MovingMountains

Oct 2
3 min read

By Allison Fleece

The air is thin and it is hard to take full breaths, but I am walking “pole pole” (pol-ay, pol-ay) and am making “slow slow” progress. Spirited Swahili chants and my labored breaths are the only sounds under this ink dark sky as our group climbs ever higher. Though my stomach was doing flip flops when we started hiking at midnight, the hot ginger tea our local guide prepared helped settle it and I feel a sense of calm determination. All of my energy is focused on putting one foot in front of the other, and staying warm while doing it. Finally, the first ultraviolet rays of the day pierce the horizon below and we are treated to an aerial view of the sunrise as we crest the final stretch toward the summit.

There is no greater feeling than climbing to the top of a mighty mountain, friends in tow, with a supportive crew cheering us on. To know that my own two feet, after months and months of preparation and training, have gotten me here. To stand in front of the well worn Kilimanjaro summit sign and realize that I am standing not on a peak, but a turning point for my life. Our group had flown across the globe and hiked up one of the world’s highest mountains, yet our real victory lay in reaching our fundraising goal for a local Tanzanian women’s group. Feeling exhausted but elated, we embraced each other and celebrated both achievements at 19,341 feet above sea level.

So profound was my personal experience trekking to Uhuru peak of Mount Kilimanjaro that soon after, I quit my job and started a women’s travel company with my best friend. We wanted to bring this sense of adventure and awe to other women. What Danielle and I could not have anticipated when we created WHOA (Women High on Adventure) travel more than a decade ago, is that we would spark a movement. Since 2013, we have journeyed to over 15 countries with more than 3,000 travelers and have built a community of women looking to travel in an authentic way.

Whether we are climbing summits in Africa, snorkeling in the Galapagos or drinking tea in Mongolia, we get to meet adventurers from different places, generations and backgrounds, looking to connect while trying something outside of their comfort zone. Our portfolio of offerings has expanded to now offer more trips for specific communities, including WHOA Plus for women living in larger bodies, and 50+ trips for wise and wondrous women. While our first trip was born on a high altitude trek, WHOA travel currently has trips ranging from a 2/5, like Antarctica, to a 5/5 trip, like climbing Cotopaxi in Ecuador. While we adore exploring and meeting new people, we wanted our travel company to provide more than just adventurous vacations. We acknowledge that travel is impactful, leaving indelible impressions on our hearts and also affecting the environment.

As part of our multi pronged sustainability initiatives, our mission is to offset, minimize, improve and educate. Specifically, we plant a tree for every traveler with an organization called One Tree Planted and have added over 3,000 trees to reforestation projects to date! Furthermore, WHOA awards community leaders through the Trailblazer Grant and also offsets our collective yearly carbon footprint through Sustainable Travel International.