub at the end of an invigorating day’s bush hike, or relaxing in a country pub having biked the classic Otago Rail Trail, or taking a dip in the turquoise waters of the glorious Abel Tasman after sea kayaking to a golden beach…

do these things sound like something you would like to experience? Well, read on, because your prayers have finally been answered!

As busy women we often have a myriad of (often feeble) excuses why we don’t do things for ourselves. But let’s face it: there is never an excuse good enough for not doing something positive for yourself – like taking a well-deserved short break somewhere!

Venus Adventures – Trips for Women – is now offering a range of short breaks within New Zealand (and Europe) for women who, well, just need a break! The breaks include anything from culture to adventures, and are always a lot of fun, and the website is a one-stop shop for short breaks for women.

The idea behind women-only trips is to help women escape their everyday roles and routines as busy mums, wives or workers, and to get away with the girls and have some fun!

“More and more women are realizing the importance of getting away from it all and letting someone else do all the organizing for a change”; says Julie Paterson, founder and owner of Venus Adventures Trips for Women. “Women naturally bond and network easily. Doing a trip which gets you out of your comfort zone a little is easier in a supportive women’s group. It’s a great environment in which to try new things. But, depending on the trip, we also indulge in fun things like spas and a little retail-therapy! Age also doesn’t matter as long as the spirit is there!”

All you have to do is get yourself to the trip starting point and all the rest is taken care of. So what are you waiting for? Your next adventure is just a mouse click away…for more information visit www.shortbreaksforwomen.com.

By Julie Paterson

Venus Adventures – Trips for Women

www.venusadventures.travel

www.shortbreaksforwomen.com

Ceridwyn Parr writes in  NZ Business about the setting up of Women Travel the World as an international website based in the small rural town of Waipu in Northland New Zealand:

The tiny Northland village of Waipu may seem an unlikely base for a global travel website, but Rosemary Neave has not let that hold her back. Ceridwyn Parr reports. Read more

Julie Paterson director of Venus Adventures Women’s Travel talks about women’s tours to exotic places. There is even a photo of me and the rest of my Moroccan travel friends dressed up in turbans and lying on carpets….

View the four minute clip here

Arden and Debbie are two young women who love travel and have turned that love into a new travel website Anglophone Goddess Traveler. Read more

Julie from Venus Adventures writes: “What! You’re going to Iran?!“ By the way my friends reacted to my announcement that I was going to Iran on holiday, anyone would have thought I had just flung a towel-cum-turban around my head and said that I was off to join Al Qaeda. Read more

I have written about the New Zealand based company Trekking 4 Women – a New Zealand site where Anne Young organises treks for women in Nepal and Africa. Today I came across the Three sisters Adventure Trekking Company where three Nepalese sisters Lucky, Dicky and Nicky Chhetri, are pioneers in the field of female trekking guides. Since 1994, they have worked towards empowering women in Nepal.

Read more