AI Can Help You Plan Your Trip. But AI Can't Greet You There. Our Women Greeters Can.
Solo or with friends, women share what traveling with a verified local woman Greeter felt like. A World Tourism Day celebration of human connection.
By Greether
This World Tourism Day, September 27, 2026, UN Tourism's theme is “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism.” We're all in. At Greether we build with technology every day to connect women with verified local women, called Greeters, in 130+ countries and 1,000+ cities.
But whether you're into solo female travel, planning a girls' trip, or traveling with your mom or daughter, here's what no algorithm has ever done: waited with you until your taxi arrived. Laughed with you at the snake charmers. Shared her father's advice before you flew home.
So instead of telling you why women travel with a local woman, we asked the women who did. Every quote below is theirs, word for word.
Trust you can't download: solo female travel in Marrakech
AI can answer your questions. The harder part, especially when you're a woman traveling alone, is knowing which answers to trust.
“One important aspect was that I felt Abla was authentic and I could trust her answers to my questions or guidance”
— Maira, Marrakech
“My Greeter showed me the ropes as to how to get around, how to bargain even while getting a taxi...she also checked in with me throughout my trip. If you are a solo female traveler, consider booking a Greeter. You won't regret it.”
— Lindsay, Marrakech
For Elizabeth, it was a whole day with Abla: a souk, an herb shop, lunch at a women's center, and a Greeter who didn't leave until the taxi did.
“She stayed with me until I got a taxi and even explained to the driver where to drop me off. We visited cultural sites, a souk, a herb shop, and the Amla Women's Center/Restaurant.”
— Elizabeth, Marrakech
→ Book a Greeter in Marrakech · Read: traveling Morocco as a woman
Courage, passed from one woman to another in Istanbul
Kathleen and her Greeter Mariana planned her days in Istanbul together over several chats before she arrived. What she took home was bigger than a plan.
“She also shared with me some words of wisdom from her Father which I am carrying with me: "You only need 6 seconds of courage." My time in Istanbul and with Mariana was so much better than I was hoping it would be.”
— Kathleen, Istanbul
Sometimes courage is simply having a woman beside you when a door opens.
“The most memorable and important part for me was when a shopkeeper invited me to his showroom that was away from inside the bazaar and Idil went with me. I would never have gone on my own. We got to see several floors of beautiful items and were treated to tea with no pressure to buy.”
— Sarah, Istanbul
→ Book a Greeter in Istanbul · Read: Istanbul tips for female travelers
Traveling solo without feeling alone: a local female travel companion
Most women who book a Greeter love traveling solo. They just don't want to do every moment of it alone.
“I felt like I made a friend for a day, which is something I sometimes struggle with while solo-travelling.”
— Vanessa, Bangkok
“As a solo traveler, it gave me confidence to know that someone would be meeting me that could share their knowledge of how to navigate their city and give insight on how to gain the best experience possible.”
— Liz, Dublin
“I love solo travel but sometimes it's just nice to share a walk with someone and even discovering hidden gems. […] It was the perfect balance of adventure and companionship.”
— Nina, Porto
“When you do solo travel, sometimes you need a company to talk, don't you? I really enjoyed talking with greeter.”
— Hiroka, Taipei
“As a first-time solo traveler, I really appreciated having such good company for the day.”
— Kaylee, Edinburgh
More on this: traveling alone without feeling lonely · my first solo trip as a mom · solo female travel with Greether
Women traveling together: girlfriends, sisters, mothers and daughters
Greether isn't only for solo travelers. Friends, sisters, mothers and daughters book a Greeter together, and share the cost as a group.
“We were two women travelers in Italy and wanted a local woman to take us around to see the sights and eat fabulous food; someone who knew the lay of the land, was knowledgeable, and spoke the language.”
— Debbie & Angela, Florence
“As a mother of daughters I adore the Greether startup and will recommend it to everybody!”
— Annika, traveling with her daughters Sandra and Diana, Rome
“Our Greeter was very friendly and made sure we [our group] felt safe. She made lots of recommendations, specially for us!”
— Liliana & Natalie, Cairo
“[We] avoided falling into restaurant tourist traps and received unique and personalized local recommendations.”
— Mitzi & Lyn, Paris
“I recommend to book at Greether experience on your first day!”
