Remembering a Great Woman-Susan Eckert

It’s June 2019 and once again, we want to honor the legacy left to us at AdventureWomen by our Founder and the creative inspiration behind the company for 35 years, Susan Eckert. Susan was a force of nature in every sense of the word. When she passed away in 2017 after a long and determined fight with breast cancer, she left a hole in the hearts of all those who were lucky enough to call her a colleague and a friend. Our tribute to her then is worth rereading. We never want to forget the many, many contributions Susan made to the adventure travel industry and most importantly, to the women who joined her on AdventureWomen trips all over the world.

Susan in Thailand

Susan was intent on ensuring a future for AdventureWomen after she herself could no longer be the driving energy at the company. She wanted to know that women would always be able to discover the thrill of exploring new territory – across the world and in themselves. That they would open their minds and hearts to other cultures just as she had. That women who had no one to travel with would find camaraderie and community.

Adventure women in Singapore (Susan on the very left)

AdventureWomen in Australia (Susan holding the koala)

We are honored to have been chosen by Susan to carry her legacy forward and we have worked very hard to achieve her vision at AdventureWomen over the past 2 years.

We hope Susan would be proud to see that AdventureWomen has:

  • Expanded the number of departures available to women seeking adventure from 16 per year to over 60 per year
  • Added new destinations we’ve never been to such as Antarctica and Oman
  • Formalized the AdventureWomen Ambassador program
  • Added an Advisory Board of past guests and our annual survey to help us chart our future and keep our pulse on what women want when it comes to adventure travel
  • Expanded our presence on social media to reach younger women seeking adventure
  • Expanded the AdventureWomen team from Susan and a part-time office manager to an all-women team of eight
  • Continued our company support of initiatives and research to end breast cancer

Please join us in remembering a true pioneer who helped chart a new path for women passionate about adventure!

Susan, third from right with AdventureWomen group at a cooking class in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Susan with her Icelandic Horse at home in Montana

Elephant kisses with Susan in Thailand