A group of 20 women, mostly from the South Surrey and White Rock area, found a lot more than water at Havasu Falls.
The group, who in some cases set out as strangers to one another, ended up making lifelong friendships after their trip to the waterfall, located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
Jeri Cox contacted Peace Arch News last week after the group spent five days earlier this month hiking the Arizona desert and shared the benefits of all-women trips.
“There’s camaraderie and the women now, the messages I keep getting from them, are saying ‘I’ve made friendships that will last forever.’
Cox started planning the trip one year in advance, which was necessary due to the high demand of the lodge at the bottom of the canyon.
Aside from the beautiful scenery, Cox said one of the highlights of the physically demanding trip was the support each woman gave to each other.
“Whoever got to the top first, we just sat there and cheered everyone on as they came up and just the energy that you felt. People would look up and see us all screaming and cheering and stuff. It’s lovely – it’s going to make me cry again.”
Cox said she “absolutely” recommends all-women group trips, and she’s already planning the next adventure to Camino, Spain.
Vacation specialist Rachael Ward at Lloyds Travel told PAN that group trips are gaining in popularity.
Destinations that are more frequent with woman group trips, Ward said, are countries where a woman might not want to travel alone due to cultural or safety reasons.
“The idea of safety in numbers,” Ward said, adding that “up-and-coming” destinations for women travellers are Morocco, India and Jordan.