Amazing destinations, delicious food, fine wine, and great conversation – all the hallmarks of the ultimate girls’ trip.
Girls on the Road Again, founded by award-winning photographer Lesley Whyte, brings together groups of women with wanderlust for local and international tours that are part-in situ photography workshops, part-luxury guided travel.
Verve sat down with Lesley to learn more.
What is Girls on the Road Again all about?
Girls on the Road Again is an initiative I founded specialising in luxury tours and adventures to bring together amazing women from all over New Zealand to share in new experiences. I lead each tour alongside incredible Kiwi women like Louise Wallace, Jax Hamilton, Jo McCarroll, Jess Bell, Hannah Miller, and Jackie Clarke. We have women who come back time and time again to go on tours, with such incredible feedback about the destinations, itineraries and camaraderie they experience. There is something for every woman, which is something I’m really proud of.
What was the inspiration behind GOTRA?
When I was leading the Women in Photography tours, which focus very much on fostering skills, many women mentioned how amazing it would be to have photography combined with other adventures and tours. Chatting over coffee in late 2019, a group of girls whose hubbies had gone on a fishing tour said they wished there were equally fun tours for them to go on – something like a long weekend so they didn’t need to take too much time off work. This was my inspiration to combine the idea of photography and developing, as I call them, #AwesomeToursForTheGirls.
How has Covid impacted GOTRA, and how did you pivot?
Covid-19 has impacted all in tourism, some of our tours have been postponed and some even cancelled, but there have been some silver linings. I’ve been able to focus on bringing more awesome concepts under the Girls on the Road Again umbrella and have had the time to sit down, reflect and get into planning some amazing trips to explore our beautiful backyard in 2022. While our foodie photography tour to France and wildlife tour at Churchill have both been cancelled, we’ve replaced them with some equally adventurous tours in New Zealand, including Stewart Island and Chatham Islands.
What does success mean to you?
Success to me is seeing how much joy the tours bring to the women who come on the adventures with us. Not only do they leave with great memories, but new friendships, new skills, and confidence in their photography ability. I also feel really privileged to work with the amazing women who have joined me to co-lead tours – their belief in the Girls on the Road Again philosophy is incredibly humbling.
What is next for GOTRA?
Planning, planning and more planning. We’re looking to launch day activities for those working women who want to do something on the weekend but not be away too long – think gin-making classes on Waiheke and cooking classes with Michael Van de Elzen. We’re gearing up to launch our international tours again once borders open, and then there are some really secret squirrel ones being worked on – more details soon!
For more information visit girlsontheroadagain.com
