Meet The Fearless Women in Adventure Travel

Meet The Fearless Women in Adventure Travel 

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day (March 8) is #BalanceforBetter. It focuses on how a more gender-balanced world can create a far better working environment for all.

According to a report by the journey Travel Trade Association, women are long under-represented within the outdoor travel scene, especially in leadership positions.

A report entitled call at Front: Tracking Women’s Leadership in Adventure Travel stated that while women made up 60%-70% of the travel industry, only 38% of board positions were held by females within the adventure sector. There also are significantly fewer female guides on the average, especially in developing destinations.

But, women are starting to break down the barriers of this male-dominated sector, and along side the increase of the feminine adventurer and women’s-only travel providers, there's a marked increase in women taking over more leadership roles.

Here are a couple of driven, fearless women from round the world who are working a day to form their mark in adventure travel:

Payal Mehta

Expedition Leader – India, Nepal & Bhutan

Natural Habitat Adventures

City girl Payal Mehta’s love for the outside led her to become a Natural Habitat Expedition Leader, guiding travellers through the remote and wild areas of India, Nepal and Bhutan, despite growing up in Mumbai.

Once a member of an elite training programme for India safari guides, she started leading tours in India’s Kanha Park, and is now a multi-disciplinary wilderness specialist and trained mountaineer. As a Natural Habitat guide, she expounds on the character and native culture that she and her groups explore together. She translates, teaches, and storytells – while ensuring the trip runs smoothly. Mehta was a part of an all-women mountaineering expedition up the 6,420m high Mount White Sail within the Himalayas.

Her future goals are to possess her own wildlife tourism project near a forest.

To Mehta, International Women’s Day means “saluting and celebrating all the ladies within the past who fought for women’s place in society. It’s due to them that ladies get to enjoy their life because it is today.”

Maritza Chacacanta

Deputy Operations Manager – Treks, Inca Trail

Exodus Travels

Proud single mother and former Inca Trail Guide Maritza Chacacanta worked her high to become Deputy Operations Manager of Exodus Travels. Despite many challenges, and having to require up special training courses and compete with the simplest within the field, she succeeded, not only in leading Exodus Travels’ signature Inca treks, but she now also manages its operations while collaborating with porters, horse wranglers, and guides.

“To the only mothers out there, it’s important to understand that you simply aren't alone. You’ll have a successful career while being a successful mum.”

It is her goal to develop projects associated with the environment, like reforestation, clean campaigns, and to coach her staff on how important it's to require care of the environment, not just to profit their treks, but to share the results with their community.

To Chacacanta, International Women’s Day means rights and gender equality. “It is that the freedom to form your decisions and be free from violence and discrimination,” she said.

Alice Goodridge

Adventure Coordinator – Scotland

Wilderness Scotland

As an extreme cold water swimmer, Alice Goodridge keeps a sledgehammer in her car during winter, in order that she will go swimming anytime and anywhere, regardless of how frozen the lochs could also be. The brave woman isn't scared of a touch physical discomfort, which is one among reasons she wanted to become an Adventure Coordinator for Wilderness Scotland.

The company runs the acute trips that she always wanted to experience herself, so now, she will combine her love for the outside together with her expertise in organizing sustainable adventure holidays.

In 2012, Goodridge swam the 34km English Channel, and last year, the length of the 35km Loch Lomond, which took her overnight from 6PM to eight subsequent morning.

She also completed an Ice Mile last year, which may be a mile (1.6km) in water but 5C° without a wetsuit.

As for her future goals, she wants to challenge herself during a discipline that she isn't so conversant in.

“I am currently working through my sea kayaking qualifications, with the hope of becoming a sea kayak guide within the future, “she said.

She says that there's still tons of inequality within the outdoor activity sector and International Women’s Day means taking a better look and seeing what are often done about it.

“In Britain, 51% of the society is female. Yet, there are fewer females participating within the sorts of outdoor activities likely to steer to the interest, skill and motivation to pursue a career during this area. I desire to ascertain greater equality within the outdoor activity sector and a better percentage of female guides leading walking, biking and paddling trips in Britain,” she said.

Laura Adams

Explorer, Consultant & Artist – British Columbia, Canada

Adventure Canada

Adventure Canada expedition guide Laura Adams is additionally knowledgeable member of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and therefore the Canadian Avalanche Association also because the fifth woman in Canada to become a totally certified winter Ski Guide. She features a Master’s degree in Leadership that specialize in deciding and risk management in mountain environments. In her spare time, Adams coaches women in leadership and backcountry skills. She also mentors all who aspire to a career in Professional Mountain guiding.

In January, she led a little group expedition to Northern China, on the brink of the borders of Kazakhstan, Russia, and Mongolia, to experience the traditional Tuvan mountain culture, and to ski-tour among the Golden Mountains of the region.

She is that specialize in increasing awareness, stewardship, and leadership of those special places and cultures through her expeditions, art, and speaking presentations.

To Adams, we should always all be thankful for the ladies in our lives, and therefore the communities who live life with courage, integrity and dignity, who make a real difference in their own also as others’ lives.