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I’m sitting at one of my favorite cocktail bars in New York City’s Greenwich Village, the Up & Up. I’m not going to lie—I’ve had a few, but I’m with my cousin, Rick, and it’s rare we get a day to catch up, so we’ve certainly made the most of it.
As I scan the menu through innovative cocktails with quirky names like Zuzu’s Petals and Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, something more intriguing catches my eye. At the very bottom of the menu, it reads, “This is not a pick-up spot. Please do not approach other guests unless you have been invited to do so.”
This gesture seems small, but as a woman, especially one who has had a few drinks, the message holds a strong impact. And while this memo at The Up & Up is technically gender neutral, I believe we can all assume for whom it provides greater protection.
But beyond thoughtful safety measures, what are women experiencing while traveling throughout the USA? As a longtime solo female traveler, I’ve seen a genuine shift in how women travel and in the meaningful experiences that draw us in. Below is a look at the organizations, people and places shaping travel for women in 2026.
Let a girl be your guide: Women-focused tours
Being a woman-owned business is a good start, but for a more effective approach, women are front and center in the consumer experience as well. Philadelphia is a city that has really taken the lead. Their Badass Women's History Tours, which they’ve offered since 2018, are one of Beyond the Bell’s most popular tours. Each tour is inspired by the women who have helped shape Philadelphia, dating back to 1701, many of whose stories have remained untold on a grander scale. Guests will hear about Ona Judge and her escape from George Washington, as well as lesbian pioneer Barbara Gittings, to name a few.
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San Antonio offers a Black History Tour year-round, but will focus on Black Women Who Shaped The City for Women’s History Month on March 14 and 15. The tour will highlight Black figures such as lawyer Hattie Briscoe and educator Artemisia Bowden.
Ladies who lunch: women-owned eateries to check out
As someone who has traveled extensively around the world and the U.S., I’ve always found it particularly peculiar how men dominate the food industry. It’s always a “dig” to tell women to go to the kitchen, where they belong, yet somehow, when it comes to being in the kitchen as a profession rather than on the domestic scale, women have historically been absent.
Well, thankfully, times are changing, and women around the US are firing it up in the kitchen and kicking butt while doing so. One of the most prominent examples goes far beyond eating at a restaurant, but a whole food festival to tout with Miami’s Food, Wine, and Fete. Founded by Vanessa James, the food fest is dedicated to highlighting the Caribbean diaspora.
Chatt Taste Food Tours of Chattanooga, Tennessee, is a BIPOC female-owned by Brianna Garza, highlighting cocktails, food history, and local Chattanooga happenings.
At New York City’s Don Antonio, Giorgia Caporuscio, an Italian native, is the only female pizzaiola in the MICHELIN Guide 2025. To encourage other women to break into the male-dominated pizza world, Caporuscio is an ambassador for Women in Pizza.
Girls allowed: Women-owned sports bars are on the rise
If there’s a space I’ve personally felt intimidated in as a woman, especially as a woman traveling alone in the U.S., it’s been at sports bars. I’m glad to know the tides are turning there, too, with Marsha's, a Philadelphia LGBTQIA+ bar named after trans activist Marsha P. Johnson. Owned by Chivonn Anderson, Marsha’s is the first-ever women-owned sports bar in Philly, and was opened on the very street where Chivonn was once denied the chance to watch the Women’s World Cup at a neighborhood bar.
Over in San Francisco, visitors and locals alike can check out Rikki’s, the city’s first and only women’s sports bar. Founders Danielle Thoe and Sara Yergovich named their space after Rikki Streicher, a San Francisco LGBTQIA+ leader who founded the Gay Games Federation in 1982.