/ beyond/THE BIG IDEA
COURTESY OF REIfirst trip of WHOA Travel, their fledgling
adventure-tour company for women. In their
previous lives, Fleece, now 31, had been an
education advisor and Thornton, 34, a creative
director at an ad agency. But a few months
after their Kilimanjaro expedition, they’d quit
their jobs, Googled how to form an LLC, and
launched a travel business. WHOA stands for
Women High on Adventure or Women Hooked
on Awesomeness, depending on whom you ask.
It’s one of the latest additions to the growing
list of women-only adventure companies—
outfits that cater to a generation of female
travelers who prefer surf weekends and46 AUGUST 2017 / TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA.COM
IT WAS NEW YEAR’S DAY 2012, and Allison
Fleece was feeling unmoored. On a whim, she
e-mailed a group of her most intrepid friends.
“This time next year,” she wrote, “I want to be
standing on the roof of Africa.” The following
winter, she was on the summit of Mount
Kilimanjaro, exhausted and giddy, with nine
women beside her. She turned to Danielle
Thornton, a climbing buddy who would soon
become her best friend, and said, “This is what
all travel should be like.”
The next year, Fleece and Thornton headed
back to Kilimanjaro—this time leading a
group of 29 women from 11 countries on theOut fit ters both emerging and established
are catering to female adventurers
looking for excitement, wellness and social
engagement — without the guys around.
BY LILA BATTISWa nder Women
Outdoor co-op REI
aims to inspire
women to embrace
outdoor adventure.