Traveling solo is a profound life experience for many, filled with enriching experiences and lessons, independence, fun and sometimes, misadventures. However, moving through the world as a woman can be plagued with an unfortunate air of mistrust or fear of danger at times.
Adventures in Good Company (AGC), headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado, seeks to address those safety concerns women may have in traveling, especially alone, by providing a supportive community where women can feel empowered to embrace outdoor recreation and travel experiences.
Founded in 1999 by Marian Marbury, Adventures in Good Company made a commitment to offering affordable adventure trips for women through the belief that adventure is a basic need, not just a privilege of the young or physically fit.
At the time, there were not many opportunities like these for women to experience the outdoors and travel. However, since AGC’s foundation, women of all ages, life stages, occupations and professions have joined in on the fun and laughter-filled trips.
In 2018, Kelly Kimple became the Program Manager for AGC under Marbury. After two years with the company and many discussions between Kimple and Marbury about the future of AGC, Kimple purchased the business and became CEO on Jan. 2, 2020.
Kimple grew up in a small town in central New Hampshire before moving to Fort Collins in 2004, where she met her husband and had two children. Kimple describes herself as a latch-key kid with little to no attachment to electronics. Instead, she spent her time riding bikes around town and playing with friends outdoors. By 13, she started her own summer camp.
“I have always loved to travel but not in the sense of seeing city sights or relaxing at a beach resort. My travels have largely been driven by a desire to visit wild places, see new birds and wildlife and learn about other cultures,” Kimple said in an e-mail.
Safe to say, Kimple has always connected with the outdoors and explored it through travel. She would pour over National Geographics or anything to do with wildlife and natural history as a kid. A pivotal travel moment for Kimple was in eighth grade when she participated in an exchange program with other eighth graders in Russia (the USSR at the time) during The Cold War. For the capstone, she spent two weeks in Russia, living with a host family in Leningrad. The family served her caviar on the first night and helped heat the water so she could wash her hair on the final night. At the end of her stay, she realized that the father had been sleeping in his car every night so she could have their daughter’s room to herself.
“[That] experience shaped me in so many ways, but probably the biggest thing it did was open my mind and interest in the world and helped develop my empathy for others,” Kimple said. Her passion for culture, travel experiences and outdoor recreation are a great help to the continuation of Marbury’s legacy to create a space for women to see the world in a safe and gratifying manner.
“We understand that safety is a significant factor that can prevent many women from jetting off on an adventure,” Kimple said. “We believe that every woman should have the opportunity to explore the world, and we are dedicated to providing a safe and inclusive environment for them to do so.”
In groups of no more than 12 travelers, women are led by 2-3 experienced and knowledgeable guides to lead the trips. Every trip includes a 1:6 guide-to-traveler ratio. Guides manage all the trip details so that travelers have the freedom to relax and maximize their experience. The company also fosters a welcoming and inclusive group dynamic where women can connect with like-minded travelers, form friendships and provide mutual support.
Additionally, AGC provides comprehensive pre-trip information with safety guidelines, destination descriptions and packing lists; they create relationships with trusted local partners and suppliers in the destinations they visit; and they carefully select accommodations that are located in secure areas for comfort and safety.
“My inspiration is no different than it was for Marian when she founded AGC – to provide women with the best expertly guided active adventures around the globe and to bring inspiration, empowerment and community to all women through these experiences,” Kimple said.
Trips with AGC look anything like “slackpacking a section of the Appalachian Trail to paddling the turquoise waters of Lake Tahoe, to kicking back in Baja,” as well as different parts of the United States, National Parks, Africa, Asia, Canada, Central America and the Caribbean, Europe, Oceania and South America. Travelers can choose between different seasons and trip styles, such as hiking, backpacking, multisport, paddling and rafting, specialty adventures, National Park trips, slackpacking, or custom trips.
Adventures in Good Company is also committed to sustainable travel and responsible tourism. In the cases where they do visit destinations already heavily impacted by tourism, they choose to allocate more time and resources to smaller, less-visited parks, communities and locations.
“By doing so, we aim to support local economics and minimize our environmental impact,” Kimple said. “Alternatively, if we notice an increased level of foot and tourist traffic to the area, we will either reduce the frequency in which we visit a destination or retire the trip as a whole so we can lessen our impact on natural resources.”
If you’d like the opportunity to join Adventures in Good Company for your next adventure and pursue your travel dreams, they still have space for a Utah hiking trip in late September, a leisurely level 2 trip to the Smokies in October and a beach vacation to Baja in November.