Many women join an Adventures in Good Company trip for the hiking, the landscapes, or the chance to explore somewhere new.
What they don’t always expect are the friendships.
Sometimes those friendships begin on the trip itself: at an airport gate, over a shared meal, or somewhere along the trail. Other times, women arrive with a friend, sister, or partner in adventure, and discover that traveling together deepens an already meaningful relationship in powerful ways.
Travel has a way of opening doors. When you walk side by side, navigate new places together, and share both quiet moments and big accomplishments, connection happens naturally. Again and again, we see women arrive as strangers or companions and leave with bonds that feel stronger, richer, and lasting.
Here are just a few of those stories.
From Airport Introductions to Adventure Sisters
Kathleen: Camino de Santiago, Portugal Coastal Hiking, Patagonia
Kathleen met Barbara at the Madrid airport while arriving for their Camino de Santiago trip. With three travelers landing around the same time, Kathleen suggested they wait together and head to the hotel as a group.
That simple gesture sparked an instant connection.
After the Camino, Kathleen, Barbara, and another fellow traveler, Mary Lou, planned their own independent Camino, completing 160 miles together in September 2025. Kathleen and Barbara also reunited for AGC’s Portugal Coastal Hiking trip in the spring of 2025 and are headed to Patagonia in February 2026.
Though they live far apart, Kathleen says they’re friends for life.
“I’m grateful to have a hiking and adventure sister I never would have met otherwise.”
Finding Your Tribe When You Need It Most
Elizabeth: Iceland, Cinque Terre, and many trips beyond
After losing her husband, Elizabeth found herself unsure who she’d travel with next. So she booked an Iceland trip with AGC, something completely outside her comfort zone.
On the very first night, emotions overflowed. But instead of feeling alone, she found kindness, support, and connection.
That trip led to friendships with Jill, Frannie, Mary Ellen, and Mary Grace—women who would become a core part of her life. They now call themselves the FEW—Friends Traveling the World (or sometimes Friends Eating their Way Around the World). Over the years, they traveled together across Portugal, Belize, Canada, Central America, and Europe.
During COVID, they began weekly Sunday night video calls that continue to this day.
They’ve celebrated weddings and grandchildren, supported each other through challenges, and recently reunited in Montreal for their 10-year “Friendsadversary.”
“These 4 women have been there for me for 10+ years. They are the best women I have ever met, and I am so happy and proud to call them my friends.”
Kindred Spirits on the Trail
Machelle: Slackpacking® Massachusetts & Maine
Machelle met her hiking partner on Slackpacking® Massachusetts, and their bond grew stronger on Slackpacking® Maine.
Though distance keeps them apart, she knows they’ll keep finding ways to adventure together.
“Kindred spirits we are!”
Thirty Adventures and Counting
Dottie: Over 20 Adventures, from Greece to Vietnam, and more
Dottie met her travel companion on an AGC Greece trip in 2010.
Since then, they’ve shared more than 30 hiking adventures together—including their most recent AGC trip to Vietnam.
What started as one trip turned into years of exploring the world side by side.
“We’ve taken more than 30 hiking adventures together since meeting on our first AGC trip.”
Friendships Forged Across Trails and Time
Andrea B. — Multiple AGC Trips
Andrea has spent four years traveling with AGC, starting with Intro to Lightweight Backpacking and continuing through trips like Hiking Through History in Shenandoah.
Along the way, she’s built friendships with women across the country—bonding over trail conversations, shared laughter, and even martinis.
On one backpacking trip, she connected with Barb and Marianne. Later, they reunited for Shenandoah hikes. On another trip, Andrea met Janet before the adventure even began, turning a layover into dinner, wine, and a full day of exploring Duluth together.
Most recently, Andrea formed close bonds with fellow hikers Karen, Lori, and Carol while tackling Shenandoah’s Bearfence Rock Scramble—cheering each other on to sweeping mountain views.
“Even if not every connection becomes lifelong, every trip brings meaningful friendships rooted in shared adventure.”
Why These Stories Matter
What ties all these experiences together isn’t just where these women traveled, it’s how they showed up. They arrived curious. Sometimes nervous. Often solo, but they left with inside jokes, shared memories, and people they now call friends.
At Adventures in Good Company, we believe adventure is better when it’s shared. Whether you connect on day one at the airport or slowly over miles of trail, community has a way of forming naturally when women travel together.
You don’t have to bring a friend to find one.
