Are The Best Destinations Right Under Our Noses?

Knowing that women like herself wanted challenges, time outdoors and connection with like-minded intrepid women, Monique Farmer founded the community, Women Want Adventure @womenwantadventure, enabling women’s guided trips both at home and overseas. 

“I learned to lace up my boots when times were tough,” Monique says. “There was a time when sleeping in a tent or going for a hike helped me cope with depression and anxiety.”

“Our trips give women the opportunity to meet friends, try something new, break through barriers and just be themselves. 

Women Want Adventure creates opportunities for women who feel better for their nature fix – a concept Monique calls “inner wild”.

“I knew nothing about how to run a company, but what I did have was a commitment to what I believed in – outdoor connection makes people healthier and happier.

“I am passionate about supporting, nurturing and empowering women to get back to the core of who they are, while finding a like-minded community to do so.”

But we’re living in a time when we’re all having to appreciate the little things in life. We’re learning to create new experiences closer to home than we once thought possible. And we’re never appreciated our home turf more. With some of the most diverse environments on the planet, Australia and New Zealand hold top spots on the rest of the world’s bucket lists. And while group trips are on pause, we can still get away from the crowds and into nature – let’s explore what’s on our doorstep. 

“When COVID-19 emerged, it was like stepping into a whirlwind,” says Monique. “I’ve had to step back… and slow down. I’ve had to shift my thinking to a more rational and problem solving brain for myself and the business. For me, this means embracing uncertainty and being practical about the situation. What can I control?” 

“Today this looks like baking copious vegan treats and exercising care as I, and the world, delicately move through unprecedented waters. It’s like kayaking in rough weather. You have to move with caution, go a little slower and accept you can’t control the storm but you can control the kayak. It’s about navigating calamity then finding opportunity in crisis.”

While her hiking packs sit in the shed eagerly awaiting the next trip, Monique’s pivoting to different activities and discovering “the adventure of slowing down.” 

“When things are tough, I try to get out of my head and into my body. I’ve always loved the ocean and now, when I can, I’ll be surfing or swimming. 

“If I can’t swim, I try to go for a long run. Any form of movement gives me a different way of looking at things and inspires me to feel gratitude at even the smallest of pleasures: a fluffy cloud, a bird sitting on a fence, sunshine.”

“Adventure is all around us if we are willing to let it show itself. Adventure is something that pushes you. Maybe a little, or maybe a lot. It’s about discovering the new in the world around you and the one within.”