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 ahead of AGC's September 2024 Camino de Santiago trip, Barbara's very first trip with the company. Three travelers were landing around the same time, so Kathleen reached out and suggested they wait for each other and head to the hotel together. She and Barbara ended up sitting for an hour waiting on the third traveler; and by the time the group reached the hotel, they'd already hit it off.
That simple gesture at the airport sparked a friendship that has kept going ever since.
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 went to Patagonia in February 2026.
They live far apart and lead very different day-to-day lives, but Kathleen says the connection has never depended on proximity.
“We live different lives, but what we have in common is so strong, and so genuine. I'm grateful to have a hiking and adventure sister I never would have met otherwise.” -Kathleen
Finding Your Tribe When You Need It Most
Elizabeth: Iceland, Cinque Terre, and many trips beyond
Elizabeth lost her husband in 2011. The two of them had always traveled together, and in 2012 she found herself unsure who she'd travel with next. Rather than stop traveling, she searched "adventure travel for women," found AGC's Iceland trip, and booked it — completely outside her comfort zone.
On the very first night, the emotion of it all caught up with her. But instead of feeling alone, she found a group of women who met her with kindness, and she knew she'd found her tribe. She'd already been chatting with fellow traveler Jill on Facebook before they met in person in Iceland, and the two connected quickly. Both women were navigating major life transitions at the time, Elizabeth widowed and Jill going through a divorce.
The friendship didn't end when the trip did. Elizabeth and Jill signed up for AGC's Cinque Terre trip together next. That's where they met Frannie Gibbons, Mary Ellen Havens, and Mary Grace Boerio, and the five of them clicked instantly. From there, one person would spot a trip and the others would jump in: Portugal, Belize, Canada, Central America, and elsewhere across Europe.
When COVID hit, the five of them started a Sunday night video call to check in on each other—a tradition that has never stopped. Through the pandemic, through weddings, divorces, and the births of grandchildren, they've stayed each other's constant. Jill named the group the 'FEW': Friends traveling the World (or, some nights, Friends Eating their Way around the World). Mary Ellen calls them the Gang of Five. Last September, the group marked ten years of friendship with ten days together in Montreal and Quebec City.
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.” -Elizabeth
Kindred Spirits on the Trail
Machelle: Slackpacking® Massachusetts & Maine
Machelle met Debbie Allen on AGC's Slackpacking® Massachusetts, and the two discovered right away that they were cut from the same cloth. When the opportunity came up to Slackpack® Maine, they signed up together, and the bond only grew stronger on the trail.
They live too far apart to adventure together as often as they'd like, but Machelle says that's never dimmed the connection.
“Kindred spirits we are!” -Machelle
Thirty Adventures and Counting
Dottie: Over 30 Adventures, from Greece to Vietnam, and more
Dottie met her longtime travel companion on an AGC trip to Greece back in 2010.
What started as a single shared adventure turned into a friendship built one trip at a time — more than 30 hiking adventures together and counting, most recently a trip to Vietnam.
“We’ve taken more than 30 hiking adventures together since meeting on our first AGC trip.” -Dottie
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 on through trips like Hiking Through History in Shenandoah. Along the way, she's built friendships with women from across the country, bonding over trail conversations, shared laughter, and the occasional well-earned martini at the end of a long hiking day.
On one backpacking trip, she connected with Barb and Marianne, and the three later reunited for a Shenandoah hike. On another trip, she met Janet before the trip had even officially started, when a layover turned into dinner, wine, and a full day exploring Duluth together. Most recently, she formed close bonds with fellow hikers Karen, Lori, and Carol while tackling Shenandoah's Bearfence Rock Scramble, cheering each other on all the way to the summit views.
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.” -Andrea
A Friend to Lean on Since 7th Grade
Nancy & Cathy — Multiple AGC Trips
Nancy and Cathy have been friends since 7th grade — 56 years and counting. They stayed in touch over the decades, but it's only been in the last eight years that they've had more chances to actually travel together. When Cathy put seeing the Block Island orbs on her bucket list, and Nancy realized she'd never been to Rhode Island, ACG's Naturally Newport trip was an easy yes.
The two made fast friends with their guides and the rest of the group. One traveler even bought them matching rocks engraved with the word "friends." On the second evening of the trip, everything changed for a few hours. Nancy got a call from her son: her husband had fallen off a ladder, and it was touch and go. Cathy stayed by her side through the uncertainty, and the guides and the rest of the group offered support as well. Her children took over caring for her husband from home so she could finish out the final three days of the trip. Her husband has since fully recovered.
Looking back, Nancy says what stayed with her most was the kindness that carried her through this trip because of her dear friend and new friends made.
“Traveling with a dear friend on a trip is a precious gift of adventure." -Nancy
Roommates Who Became Travel Besties
Patty & Michele — Met on an AGC trip in 2023 and have taken annual trips since
Patty met Michele over Labor Day weekend in 2023. They'd been assigned as roommates for AGC's South Dakota trip, but actually met first at the airport, waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. They hit it off immediately. Michele was recently widowed and just starting to find her way back to travel. By the end of the trip, the two were already talking about doing another one together.
Patty had already set her sights on Slovenia next. Michele was a little nervous about the level 4 difficulty, but a couple of months later she texted Patty that she'd signed up. The two roomed together again in Slovenia in June 2024 and had a blast. They became fast friends with a third traveler, Susan Garner. The three of them enjoyed each other's company enough to sign up together for Bulgaria in July 2025, and again for Wildflowers and Waterfalls in the Smokies this past spring. Patty and Michele don't always want the same kind of hike—Patty gravitates toward steep mountains, while Michele and Susan prefer a more casual stroll—but they've never had trouble making it work.
Sitting on the back deck during that spring trip, Patty and Michele picked their next AGC adventure together: Madeira Island, Portugal for a Wellness retreat in February 2027. Susan is also coming on this adventure!
"It feels like we have known each other forever, and we are just resuming our last conversation every time we meet. I look forward to seeing Michele and Susan as much as I do exploring any new location. I would tell anyone contemplating an AGC trip that the people you meet on these journeys are the best part of your adventure — and if you are really lucky, you will find new lifelong travel companions." -Patty
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.
