Travel Toward Wellness is a women-owned travel company specializing in health and wellness travel programs for women living with, working through, and surviving a cancer diagnosis.

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

Your are invited you to Sappho’s birthplace and join us in these two week anniversary celebrations. Building  on the success and experience of previous festivals to offer a varied and balanced program reflecting the diverse interests of all women.

This community driven festival, in the birthplace of poet Sappho, has been envisioned, created and funded since the year 2000 by local travel agency, Sappho Travel, who are still an ongoing contributor to the promotion and development of activities by and for women, through presentation, practice and promotion of local and international exponents of education, literature, music, dance, film and art.

The annual two week festival provides the opportunity for local and international musicians, artists, performers, entertainers, scholars and  therapists to share in the practice, performance and appreciation of women’s talents in all its forms with enthusiasts of all ages.

The activities of the festival celebrate the diversity, literacy, philosophy and social justice from female participants and visitors from a variety of backgrounds and life experiences. It empowers women, their status, organizations and position in society in general through education, cultural expression and by means of their creativity.

In 10 years time, the festival has become of considerable importance to the economy of Skala Eressos, in that by organizing it, the tourist season in the village is extended for an extra month every year. This directly benefits all local businesses which rely on tourism as a source of income.

This festival is a celebration of YOU, and however you enjoy spending your time there will be something here for you. Events will include concerts, DJ sets, women only trips and boat cruises, theatrical performances, Greek dinner and dance events, open mike sessions, sports and competitions, art workshops and exhibitions, meditation and spirituality demonstrations and workshops as well as pampering and healing, alternative and traditional therapies.

Plenty of time is reserved for your typical holiday activities as well, such as sunbathing on the 3km unspoilt beach, swimming in the warm and turquoise Aegean Sea, exploring the beautiful countryside and discovering a wealth of fresh food in the many restaurants.

You can find booking and other information, including pictures and details of previous festivals, as well as this year’s program at www.womensfestival.eu.

We are still looking for artists, performers and participants, including volunteers so if you are interested in playing a part in this year’s anniversary festival please email us at womensfestival@sapphotravel.com with your ideas or offerings. We look forward to hearing from you, and to seeing you in September.

Come and celebrate this anniversary with us and treat yourself to a truly unforgettable holiday
Festival organizers Wendy Jansen & Ioanna Savva International Women’s Festival

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]]> http://www.womentravelblog.com/index.php/2010/03/lesvos-womens-festival/feed/ 0 http://www.womentravelblog.com/index.php/2010/03/journeys-of-discovery/ http://www.womentravelblog.com/index.php/2010/03/journeys-of-discovery/#comments Sat, 06 Mar 2010 01:23:18 +0000 Rosemary http://www.womentravelblog.com/?p=1168 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:]]> 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

As Gayle describes on her website, these tours are not for travel junkies, they are for those on a journey:

A Journey of Discovery is for the individual who is longing for deeper meaning and purpose in their life. Not only are they searching for an extraordinary travel experience but also a journey that speaks to their spirit and touchestheir soul. They are ready to find answers to their own “inner questions” and also open to learning and new experience. Whether it be with a Shaman in Peru, gazing into the eye of a dolphin, or a short group meditation at an ancient sacred site in Greece. All of these life-changing experiences made available to them within the contextof personalized small group, specialty travel that takes you off the beaten path.

Gayle’s tours for 2010 and 2011

Other Tours on Women Travel the World

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….

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

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.

Armed with the experience of developing her small but successful Women Travel New Zealand business , Rosemary Neave has worked with Jan Malone of Actionweb to create Women Travel the World, a worldwide travel portal.

The most exciting and useful discovery has been Google maps, a rapid, interactive, and accurate way of finding places and sites of interest. Few travel sites use this readily available facility and Rosemary urges them to consider the advantages.

“I love Google maps, as it is a brilliant facility for planning a trip, and locating exactly where places are, in relation to each other. You can zoom in and out, put labels on, send drafts to people you are travelling with, put in addresses – it is fantastic.”

