For the month of March, Trafalgar has kicked off a campaign
called #SHEGOES, highlighting the empowering effect travel can have on women.
In the lead-up to International Women's Day on Thursday and
in light of Women's History Month this month, the campaign aims to encourage women
to embrace travel based on results of a survey Trafalgar recently conducted of
more than 1,000 U.S. women. The survey found that 73% of women believe
traveling has made them more independent, and 86% of women said they are not afraid
to travel.
The campaign is launching during the #MeToo and #TimesUp
movements that have shone a spotlight on women's safety and equality issues.
"It's really about highlighting the fact that travel is
this empowering thing, and we believe that it does a lot of good, especially in
a time when we're hearing some of the negatives, really. And we want to talk
about how travel empowers people instead. It's about having a positive voice on
travel," said Trafalgar president Melissa Da Silva.
The survey revealed benefits women said they get from travel,
and Trafalgar is promoting five itineraries that embrace those benefits. For
instance, the company is highlighting India as a destination, based on
respondents' view of travel as an opportunity to reflect. The U.S. national
parks are another destination being promoted based on respondents' desire for
adventure.
The trips are not new itineraries and are not women's-only
departures -- they are simply itineraries that are being highlighting as part
of the campaign.
Based on the survey, women travel "to bond, whether
that be with family, their spouse or significant other. They go to escape, to
rejuvenate, recharge the battery so to speak, and they go to celebrate, whether
that be milestones or honeymoons, birthdays, anniversaries. So the trips that
we've come up with really align to that," said Da Silva.
More than half of respondents (51%) identify as feminist, and
76% said that they would prefer to travel with their family or a significant
other, and 10% reported they prefer to travel solo.
As part of the campaign, Trafalgar has introduced a
promotion of 5% off its global roster of trips if booked by April 28, in
addition to $300 off per couple for flights to Europe.
For those who book one of the five featured itineraries and
mention the #SHEGOES campaign, they will get a $50 excursion voucher and a
signed copy of Patricia Schultz's "1,000 Places to See Before You Die."