I am in Bali with 15 great women, majority of whom are repeat guests, and it is so lovely to see everyone again π
This is such a beautiful part of the world and, away from the crowds and the Instagram tours, we are sharing meaningful moments and making news friends. Isn't that what travel is all about?
Check out the tour itinerary here and follow our adventure on Instagram where I do daily stories showing you the behind the scenes.
We only have 2 spots available on our October tour (August is sold out), but the 2026 Bali tour will launch shortly after this one ends, and you can join the waitlist to be notified when we do.
How to be THE best tour mate. I have traveled on so many of our tours and with hundreds of guests and this week, I wanted to discuss what makes a great guest for other travelers and for the guide
More of our 2026 tours are now live, come travel with us in 2026!
How to be a great tour mate
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I have co-hosted more than 50 tours and traveled with over 500 guests from all over the world since 2021.
What a privilege and joy it has been to meet so many women and share such special moments all around the world.
The smiles and even tears when magic strikes is the best gift I could ever ask for.
So, THANK YOU to all those who have traveled with us, and with me!
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On many tours, one of the questions I get asked the most is whether we ever had any "bad" guests.
I always have to pause because I can honestly say that 99% of our guests are just lovely women who come on our tours to have a good time, discover the world and support businesses that are female owned.
They value their holidays and want to make sure they spend their money where it makes a difference.
They share our passion for female empowerment and lean towards feminism.
They are of all ages and nationalities.
Some are teachers, some work in health care, some are army vets, some have devoted their lives to raising their children, some are high flying lawyers or corporate managers, or CEOs, or entrepreneurs, and some are retired.
They are single, married, divorced, in relationships, widowed, etc. Most come solo, some with friends, some as a mother-daughter or -grandmother duo.
Regardless of age, nationality, ethnicity or job title, all our guests have one thing in common: They want to have a GREAT time on vacation and they want to make it count.
We are lucky to attract likeminded women who not only come for the itineraries and destinations but also because they want their holidays to be meaningful.
It is this likemindedness and "higher motivation" for taking a tour with us, that we have so few "difficult guests".
Yes, we all go through difficult times in our lives, and that just means some of us are sometimes vulnerable or healing from a tragic event.
But, hand in heart, I can say that our guests are wonderful and I know that, me, Meg and our guides appreciate how easy it is to host our tours and how much of a great time we also have.
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π So, what makes the BEST tour mates?
Travel brings the best version of most of us, but also puts us in challenging and confronting situations that can bring out the worst.
In my experience, when a guest is being difficult, it is because they are going through a difficult time in their lives.
We do our best to show them grace, give them the space they need to process their emotions and support them however we can.
We all get a pass when we are going through a tough moment. In all other situations, these are the attitudes that will make you THE most loved and wanted traveler on any tour.
Bonus: They are also the attitudes that will guarantee YOU have the best time.
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=> Flexibility and patience
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When in a different country, moving around as a group, no matter how well planned a trip is, there are bound to be moments when things don't go according to plan or change at the last minute or when you have to adapt to the group's schedules, needs and preferences.
The weather could play up, there could be a road closure because of an accident, a power outage, a failure in the AC system, etc. etc.
While the guide tries to resolve any issue, the best travelers sit back, relax, and trust the process.
Flexibility is the most appreciated and important trait of a great group travel mate, along with patience, so you don't get exacerbated when something isn't going according to plan.
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=> Positive energy
In my experience, you get out of a trip what you put in it.
If you approach it with pessimism, with grumpiness and constant negativity, and expecting things will not go according to plan, fearing that it may be too cold or too hot, that it will be crowded and tiring, that you may not get along with your trip mates, etc. you are going to get the same back.
If you do your best to bring positive energy into a group dynamic, you will be met with smiles, with strangers wanting to spend time with you and with more receptive local guides and activity hosts.
Those around you will mimic your energy, make sure it is a positive one.
=> Coming to have a good time
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My favorite guests on tours and those who clearly came to have a good time.
They are always smiling, they joke around, they are happy to be there and they show it, they see the positive side of everything, they are grateful to be where they are, they are appreciative and don't take their luck for granted.
If it rains, they go to the spa, if it's hot, they get in the pool, if something is late, they order a drink, etc.
It's clear that no lemons can ruin their day because they are ready to make lemonade or margaritas!
These are my favorite guests, because they not only are clearly going to enjoy the trip no matter what, but they will also lift everyone's spirits and take the group's joy one notch up.
