A huge part of travel for me is the people I meet and the friends I make in the places I get to experience. Some of, well most of my best friends are people I have met while living overseas & the number one thing we have in common is that we get it. Get what? This whole travel life. The coming & going frequently, the moving towns often & regularly. The fact that we will rarely live in the same place for long. And the feeling of saying goodbye/reuniting with each other. So when I meet people who share this same passion I immediately want to know more about them and where their adventures have taken them.
“What started out as a dream, to form a community of like minded women is now a full blown reality as Women Who Explore takes its next steps. Our goal: to encourage women to believe in THEMSELVES and EACH OTHER, to bring like minded women together who love to explore and adventure, and to create a community of support and a place to share stories and experiences. We aren’t sure where this journey will take us, we just hope you come along for the ride.” This how Lindsay and Jenny MacNevin describe Women Who Explore to the great wild world of Facebook. These two sisters are the epitome of inspiring and although I haven’t met them in real life (do you see a theme here with this series?) I feel giddy when I think of all they’ve done since I stumbled across the Women Who Explore Instagram page a few years back. From an account to inspire and promote all the bad ass babes around who are exploring this big bold World, to a household name in Canada (and beyond) organizing getaways across Canada & the States (hopefully abroad soon) & chasing their dreams just as much as an adventure it should be hard to see why I was so stoked to virtually sit down and find out what makes these two ladies even more incredible than I had first thought. So here it is, Jenny & Lindsay of Women Who Explore are my first WanderWomen in 2018!
How did Women Who Explore come to be?
Jenny and I were passionate about getting outside, but it didn’t seem like we could fit in anywhere. We didn’t just want to hike, or just want to rock climb, or just want to paddle, we wanted a little bit of everything. We didn’t have the best gear and weren’t in the best shape but we knew we wanted to explore the outdoors. We decided there must be other women out there that felt the same as us, and thus we started Women Who Explore.
How have you grown in the last year, business wise & personally?
(laughs). A LOT. I don’t think we ever imagined we would be there we are today, with 35 getaways planned for 2018, over 160,00 Instagram followers and over 70 ambassadors. Business wise we have really managed to nail down what we want to do, what kind of company we want to be and what we want to share with the world. Personally we have both grown a ton. Starting a business might just be the most humbling thing we have ever done. We have learned more this year than our combined 65 years haha!
What do you hope Women Who Explore brings to the ladies who come across your account?
First off, we hope that you feel inspired but not overwhelmed. We want you to feel like you want to get outside, not sit inside and scroll through our account. We also want you to feel like you are a part of our tribe, if all you do is go for a 5 minute walk each day in the outdoors, you are a Women Who Explores.
(Left - Jenny / Right - Lindsay)
How has it been creating a business as sisters?
(laughs) Challenging and exhilerating. As sisters we are able to have those tough conversations without worrying about hurting each others feelings because we love each other no matter what. But at the same time we both have strong opinions and perhaps are too blunt with one another. At the end of the day, we would have it no other way.
Where do you see WWE in the next 5 years?
Oh gawd. That is a scary question. We would love to see it worldwide, with chapters in every major city in North America. We would love to see getaways happening from Canada to China to Norway to the UK to the USA to Fiji.
In 5 years we hope to have millions of women sharing their stories of getting outside and meeting other kick ass women.
In the last year you’ve started hosting Women Who Explore Getaways, what has been your favourite part of these events?
We call it “the magic”. It happens normally on day 2 of our getaways when all of a sudden the women start to bond. Stories are shared, hearts are opened, tears and laughter ensues. We get to sit back and watch as these women become lifelong friends. Heck it gives us goosebumps even talking about it.
Do you hope to being these events outside of North America at some point?
Heck yes! We are running about 35-40 this year across North America with expansion plans for 2019.
How would your lives be different if Women Who Explore had never been founded?
I think a part of us would feel unfulfilled. We wanted more in life, we wanted to find a way to share our passions with the world. We want every women to feel a part of a tribe. Truthfully, we cannot imagine our lives without WWE.
(Celebrating 1 year of Women Who Explore in style!)
How do you think social media influences you in terms of your adventures?
I think it has opened our eyes to the most new and epic experiences that we had never heard of. Without social media, we wouldn’t have the slightest of all the wonderful places out there. I think it has also been an eye opener in terms of how we need to protect these places. We have to make sure we are alway cognizant that the photos we feature, there are no laws being broken, no one trekking across places they aren’t supposed to be, etc.
Famous Last words for all the wanderers out there
You will never know the adventures that are out there if you never take the chance. Take chances, do something you have never done before, meet new people, go new places. We promise, you won’t be disappointed.
To find out more about the Soul Sister Getaways, how to become an ambassador, contribute to the blog or just see what L & J are up to check out the Women Who Explore website here.
For Everything else in between check out their socials & be inspired with every scroll!
Instagram - @WomenWhoExplore
Twitter - @WomenWhoExplore
Facebook - @WomenWhoExplore
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