PHOTO: On a 13-day Thailand AdventureWomen journey, a group spent an extraordinary day at the Patara Elephant Farm in Chiang Mai, Thailand, feeding, cleaning, washing, riding and communing with the elephants. (photo courtesy AdventureWomen)
As women's incomes increase and the number of women older than 35 continues to grow, women traveling solo is on the upswing. A new trend is gaining popularity among these women, which AdventureWomen founder Susan Eckert likes to call: "Free to be Me" travel.
This new phrase, which references the popular children's movie starring Marlo Thomas that many of these women grew up with, encompasses the philosophy behind a growing population of women who are traveling on their own but in the company of other like-minded ladies.
Women who travel with AdventureWomen, a 32-year-old company pioneering these types of adventures, say they want the opportunity to shed their day-to-day persona and step out of their routine. They list as reasons for traveling with the company: to get away without friends and family, not have to worry about wearing make-up, escape the pressures of the world and be totally and completely themselves.
More than 70 percent of AdventureWomen travelers return for a second trip with many coming back 20 or more times.
"On our trips, you are truly 'free to be me,' while exploring some of the most amazing parts of the world with those who have a similar desire," says Eckert. "Our tours are full of learning, laughter, taking risks, making new friendships and stretching the mind outside of your life back home."
AdventureWomen provides the logistics and planning portions of the trip so women can focus on the journey. Traveling in a group also provides moral support and improves safety.
The company offers 17 adventures in 2014 -- both domestic and abroad -- that allow women to do all range of activities from gorilla tracking in Rwanda and horseback riding in Iceland to hiking the Himalayas and trekking the Camino de Santiago.
The video below captures the adventures found in a 13-day tour through Thailand that included a day at an elephant farm.
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