Travel is changing for the better. And more often than not, women are the ones who lead. From female guides breaking new ground in Nepal to climate experts holding industry accountable, here are seven bold women building a brighter travel future for all.
Intrepid works with 1,250 employees and leaders from 65 countries in more than 40 offices worldwide - 60 percent of whom are women. Women are pushing for change in the travel industry, and we're working hard to create new opportunities for leaders, guides, and porters on our travels. To this end, we even launched Dedicated female missionsLed by female guides and designed for female travelers. You can check our gender equality policies over here.
Want to meet the next generation of travel? Here are seven inspiring women who changed their adventures forever.
Chama Ami is the first Berber female guide in Morocco
Chama is the first tour guide from her Berber region, the Ait Bouguimez Valley in Morocco's High Atlas Mountains. She is also one of the youngest Girl Guides in the country. "It was very difficult for my Amazigh community to accept a veiled Muslim girl as a tour guide," she says. “Life in the mountains is tough. Most of the girls get married at a very young age, and many of them don’t end up completing their studies. My family doesn’t know much about tourism, but they always supported me. They told me I was a fighter.”
It was a challenge for me to drop everything and follow my dream. A dream that some considered impossible or unacceptable.
Shama uncle, intrepid guide
After studying computer management, Shama started working as a freelance guide in Marrakech. She joined Intrepid in 2018 and now leads many of our trips to Morocco, incl Women's Journey. "The women-only Intrepid tour was one of the best guided tours I've ever had," she says. “When you travel with a group of women, you express yourself more freely. You can wear whatever you want, do whatever you want. Traveling is one of the best gifts a woman can give herself.”
You can follow the adventures of Chama (she climbs a lot of mountains in her spare time) on it Instagram page. She says, “Life is about challenges, and I love to challenge myself. I will never stop.”
Srishti Lama Tamang pierces the roof of the mountains of Nepal
Srishti's office is the roof of the world. She spends her days guiding our trekking adventures in Nepal, hiking through the Annapurna ranges, exploring the forests of Pokhara, or leading travelers to Everest Base Camp. In the male-dominated world of Nepali trekking, she represents a new wave of local talent. Like many guides in the country, she started out as a porter.
“Being a porter was unforgettable, but it came with many challenges,” Srishti says. “The first time I took a trip, I had to hold the bag over my head, and it hurt. My friends and family kept telling me, 'Don't do this, you can't do this.' But I wanted to. I needed to challenge myself, especially if I wanted to Become a leader."
Trekking culture in Nepal has always been a very masculine realm, but porters and guides like Srishti are beginning to change expectations. "In Nepalese culture, girls have to work inside the house, so there are few Girl Guides working in the high mountains," she says. "People think, because of our culture, that they can't do it. But they can. I'm very happy with my job. I enjoy my life. I'm independent."
Sofi Wer works to reduce plastic waste in Guatemala
There are children in Guatemala today who have pure and clean drinking water, thanks to that Sophie Ware. She has been leading daredevils here since 2014.
"When I started running tours, I noticed how serious the problem with getting water was," she says. “Our country doesn't have a recycling program, and in the dorms, locals were buying big plastic water jugs. School kids, the cheapest water they had was in these little plastic bags, and all that plastic ends up in Lake Atitlan.”
Sophie decided to do something about it, so she partnered with a water filtration company, ecofiltro, and began asking intrepid travelers to insert filters. And it worked. Within a few years, she was able to bring clean water to it San Jorge La Laguna On the shores of Lake Atitlan. "Now every kid at school has his own cup, which he just refills," says Sophie. “At home they stopped buying everything in plastic. They just refill the water from the tap.”
It's a direct influence, and I really want to keep it going. I'm on a mission.
Sophie Weir, an intrepid leader
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, tour groups and funds dried up, so Sofi set out to create a program GoFundMe page To keep clean water flowing. It was so successful that within a few days it exceeded its goal, raising nearly $1,000 for local families in regional Guatemala. Now you want to expand the liquidation program to other villages.
