We want you to feel completely comfortable on our trips, so we have made sure to cover all the issues you may be worried about. If you still have questions you can also contact us.
Something magical happens when a small group of women feel a kinship with one another in a place of great beauty and culture. The story-telling, the dreams, the heartbreak, the laughter and the discovery all meld together to create a completely different experience than going by yourself, with your family, or on a large packaged group trip.
We try to find the essence of every place we visit. It’s in the food, the wine, the architecture, the natural beauty, and most importantly, in the people. These are highly-curated, small-group trips for discerning travelers. But we’re not chasing luxury for luxury’s sake. We'll always eat and drink extremely well, but mix it up between local cafes/bistros and Michelin star restaurants. We stay in chateaux and castles, and also farm houses and private homes. We go truffle hunting; we meet with authors and artists; we drink wine with boat captains. These are trips for those who would never be caught dead on a guided bus-driven tour with 50 people following a flag.
About 85% of the women who travel with us are traveling solo, but you'll never feel alone. As soon as you arrive, you’ll be greeted by a bevy of new friends - you just haven't met them yet! By the end of our first dinner together, we'll have shared our stories and laughed and laughed and laughed. By the end of the week, you'll have made friends that can last a life-time. It's super common for women who have met on a Girls' Guide trip to travel together on other trips, with us and independently.
Our trips are small groups, usually 6-8 women, occasionally 10. We feel a small group size is more conducive to the connection we make with one another, and doesn't overwhelm the places we visit with our presence. Plus, being able to sit together at the dinner table and regale each other with stories is so much fun!
The women who travel with us come from all backgrounds, ethnicities and nationalities. They’re single or widowed, married with husbands who can’t or don’t want to travel, or just want a new experience.
Those who aren't traveling solo are mothers & daughters, sisters, and close friends who travel together.
Our trips are English speaking, so everyone should have English as their first language or speak English comfortably.
We welcome women of all ages (over 21) on our trips. That said, the most common age range is probably 45-65, but there are plenty of women on both ends of that range who join us. Our only requirement is that everyone have good mobility as there's a reasonable amount of walking around on our trips. But perhaps most importantly, we want our travelers to have a "joie de vivre" and an openness to meet new people and have new experiences.
All our trips are organized and priced based on single occupancy at all the places we stay. Everyone gets their own fabulous room! However, if you're traveling with a friend or a family member and prefer to share a room, we can typically offer you a discount. We don't match you with guests you don’t already know, and we NEVER charge a single supplement.
Occasionally, when we stay in private Chateaux properties that are older homes, some might need You'll always be informed of this beforehand and normally we'll offer a price reduction to all those affected..
Some trips are more active than others. For example, Gorilla trekking in Rwanda requires a higher level of physical fitness than a retreat in Fiji.
In general, we require that everyone be able to walk 3-4 miles over the course of a day, and be comfortable navigating stairs and uneven sidewalks or paths. Many of the places we visit, especially in Europe, will have cobblestone streets and infrastructure that pre-dates modern conveniences like elevators.
If you have any concerns just ask us!
As long as we know ahead of time, we can accommodate almost any dietary restriction. But some destinations are more limiting than others. For example, It's harder to find gluten-free options in Japan because of the prevalence of soy sauce in the cuisine (which is typically not gluten-free). If you have any concerns just ask us!
Our complete Cancellation Policy can be found here. But in a nutshell, all payment made towards a trip are non-refundable. It's the only way we can maintain our small group-size and quality of service. Of course, if we should ever need to cancel a trip, you either have a full refund or apply your payment(s) towards another trip - your choice.
To protect you from the unexpected, we strongly recommend that you purchase travel insurance. Here's a link to our Travel Insurance page that has a helpful tips about buying travel insurance along with recommendations for a service we like - Squaremouth - that compares 20 or more plans for you to choose from, based on your requirements.
We're easy to get ahold of! Just go to our Contact Us page for your options.
On each trip's webpage, there's a BOOK NOW button. Just click that button and follow the prompts. If you have questions along the way, we're here to help!
Once you decide you'd like to join our trip, there are two ways you can pay: 1) pay a 35% deposit when you book, with the balance due 2 months before the trip starts, or 2) pay in monthly installments that are automatically charged to your credit card. The number of monthly installments available depends on how much time remains between the date you book and the start of the trip. The max is 6.
Before you book any non-refundable airfare, please check with us to make sure the trip has reached its required minimum number of guests. (Each trip has a specific minimum number of guests in order to be financially viable). Because of our small group size, most of our trips sell out early, but occasionally, a trip will take longer to sell. If the minimum number of guests has not been met within 90 days of the trip start date, we may need to cancel or reschedule the trip. So please do not purchase non-refundable airfare or incur other non-refundable costs until you check with us that the minimum number of participants has been met.
Many countries require vaccinations and/or other health tests as a requirement for entering the country. We require everyone traveling with us to conform to the entry requirements of each country we visit. While it is everyone’s right to decide whether or not they want to receive a vaccination or perform any other health-related procedure, the failure to or decision not to meet the entry requirements of a country will prohibit you from joining the trip and does not qualify as a travel restriction that is the basis for a refund.
Please review the CDC website for the recommendations and guidance they provide for each country you’re joining us in. To help ensure your immunity, the CDC recommends that you get any vaccinations at least 1 month before you travel.
If you're traveling overseas, don’t forget your Passport. It’s the one item that’s tough to replace. Please be sure you have enough empty pages without stamps in your passport and that it is good for a full 6 months after the date you return from your trip.
If there are additional Visa requirements to enter a country, we'll let you know and guide you through the process to obtain it.