ποΈ 10,000 podcast downloads + Most β€οΈ episodes + Why we support women + Last chance tourism
Published about 9 hours agoΒ β’Β 7 min read
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Hello, hello Reader,
I am at home about to depart on my Central Asia month-long trip through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Follow us on Instagram where I will be sharing the trip live and join our waitlist if you'd like to join us on our inaugural trips in 2027.
On this week's email:
We have just published the 26th episode of the podcast, and reached 10,000 downloads, YAY! So it is time to look back and see the ones that you have loved the most.
This week, The World Economic Forum published the 2026 Gender Gap report. The annual report shows minimal improvements and 120 years for the gender gap to be closed and for women and men to have the same opportunities. Who has 120 years to wait? We started Solo Female Travelers because of this.
This week's episode is a chat about a topic that may not be on your radar but that you have heard of and read about often: See before it's gone slogans, or Last chance tourism. The trip you take to visit a fragile natural or cultural destinations before it is permanently altered or destroyed by climate change, human activity, or environmental degradation. I talk with a professor and researcher on this topic to understand the ethics behind and provide some background to decide if you should go or should rather leave it / them alone. This is a timely discussion because last week, a new report published found that human urine is melting the worldβs highest glacier on Everestβand researchers say climbers produce 1,500+ gallons each season.
We have had speakers in many of them and have had episodes with just Meg and I.
There has been laughter and tears, there have been many funny conversations and many difficult ones but above all, we continue to remain true to our reasons for starting off: to bring you the conversations that matter, both the light and fun ones as well as the ones nobody else talks about because they are just too hard or complicated.
We hope the podcast has inspired, moved you and maybe even made you feel slightly uncomfortable at times.
We also hope that you learned new things and that the conversations have expanded your world and provided you with perspective, just like travel does, and maybe made you question some of the ways you travel or see the world.
Here are some stats:
No of podcast episodes: 26
Downloads: 10,000! Yay
Hours invested: 250 approx. between research, preparation, script writing, interview recording and editing.
Team: Mar, Meg and Anastasia as hosts, Anastasia as Editor and Gaby as Assistant
No. of interviewees: 20
No. of episodes in the making: 10, scheduled for recording, being edited and in conversations with the guests
Reviews: 37 across Spotify and Apple.
Comments: 50+ on Spotify and Youtube
If you have any suggestions for an expert or guest who would be a great addition to the podcast, please let us know!
Can I ask you for a favor?
If you have been enjoying our podcast, I would be SOOOO appreciative if you left a review on Apple or on Spotify (you only need to click on the star). It's so hard to get podcast reviews that every one makes a HUGE difference ππ
ποΈ The most downloaded episodes
These are the episodes you have listened to the most:
How to support, not exploit, indigenous communities
The episodes that were harder to record, to prepare for and to think about. Because we didn't just want to talk about the bright side of travel but also about the harder conversations nobody wants to have but that deserve the spotlight.
If you have been enjoying our podcast, I would be SOOOO appreciative if you left a review on Apple or on Spotify (you only need to click on the star). It's so hard to get podcast reviews that every one makes a HUGE difference ππ
Episode #26: Last chance tourism
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What happens when we all rush to see a place that is at risk of disappearing, do we accelerate the pace of damage or do we become stewards and learn to protect it because we have experienced it first hand?
Should we stop stepping on glaciers, sinking islands or gentrified neighbourhoods?
Last chance tourism refers to the trip you take to visit a fragile natural or cultural destinations before it is permanently altered or destroyed by climate change, human activity, or environmental degradation, and is the focus of this week's podcast episode.
Check out all the details of the podcast here, listen to the episode and start following us [Solo Female Travelers Podcast] on your favorite podcast platform so you don't miss an episode:
You can find us under Solo Female Travelers on all other platforms
Let me know what you think of this episode and leave a review so we can reach out to more women!
PS Every episode will end with an embarrassing travel story. Submit yours anonymously here.
Why we support women
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When we started Solo Female Travelers, we knew there was a clear need for women-only tours.
Women wanted to travel, and many didn't or couldn't wait on others to be ready or to have the financial resources or time needed to do so.
We also understood that most of the challenges keeping women from a solo trip (fear of safety, boredom, getting lost, having to organize it all on their own, not having anyone to share the experience or cost with, not speaking the language, etc.) were avoidable with a group tour.
And we were sure about what we DID NOT want to do.
No bus loads of guests running around without any appreciation or respect for the communities they visited
No tick-box trips with long list of must-see places and no reciprocity
No misleading pricing, hidden costs or constant upsells
No guides relying on pushing guests to buy things for a commission
No unethical experiences that damage communities, wildlife or places
No international corporations repatriating all their profits to wealthy countries in the north with little benefit for the communities hosting them
No revenue / profit driven decisions designed to maximise returns instead of positive impact
We wanted Solo Female Travelers to not just be a business but for it to make the world a better place for women, to help bridge the gender gap. We measured success not just in financial gain but also in positive impact.
Yes, the gender gap is improving a bit every year, but the pace is just too slow. Who has 120 years to wait?
Tourism accounts for 10% of the global economy, so it was a good place to start.
This is when Solo Female Travelers tours were born.
We married women-only tours with women-owned or led businesses, and the results have been incredible.
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We've seen lifelong connections, laughter that makes your belly hurt, tears of happiness, even a wedding between guests.
We've seen women who were invisible, feeling seen and life-changing projects that were lacking resources, take off.
We are here to accelerate the closing of the gender gap by bringing more women onto positions of power, by promoting their projects, by bringing visibility to their work and by supporting them so they can thrive and prosper.
Come join us on one of our tours and see for yourself!
Last chance: 350 EUR OFF Xmas markets tour
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Our Xmas markets tours this year have only a couple of spots left each and they are on sale with a discount of 350 EUR!
Dates:
21 to 29 November, 2026
5 to 13 December, 2026
We visit 4 countries and 5 cities including walking tours of each with a local female guide, castles that inspired Disney, several Christmas markets filled with tradition, lots of treats, a cheese fondue and a cheese raclette, warm gluhwein (mulled wine), picturesque villages on the lakeshore, a food tour and a Christmas cookie baking class.
This is the tour that will make you feel all the fuzzies for the Christmas spirit of giving, sharing and loving, even if you are not Christian or religious.
Useful travel tips and updates from around the world you should know:
Can a facelift require a new passport? Read the group conversation hereβ
Turkey has updated its laws. It is illegal to insult the Turkish nation or the national flag. Insulting the President or the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal AtatΓΌrk is also a criminal offence. These laws can apply to comments or images online no matter where you were or when you posted them. Defacing Turkish banknotes is also illegal. Offences under these laws are punishable by a prison sentence of between 6 months and 3 years. See here.
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