Erin Mitchell is the founder of Her Tribe Travels, a women-only tour group. Photo / Erin Mitchell
Erin Mitchell is the founder of Her Tribe Travels, a women-only tour group. Photo / Erin Mitchell
Her Tribe Travels is a women-only tour group founded by Erin Mitchell, an avid traveller with over 25 years of globetrotting experience. Erin curates journeys that are as exciting as they are engaging while wearing many hats: personal travel guide, tour expert and travel buddy.
Here we talk to Erin about her decades-long gallivants and passion for women to go out and explore.
Please tell us a little bit about you
Hi, I’m Erin, the founder of Her Tribe Travels. I’ve been in the travel industry since I was 17 years old, I always wanted to work in an exciting industry and was fortunate to be taken under the wing of an incredible group of business entrepreneurs who owned one of NZ’s largest travel companies back in the late 90s. It was an incredible start to an amazing career that I absolutely love. I always say I never work a day in my life. It’s the best feeling combining my passion for travel and people.
I’ve visited over 50 countries; for my next bucket-list adventure I want to visit Norway to see the Northern Lights.
Erin Mitchell (right) of Her Tribe Travels. Photo / Erin Mitchell
What is Her Tribe Travels?
Her Tribe Travels is a travel company that curates beautiful travel journeys and tours for women. We aspire to create tours and travel experiences where our clients can feel safe, enjoy a sense of belonging, be inspired and be part of a fabulous female travel community.
What made you decide to start doing women-only tours?
I was constantly talking with women who wanted to travel, but for whatever reason felt there were too many reasons not to. Whether that be because they were solo travellers and worried about travelling safely, they may have had a recent relationship break-up and didn’t have anyone to travel with or they simply didn’t know where to start. I want to break down those barriers and make it easy for women to say yes to amazing travel adventures by offering hassle-free, personalised services and tours at Her Tribe Travels.
Erin Mitchell wants to break down barriers and make it easy for women to say yes to amazing travel. Photo / Erin Mitchell
What’s something that most people don’t know about Her Tribe Travels?
Business-wise, I almost threw in the towel post-Covid. It was such a difficult time for so many and in so many ways. I had only just started the business and was one tour away in India when Covid hit. I had to cancel all future tours for 2020 and only just reignited the business again last year.
What do you like the most about travelling the world with other women?
Watching women come together as strangers at the beginning of one of the tours and leave as great lifelong friends. Many of the tour women keep in contact and like to arrange catch-ups when they can. I really love seeing the world through other women’s eyes and watching their travel dreams come true. There is something pretty special about being able to make this happen for each and every one of the women and seeing them connect through their love of travel.
There are lots of laughs on an all-female group tour. Photo / Erin Mitchell
What’s special about an all-female travel group?
There are lots of laughs, everyone’s there for the right reasons, they’re invested in getting the most out of their time away and whole-heartedly throw themselves into the tour and experiences. We have women of all ages and stages of life join us and enjoy each other’s company. Our youngest woman to date was 21 and our eldest turned 70 on one of our tours.
What is your most popular destination for women?
India. Without a doubt! It can be quite a polarising destination because there is so much false information out there … “its dirty, you’ll get sick, people will stare at you” – many common opinions that women are told from other people. It’s quite the opposite on our tours and I work hard to show the ladies the real India – a destination full of colour, vibrancy, beautiful people and stunning scenery. It’s authentic, it’s real and it is life-changing.
India is Her Tribe Travels' most popular destination. Photo / Unsplash
What do your guests always rave about?
The ease of the experience from start to finish. You’ve probably seen the Instagram memes doing the rounds of the friends going travelling … where one is the chief flight booker, travel manager, health and safety officer and activity co-ordinator and the other one just shows up and comes along for the adventure. Well, that’s me and my clients in a nutshell.
What has been your favourite trip to date?
This wasn’t one of my tours, it was a personal travel experience. In late 2022, my husband and I took our three girls (16, 14 and 10) out of school and travelled the world for seven months with carry-on luggage only. Thirty-seven flights flown, five continents traversed, 26 countries visited and 1.5 million steps taken. The trip of a lifetime in so many ways.
What’s the one travel experience you’d recommend everyone experience?
I personally think everyone should try the solo travel experience once in their lifetime. Pick a destination, find an amazing travel adviser to help you with all the details and arrangements, pack your bags and go. I guarantee you won’t return the same person you left as. So much learning, courage, resilience, fun and adventure await on a solo travel experience.
Have you had any memorable culture shocks?
One springs to mind pretty quickly. A traditional hammam experience in Morocco. I thought I was heading into a lovely spa for a nice massage and a body scrub. What I got was a very eye-opening, exhilarating experience. There’s something to be said about stripping down to your birthday suit and being scrubbed, flipped and doused in places you didn’t even know existed by a rather strong female who doesn’t speak a word of English. We both had a lot of giggles along the way (her at me … and me at myself) and I walked away feeling as smooth as a baby’s bottom and the cleanest I’ve ever been. Just with a little less dignity. But it’s so important to experience such things; it’s a very normal part of life in Morocco and when you get over your ‘Kiwi shyness’ it’s a great, authentic experience.
Her Tribe Travels creates bonds between strangers that often turn into lifelong friendships. Photo / Unsplash
What is your top tip for a solo traveller?
Don’t be afraid to strike up conversations with locals. You never know what comes of it. I’ve travelled solo many times and always make an effort to meet the local people. The locals love to share their tips and insider info on their local town or destination and you often discover something amazing to see or do that you’d never have known about if you didn’t strike up the conversation. It also opens up invites to some incredible events or local experiences.
Erin recommends solo travel as a life-changing, confidence-boosting experience. Photo / 123rf
Are there any future plans or developments you can spill the beans on?
I’m currently looking at an online travel store, to launch in 2025 in conjunction with Her Tribe Travels. I often find so many fabulous travel accessories, books and handy travel items when I am preparing for my travels and also when I am away on my tours. I’d love to share these with other women to help make their travel planning easier.
Find out more about Erin via her website and socials
