What I’ve Learned Hosting 15 Women in 17 Days
There’s planning a trip and then there’s holding space for 15 different personalities, needs, and stories across two cities, three hotels, and nearly three weeks of travel. It’s not just about logistics. It’s about leadership, energy, and empathy.
Earlier this year, I hosted two group trips across Thailand, 15 women, 17 days, Bangkok to Phuket. Some arrived excited, others nervous. Many didn’t know each other. Some had never been that far from home. A few were solo travellers. Two came to heal. Four came to celebrate.
All of them came looking for something, even if they didn’t know exactly what it was.
Here’s what I’ve learned from hosting them through tuk-tuks, temples, island sunrises, street food, long dinners, deeper conversations, and everything in between.
01. The experience is always bigger than the itinerary.
You can plan the perfect route, but the real magic happens in the pauses, the conversations on the way to the next stop, the inside jokes that form on day two, the way strangers become each other’s photographers, travel bestie, and cheerleaders.
I’ve learned to leave space in the schedule. Not just time-wise, but emotionally, room for spontaneity, adjustment, even silence. Sometimes the best thing I can do as a host is not fill the space.
02. Leading is about energy, not control.
I don’t micromanage my groups, I guide. There’s a difference. My job isn’t to be the loudest person in the room. It’s to read the group. To know when to step in and when to step back. To hold boundaries, but also hold space.
Hosting isn’t about getting everyone to follow me. It’s about creating an environment where people feel seen, safe, and free enough to enjoy themselves. Especially women of colour, who are often overlooked in travel spaces.
03. Women travel with more than luggage.
Every single one of them showed up with a suitcase. But also with something else: stories, stress, excitement, heartbreak, hesitation, hope.
I met women who were starting over. Women who had never had time to themselves. Women who had just ended a relationship. One who had just gotten a promotion. One who cried during the welcome dinner, not because anything was wrong, but because she couldn’t believe she’d finally done something for herself.
You don’t just plan for flights and parties. You plan for feeling.
04. No two women travel the same, and that’s the point.
Some woke up early for every opportunity to do things beyond the scheduled itinerary. Others skipped the markets for massages. Some bonded instantly. Others warmed up slowly.
What I’ve learned is that group travel isn’t about creating one shared experience, it’s about allowing space for multiple, individual experiences to happen alongside each other.
The best trips are the ones that let people go at their own pace, while still feeling part of something collective.
05. People don’t just book a trip, they buy into a feeling.
Yes, they saw the itinerary. Yes, they liked the hotels. But most of them booked because they trusted what was coming, the vibe, the values.
That trust is what carries you when the Wi-Fi drops, delayed flight, or someone’s bag that doesn’t arrive on-time. When you build something based on connection and care, people feel that. And they’ll give you grace when things go off-script, because they know your intentions are aligned.
06. Hosting is a privilege, and a responsibility.
I don’t take it lightly that people spend their time, money, and energy to show up. They trust me not just with their logistics, but with their emotional safety. With their birthday. Their solo journey. Their desire to reconnect with joy, with sisterhood, with themselves. I’ve learned how sacred that is.
And also: I’ve learned the value of hiring good help, of getting rest when you can, of drinking water between temple tours, and of building in buffer days after the trip so I can decompress too.
Because when you’re the one holding the space, you have to protect your own, too.
The real impact isn’t in the photos, it’s in the follow-up
Four of them now travel together often. One finally launched her business. A few are returning on their own next year, solo this time. And nearly all of them said the same thing in some form:
“I didn’t know how much I needed this until I arrived.”
That’s why I do it. Not for the Instagram moments, but for the internal shifts.
Final thought: it’s bigger than travel.
Hosting these trips reminded me that I’m not just in the business of travel. I’m in the business of transformation, of creating intentional experiences that help people return home softer, braver, or clearer than when they left.
And I’ll keep making space for that, one trip at a time.