— Kaylee & Easter, Tokyo
→ Plan a Greeter experience for your group
Worried about safety? What women traveling alone told us
We'll never promise that travel is risk-free. What a Greeter does is reduce risk in the moments women worry about most: arriving, navigating, and getting back. Every Greeter goes through a vetting process and has a verified profile, and we verify travelers too. You also chat with your Greeter before you arrive, so you're meeting someone you already know. How Greether keeps you safer.
“I booked a Greeter because I wanted to feel safer, get a local perspective, see more than just tourist traps, and have support with the local language.”
— Laurel, Florence
“Lauren helped me feel safe and confident moving around the city on my own. […] it was such a relief that she picked me up and brought me back to my hotel, especially since I had just arrived in the city and wasn’t quite ready to navigate public transportation on my own yet.”
— Paola, Osaka
“At the end, she personally made sure we boarded the right train for our next destination and didn't leave until she was sure we were all set.”
— Kaylee, Tokyo
“And when we wrapped up, she made sure to walk me to the nearest station, which I really appreciated.”
— Giselle, London
“Arrived early and stayed till we completed our planned tour and I was safely back at my hotel.”
— Uma, London
“I felt much safer and able to enjoy the city than I expected.”
— Patton, Medellín
Read: essential safety tips for women traveling to Europe · a first solo trip to London
The places no algorithm would send you: travel like a local
AI is brilliant at the top ten. Our Greeters are brilliant at number eleven: the neighborhood they grew up in, the café they actually go to.
“I wanted to learn about multicultural communities, and she took me to Brixton (Caribbean) and Peckham (African). What it even more meaningful was that she shared her own story of growing up as the daughter of a Nigerian immigrant mother, and showed me places from her childhood.”
— Meta, London
“Nellie was a wonderful guide to a lively, diverse, artistic neighborhood, Belleville. I would never have found out about this hidden neighborhood without Nellie.”
— Meta, Paris
“Mariana brought me to funky galleries and a book cafe in Kuzguncuk, a neighborhood I might not have otherwise seen.”
— Joanie, Istanbul
“Maya showed me some local neighborhoods which was exactly what I was wanting. Condesa and Roma Norte were both fabulous neighborhoods for an older single woman to visit”
— Rebecca, Mexico City
“I came without a list of places I wanted to see. With my greether, she was able to construct an itinerary based on my likeness.”
— Devona, Taipei
“I would not have found such a wonderful capybara and cat cafe without her.”
— Carissa, Tokyo
“To go to a cenote. As per Beatrice recommendation, go to Parque Dos Ojos, the pet cemetery cenote!”
— Briana, Playa del Carmen
“Find a local Greether who can show you around that you don’t see in the social media sites.”
— Maria, Lisbon
Read: discovering Mexico City like a local · a first trip to Tokyo
Friends for a day, or for years
This is the part travelers mention again and again. Not the sights. The woman.
“From the second we met, I felt like I had known Shannon for years.”
— Rosa, Florence
“The time went by so fast and we became fast friends! Montreal was memorable because of my Greether meet up with Alma!”
— Melissa, Montreal
“I felt like I was spending a day with a good friend and learning along the way. Plus we shared podcast recommendations and life advice :)”
— Heidi, Copenhagen
“Astrid was very enthusiastic about Helsinki and loved living here. Her enthusiasm was contagious.”
— Tisha, Helsinki
“I told her that this trip waa for my birthday and she got me chocolate.”
— Karina, Singapore
“We had a lovely lunch at the end together and ran a bit over because we were having such a great time!”
— Robin, Paris
“Though it was a rainy day, Madeline was terrific. We talked over a glass of wine and then shopped in her recommended spots!”
— Virginia, Paris
Travel writer Emma Truscott put it best in The i Paper, after meeting her Greeter, Zahya, in Casablanca:
“Passersby would surely assume we’ve been friends for years as we giggle and gossip about dating, daily life... In truth, we only met yesterday, but my new bestie has helped me let my guard down during what could have been an intimidating solo trip.”
— Emma Truscott, in The i Paper, Casablanca
Above and beyond
No app can stand in line for you. Brenda, a Greeter in Milan, did.
“She went out of her way by securing tickets to the Last Supper Museum when the on-line tickets were sold out. She stood in line at a specific time and date to do this for us. A remarkably generous act on our behalf.”
— Beth, Milan
“You could instantly tell Rebecca loves her hometown and was happy to share some of her favorite local spots around the city.”