You can easily recognise them from the distance because they have an ear to ear grin and everyone naturally gravitates towards them.
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=> Kindness and empathy
Travel will put you in a position where you have to face people or places that shock and even upset you, you may even find yourself in a conversation that goes against your personal belief and values or that frustrates or angers you.
Coming with an open mind and the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes, be it a local or a fellow traveler, whether you agree with it or, is what defines the best travel companions.
You don't have to agree with someone or something to listen and learn from it, but you do have to be respectful.
If travel has taught me anything, it is perspective and tolerance.
The best travelers and best tour mates, are those who are willing to try things, or to at last listen to a different way to see the world.
I will always remember that time in Sudan when I was leading a project in my previous life as a strategy consultant, and one of the managers on the client side invited our whole team to break the fast with his family during Ramadan.
I was the only woman out of the 5 of us, but the most senior member, and when we arrived in his traditional mud house, he gestured for me to go join the women and children in the kitchen while my team went to sit in the living room with him.
I was a woman and so the kitchen was my place, seniority or job titles didn't matter, or perhaps he assumed that I was junior because I was a woman.
I ate on a mat on the floor with the chicken running around and the children looking at me with eyes like plates. They didn't speak much English and my Arabic is very basic, so we spoke in the universal language of signs and smiles, and it was one of the most special experiences I have ever had.
The daughters all looked at me, dressed in my suit, with pretty clothes and my laptop bag and told their mother that they too wanted to go to university and get a job. We took the above photo and I hope I inspired them as much as they taught me about their culture.
I could have gotten angry at being considered less than, and, as a feminist, that would have been my natural reaction, but I never get offended by another culture's way of seeing things.
They invited me to THEIR home, to be a part of a deeply meaningful moment, so I decided to embrace it and enjoy my very special time with the women of the house who my colleagues never got to meet. I didn't focus on what I didn't have, but on what I gained.
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=> Consideration
Group environments mean that you can't always get things your way, sometimes you have to compromise and go with the group's wants and needs over your own.
The best guests are considerate of others.
They ask before doing something that impacts someone else, like an early alarm or taking a specific seat in the bus;
They are always on time and don't make others wait for them;
They don't monopolise conversations with the guide;
They are not loud or invade others personal space;
They don't impose on others;
They aren't rude to others or make obnoxious remarks.
This is perhaps what will make you the most popular in a group: Being mindful of others and understanding you are in a group setting and not a private tour.
Who are the least favorite guests on tour?
I asked several of our guides and these are the travelers they fear the most:
β¨ The guest who bought the wrong tour
Fortunately, we have always been very focused on making sure anyone booking our tours knows exactly what to expect and what they are buying.
Our itineraries are extremely detailed, and our communications are proactive, but sometimes we aren't clear enough.
There is nothing worse than not getting the kind of trip you expected. It would be like ordering a pair of trousers and getting a skirt.
It cannot be fixed, because the tour and the destination are what they are, so, even if we deliver the best experience, it would still not be what the guest wanted.
I feel very sad when I realise a guest came expecting something different, or thought a destination was something else, or underestimated the physical activity level, etc. because we cannot make the trip a memorable one, and everyone deserves their holidays to be the BEST.
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β¨ The guest who cannot be pleased
We have all met someone who just wants to voice their complaints all the time, even if there is nothing to complain about.
Like those funny posts that made the rounds years ago "It was too sandy at the beach".
You cannot make things better for them, because they don't want them fixed, they want to be heard and listened to, and complaining is a sure way to get the host's attention.
I always feel very worried for guest like this too; Not for me, I am happy to do what I can to resolve any issues, but because they carry that grumpiness around and are unable to fully appreciate the magic of travel.
Sometimes, kindness and grace goes a long way to make them feel better and start to appreciate where they are, and that is what we try to do.
I spent 9 days touring around the country with my partner at the time, my sister and her husband and my best friend. It was a fascinating trip and one that happened at high altitude! We arrived in Lhasa by high altitude train and it did not help acclimatise to the 3,500m as much as I thought. It took a couple of days to get my breath back!
This week's photo is below, can you guess where it was taken? Hint: it is NOT the obvious answer :)
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In case you missed it
Interesting conversations in the group, travel news and inspiration right to your inbox!
The FBI raises awareness about sexual assaults in planes. Read moreβ
Iceland is making the country more accessible by building wheelchair ramps. Read here.
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