Another unique characteristic of Women Travel the World is the way tour operators can add their own tours to the web calendar.
Read the rest of the article here

Venus Adventures women

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

Its a new site, but it will be interesting to see how it develops. They have a Facebook page for the site and their mission statement is

“about women of travel, not means. We exist to encourage women who sleep in hostels, pay for everything in change, work under-the-table jobs, and scrounge through countries just to see the world. If you’re not that kind of woman we aim to make you that way! And we aim to keep you safe while doing it! Our goal is to unite women of all ages who have a passion for travel. Because it’s not about age, it’s about how and why you travel. So let’s support each other! Go ahead – interact with a different culture, take initiative, discover the world.”

Julie Paterson, Venus Adventures

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. I assured everyone it was probably an interesting country full of ordinary, nice people…and what if I rephrase that and say I am going to Persia, would that make a difference? Iran was formerly called Persia, but they both conjure up completely different images. Persia – land of flying carpets, exotic places and a certain untanglible Middle Eastern mystique. Iran – religious fanatics and women covered from head to toe in black. I had to see for myself. Thus began my travels accompanied by a Persian rug dealer friend, Nick, and a couple of his Iranian business partners.

My first cultural experience was the compulsory wearing of a headscarf. Now, my only experience with headscarves evolves from my childhood when my mother wore a scarf when she had curlers in. This was definitely not good for my image. On the streets, fashionable young muslim women wore attractive headscarves with quite a bit of hair showing and makeup – they looked chic. I looked like a 1950s Doris Day housewife. The more religious ones wore the black chador, which is kind of like a huge table-cloth thrown over your head and body – it covers all of you except for your face (which probably accounts for why Iranian women have the highest percentage of nose jobs in the world). Chadors are a hassle to wear, but great if you are having a bad hair day or haven’t shaved your legs in weeks – just toss one over your head, and voilà, you’re good to go! There’s something to be said for that, girls! The first time I had to wear one myself was to go to a mosque – I could not help but feel like I was dressed up as a ghost on my way to a fancy dress party!

Iranians, as with most Muslims, are hugely hospitable, and we were well-looked after wherever we went. Whenever entering a home we were always immediately plied with cups of sweet tea drunk from small glasses and a tray of fruit. The simplicity of a typical Iranian home is something I myself aspire too: the lounge usually consists of a room filled with beautiful handmade rugs, and cushions all round the edge of the room for sitting and leaning on. At dinnertime the lounge transforms into the dining room when a plastic tablecloth is laid in the middle of the room on top of the rugs. Out would come a banquet of rice, lamb kebab, plain yoghurt, bread and vegetables – and we would sit cross-legged (great for your stomach muscles) around the food, eating with our right hand from the communal dishes. Sharing food in this way seems to bond everyone – and somehow the food tastes better when eaten off your own hands!

Driving 5000 kms in 10 days we got to see a fraction of this vast country – we traveled through and across deserts, plateaus, and mountains. We visited wealthy urban Iranians in their plush houses and poor rural Iranians in their mud homes, and we saw Qashqaii nomads migrating with their flocks of sheep, goats and donkeys. We drank lots of tea, we bartered for rugs at the bazaars, we puffed on sheesha pipes as we chatted with locals. Western tourists are definitely a novelty, and we attracted a few curious stares, but heck, it was worth it to discover this beautiful and fascinating country.

3 Sisters Adventure Trekking in Nepal

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.

In the early ninety’s no one would have dreamed of a Nepalese women guiding a trek. Nepalese society is ruled by the Orthodox Hindu religion where women are considered second-class citizens. Their role is to be a diligent wife, a loving mother, and an obedient daughter-in-law. Society dictates that a woman should not cross out of her home threshold. But the Chhetri sisters did just that.

Sisters are doing it for themselves – fantastic!  WEBSITE