Global surveys reveal to us that 64% of travelers are now female and 84% of solo travelers are female, demonstrating that women are not only participating in the travel industry, but shaping it. A large demographic of this 84% are young women and solo trips are becoming more like personal growth and development rites of passage.
Nevertheless, I didn’t expect surfing to teach me anything about travel, let alone life.
I still can’t stand on a board for more than a few seconds, but I will never forget the first time I caught a wave in Sri Lanka. It had just rained all night. The air was thick and warm, like the forested hills exhaling out over the Indian ocean.
I finally admitted I wasn’t going to “figure it out” alone and booked a lesson. A few awkward attempts later, something clicked. Not skill exactly, more like timing, trust, and surrender. The wave lifted me forward, and for a brief, unbelievable second, I was standing. That feeling, the split second balance between fear and clarity, stayed with me long after I fell back into the water. And I’ve realized I can say that about almost every country I’ve ever been to.
There’s always a moment: trying something new, eating, something unfamiliar, meeting someone whose entire life looks nothing like yours, and suddenly realizing how small your world used to be. The more I travel, the more I understand I have so much left to learn. And that’s the part I love most. My trips are more than stamps in my passport or countries checked off a list, they have fundamentally shaped my worldview and who I am as a person.
But somewhere along the way, I started hearing something else. From women I met, spoke to, followed online: the desire to travel is there, but so are the barriers. Time. Planning. Fatigue. Safety concerns. Not having someone to go with. Or simply not wanting the mental load of building an entire trip from scratch after already managing everything else in life.
I started to ask what if the problem isn’t desire, but access.
I built something to bridge that gap, a guided, curated experience that removes the overwhelm. When I ask myself where I’d take women if I could take them anywhere, there is no hesitation, Portugal.
Terracotta rooftops and ocean air, tiled facades that catch the light, yellow trams rattling through Lisbon, and sample Belem’s pasteis de nata so good you’ll think about them like a long lost lover. (You can never be overdramatic when it comes to Portuguese custard). There’s a reason Lisbon is now in the list of Europe’s top 10 most visited cities.
Once we’ve had our fill of neoclassical and baroque architecture, we’ll wind through the Algarve cliffs, kayak into the Bengil caves at sunset, and watch dolphins cut through the Atlantic. We’ll drink wine in the Douro Valley where the landscape looks like watercolor on canvas. And yes, we’ll find the bookstore that is so beautiful you have to buy tickets to shop there.
Who is this for?
This trip is for women who are in their post party phase of life but still longing for adventure. Women who work hard, carry a lot of responsibility and don’t have time to spend 18 tabs trying to figure out the perfect itinerary. Women who want to go somewhere beautiful, feel safe doing it, and actually enjoy the experience instead of managing it. It’s also for the woman who keeps waiting for the “right person” to travel with, and is starting to wonder if that person is herself. Consider this your permission slip.
Meet the Host
Hi. I’m Juliana Loewen. Okanagan mama of three boys, middle school foods teacher, travel journalist and content creator with over 50 countries visited.
I’m a beginner scuba diver who gets disproportionately excited about seeing lobsters in the wild and that moment in a romantasy book where enemies become lovers. I have a hard time writing emails without emojis (do they get my humor?), and feel like a kid in a candy store when I wander around an airport.
I love meeting new people and collecting their life stories like a hungry bridge troll. I can’t get enough of learning about the many walks of life we all come from.
The Details
If you found yourself reading this and thinking, ‘hey that’s me’, or ‘I also get weirdly giddy about terracotta and caves with holes in the roof’ then check out the full detailed itinerary at www.thiswildpassport.ca You might just want to join the wave of women choosing ‘solo’ group travel and saying ‘yes’ to a new adventure.
July 2-11 2026
- Roundtrip via Lisbon (flights not included, but guidance provided)
- Small group of 10 women
- 5-star accommodations throughout
- Destinations: Lisbon, Sintra, Algarve, Porto
Can’t wait to take off with you! —Juliana Loewen
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