"When I first started these stays, the owners' floors were dirty," she says. “Now they have their own rooms for visitors and they send their kids off to university. Effect is not that complicated, you know? In the end, it's really easy.”
Juana and Valentina bear the burden in Peru
Next time you trek along the Inca Trail in the Peruvian Andes, keep an eye out for Valentina Cinch Quispe and Joanna Cinch Huaman—Intrepid's first-ever bras in Peru.
Juana (55), a widow from Huilloc, near Ollantaytambo. She has been running the Inca Trail for the past three years. “I needed extra income to help my daughter. I just had a baby and she's a single mother,” says Joanna. “It's hard to have a steady income as a weaver, and women don't have many other opportunities, especially at my age. But when I saw my friends turn porters, I knew I could do it myself! "
To the young women, I say, don't be afraid to do it. You are never alone.
Joanna Cinci Huamann, Basil Porter
Joanna is traveling with Porter's boss, Valentina, 44, who works hard to feed her five children in Huilloc. Both women choose to go on a hybrid trek of traditional Quechan women's clothing and daring mountain gear. “I always wanted to know the Inca Trail, because my husband works there as a chef,” says Valentina. “I like to feel free in my work. It's also a lot less crowded than at home!”
Joanna and Valentina want young Kochan women to break free from gender stereotypes and start thinking about portability as a serious career move. They say it's hard work, but it's worth it. "For young women, don't be afraid to do it," says Joanna. “You are never alone. There is always a family of bras to support you.”
Dr. Susan Etty is in charge of the travel industry
Climatologist Dr. Suzanne Etty is the full-time Intrepid Environmental Impact Specialist. Its job is to drive our climate action, incl Science-based climate goals And moving way, beyond carbon neutral (which we Achieve back in 2010).
“The tourism industry is at the forefront of the climate emergency,” Dr. Etti says. “We have a front row seat to the unfolding crisis. At the same time, before COVID hit, the industry was contributing eight percent of global greenhouse emissions. I believe this period will redefine tourism in the future. While COVID-19 is not a solution For climate change, it is he is a catalyst for more ambitious action."
We have a front row seat to the unfolding crisis. I believe that this period will redefine tourism in the future.
Dr. Susan Etty
After a career in academia that took her all over the world, Dr. Etti jumped into the corporate sector, working with multinational oil and gas companies in Thailand and helping them become more sustainable. Now she wants to bring the entire travel industry with her, especially when it comes to climate and gender equality.
"The female perspective has definitely shaped Intrepid's climate action plan," she says. “In fact, one of the steps of our seven-point climate plan is the empowerment of women. Gender equality is a key pillar in the industry-wide fight for a healthier planet.”
Zinzi Bobani is pushing for change in South Africa
"We have a saying in Africa," says Zinzi Bobani, Intrepid's chief financial officer in South Africa. “When you empower women, you empower the nation.”
Zinzi knows a thing or two about empowerment. After starting her travel career as a receptionist—at just 19 and a high school graduate—she worked her way up to operations clerk, then reservations consultant, then accountant. She now handles the finances of DMC (the destination management company - the crew that runs our intrepid flights on Earth).
Zinzi played an important role in the latest Intrepid movie B Corp Recertification (An exhausting sustainability audit of our entire global operations). "I have provided all our financial statements and information about our governance, controls and transparency in South Africa," she says. “South Africa is known for its beautiful landscapes, national parks and reserves, and we have certainly done a lot to preserve these treasures. So far we have had the ‘Green Tourism Incentives Programme’, set up by the Ministry of Tourism to help companies implement more sustainable travel.”
Zinzi says she's starting to see a change in gender equality, too, with more young women building businesses, or starting work in the travel sector. “We're slowly seeing more and more women occupying key positions in travel, and these women are opening doors for others. It's really heart-warming.”
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