— Ariel, Rome
“Malina is a gem! She is thoughtful, intelligent, genuine and a ray of sunshine!”
— Stephanie, Dubai
Travel as a force for good: every booking creates income for a local woman
Every Greether experience is paid work for a local woman in her own city. When you book, you're not just getting a better trip. You're supporting a woman's livelihood and helping build a more equitable tourism economy.
That's why Greether is a for-progress company aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 5, Gender Equality, by reducing safety risks for women who travel, and SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth, by creating flexible, dignified income for women through technology and sustainable tourism. SDG 8 even calls for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture. That's exactly what a Greeter does.
Travelers feel it too:
“I booked a Greeter because I was traveling solo, I wanted to support women.”
— Talia, Florence
“I booked a Greeter to feel safer, support a local woman, and experience the city through authentic eyes.”
— Elizabeth, Marrakech
“The most valuable part of my experience in Paris was traveling with a trusted female companion. It was a blast.”
— Melody, Paris
“Most of that fee goes directly to Zahya, putting money and opportunities in the hands of local women, with a small cut going to Greether.”
— Emma Truscott, in The i Paper, Casablanca
Live somewhere you love and want to earn by sharing it? → Become a Greeter
Innovation with a human heart: how Greether is leading women's travel forward
Greether started with a solo trip. Our founder, Vanessa Karel, traveled alone to Morocco and felt the unease of being a woman somewhere new with no one to call or trust. That feeling became a company. Read our story.
Today Greether connects women travelers with verified local women Greeters in 130+ countries and 1,000+ cities, with a community of over 100,000 members and a 5/5 Google rating. We grew there without paid marketing, one woman telling another.
We're backed by a16z TxO and supported by the Expedia Accelerator. UN Tourism (formerly UNWTO) named us one of the Top 3 most innovative female-empowerment travel companies in the world. We were WTM London's Travel Startup of the Year 2024 and one of PhocusWire’s Hot 25 Travel Startups. You may have seen us in Forbes, USA Today and on CBS News.
We also created the Female Travel Assessment Certification to help destinations and hotels become better places for women to travel. Visit Tulum was the first destination to receive it. See our women-approved hotels.
We use technology where it helps: matching you with the right Greeter, easy booking, and a private chat before you land. Then we get out of the way, because the best part of the trip was never the app.
“You choose what to do, where to meet and how long for. You’re even connected with your “local bestie” before the trip to plan your time together.”
— Emma Truscott, on how Greether works
One more voice
“You will have someone in your corner, someone who can answer your questions and help you feel at ease - and best of all, you get to really connect with someone in the destination you’re visiting which I think for most of us, if not all of us, is the whole freaking point of leaving home and exploring the world”
— Erin, Amsterdam
Happy World Tourism Day from all of us at Greether, and from every woman who has greeted another woman somewhere in the world. The future of travel can be powered by technology and still be deeply human.
→ Find your Greeter in 1,000+ cities
→ Traveling with friends or family? Book a Greeter for your group
→ Live somewhere you love? Become a Greeter
FAQ: solo female travel and traveling with a Greeter
What is Greether?
Greether is a women-to-women travel company that connects women travelers with verified local women, called Greeters, in 130+ countries and 1,000+ cities, with a community of over 100,000 members. You book a private, personalized experience with a local woman who shows you her city.
Is Greether only for solo female travelers?
No. Greether is for solo female travelers and for women traveling together: girlfriends, sisters, mothers and daughters, and multi-generation family trips. Groups can share the cost of one Greeter experience.
Is it safe to book a Greeter?
Safety is Greether's top priority. Every Greeter goes through a vetting process and has a verified profile, and travelers are verified too. You connect with your Greeter in a private chat before your trip, so you know who you're meeting. No travel is risk-free, but a Greeter helps reduce risk when you arrive, navigate and get back.
How much does a Greeter cost?
Greether experiences start from $30 USD per hour, and groups can share the cost.
Is Greether a tour company?
No. There are no scripted group tours. You choose what to do, where to meet and for how long, and your Greeter personalizes the experience around you, like exploring with a local friend.
How does booking a Greeter support local women?
Every booking is paid work for a local woman in her own city. Greether is aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals 5 (Gender Equality) and 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), creating income opportunities for women through sustainable tourism.
How does Greether use AI and technology?
Greether uses technology to make finding, booking and connecting with your Greeter simple, including a private chat before your trip. The experience itself is always human: a real local woman, with you in person.