What we’re about
Looking for a community of adventure loving, boundary pushing, encouraging women to explore the world with?
You found it!
Explorer Chick is a 2022 Travel and Leisure World’s Best Tour Operator changing the lives of thousands with our supportive community formed organically by the women who have traveled all over the world with us on our small-group adventure travel tours.
What we got here is a happy by-product of Real Women embarking on Real Adventures. Women bonded together by challenging themselves in the outdoors. Women who naturally encouraged one another and connected right away. Women who live to LIVE.
🦸♀️ The friendships are REAL.
🦸♀️ The vulnerability on the trails is REAL.
🦸♀️ The empowerment is REAL.
🦸♀️ The personal growth is REAL.
🦸♀️ The cuss words, inside jokes, and SHE-naningans are REAL.
And we’ve been doing it since 2014! That year, Explorer Chick founder, Nicki Bruckmann was a wife, cat mom and home owner who worked full-time in corporate finance. Instead of feeling fulfilled by ticking all the boxes, she found herself feeling stifled. She made the choice to break away from it all and step out of that life. To figure things out, she needed a vacation reset. But not just any vacation. She wanted something that would feed her adventurous soul and push boundaries. But the thing about divorce? You lose that built-in travel buddy. Believing that other women must also be in the same situation; craving adventure and travel and not wanting to do it all alone, she launched Explorer Chick! Check out the whole story here. Launching in 2015, Explorer Chick ran one trip with three bold ladies looking for adventure. From there, this amazing community of women continues to grow, and in 2022 more than 1100 women traveled with us on 133 trips over 5 continents!
Whether you arrive as a solo traveler or with several of your closest gal pals, you’ll be greeted by a group of like-minded women travelers of all ages who love to go hiking, camping, rafting, backpacking, canyoning, surfing, kayaking, climbing and more. Basically, we’re all in on anything that gets us outdoors and active!
We travel the US National Parks and bucket list destinations like Iceland, Jordan, Galapagos, Croatia, Uganda and so many more.
The best part? You are taken care of by Explorer Chick’s professional, certified guides. They handle all the details: from food to accommodations to gear and extra words of encouragement when you need them the most. Leaving you to simply “mindlessly wander”.
“Okay, so how do I join Explorer Chick?”
It’s easy!
We’re not a club. There are no dues. You can simply engage with us on any of our social media (linked below), send us an email, introduce yourself in our Facebook group, learn what we’re really about on our Google reviews, or go big and book your next adventure on our website.
Say Hello 👋
💻 Website: https://explorerchick.com/
📧 Email: hello@explorerchick.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explorerchickadventureco/
❤️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExplorerChickAdventureCo/
👯♀️ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weareexplorerchick
🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@explorerchick
What are women saying? Jump down the rabbit hole with our Google Reviews.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Jordan and Petra Ultimate AdventureJordan, Jordan
Enjoy a women-only adventure by camping under the desert stars on our Ultimate Jordan and Petra Tour! Over the course of 8 days and 7 nights, you’ll hike portions of the Jordan Trail, ride camels in Wadi Rum, float in the Dead Sea, and glamp under desert stars. Yep! Your Jordan Adventure will channel every ounce of your inner Indiana Jane! Cue the theme song and sing it enthusiastically as you read on about your Jordan adventure.
KING’S HIGHWAY CANYON EXPLORING AND SWIMMING
Your adventure kicks off along the King’s Highway, which you’ll travel before exploring one of the most beautiful canyons on earth. Swim through milky blue waters beneath towering basalt canyon walls. Then cozy up with your new Explorer Chick besties at an eco-lodge within the boundaries of Dana Nature Reserve.
JORDAN TRAIL HIKING AND GLAMPING
The following morning, you’ll wake to trek 5 miles along one of the most scenic sections of the Jordan Trail to arrive at Little Petra. En route, you’ll be able to see into Israel and learn about the biblical significance of the trail by our local guide. That night, you’ll relax under the stars at an authentic Bedouin camp in a comfortable glamping site with a bed and mattress.
PETRA TOUR
The next day, you’ll journey to Petra on foot over the course of 9 miles. The hike might seem long, but you’ll be rewarded by entering Petra through a back entrance before exploring the narrow slot canyons and caves deep within the vast UNESCO World Heritage site. On your second day in Petra, our local guide will take us on a super-secret hike with stunning views known only by the locals (Shhhhh! Don’t tell the tourists!).
WADI RUM DESERT TOUR AND BEDOUIN CAMP
After our time in Petra, we’ll venture to Wadi Rum, the Arabic word for “dry river bed” aka where Matt Damon grew his doo-doo potatoes in The Martian. The Wadi Rum desert is unlike anything else on Earth! Protected by the National Park, this area is devoid of man-made architecture and influence. Instead, the nomadic Bedouin people thrive on what the Earth provides and call Wadi Rum their home. Lucky for us, the Bedouins will welcome us into their communities and share some of their favorite hiking trails. Spend two nights under more breathtaking stars in another authentic Bedouin camp. Your home will be a raised canvas tent complete with a bed and local decor.
JEEP SAFARI TOUR TO MOUNTAIN ROCK SCRAMBLE AND DESERT CAMEL RIDE
While in Wadi Rum, board a Jeep to safari to Burdah Mountain and take on a challenging 3-4 hour scramble to reach the famous Burdah Rock Bridge. If you’re feeling intrepid, inch out to the middle of an arch that stands 900 feet high. Catch your last sunset in Wadi Rum on the back of a camel as you enjoy a bucket-list desert experience.
DEAD SEA SWIM AND JORDANIAN COOKING CLASS
On your final full day, we’ll journey to the lowest place on the earth—The Dead Sea. Sit back, float, slather on some “magical” mineral mud, and wonder to yourself how you got to be so brave. In the evening, we’ll gather for one last meal. But here’s the kicker: You are going to help prepare it under the leadership of a Jordanian culinary school that is women-owned and operated!
See the website for full itinerary, details and to book.
https://explorerchick.com/adventures/jordan-petra-tour/
Say Hello 👋
💻 Website: https://explorerchick.com/
📧 Email: hello@explorerchick.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explorerchickadventureco/
❤️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExplorerChickAdventureCo/
👯♀️ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weareexplorerchick
🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@explorerchick - Iceland Glaciers and Hot Springs Winter AdventureIceland, Iceland
Set your Walter Mitty playlist to SHUFFLE as you hike, ice climb, ATV bike, and hot-spring-hop through a Viking land with a population smaller than Staten Island! This 7-day, all-inclusive, women’s-only multi-sport adventure to Iceland will slap over-worked fatigue away to make room in your soul for jaw-dropping beauty, badass women, and the most delicious gas station Pylsa you will ever eat. 🌭
Experience the best of Southern Iceland’s Golden Circle as we board our SHE-nanigan Shuttle for a road trip along the coast. We’ll chase waterfalls, trek across glaciers, audibly moan in hot springs, and spend each night searching for the perfect Van Gogh sky. (Northern Lights season, baby!)
We’ll leave the light pollution of Reykjavik behind to stay in traditional Icelandic Guest Houses and Hotels surrounded by total darkness at night.
When the sun’s beamin’, we’ll frolic on the biggest glaciers decked out in crampons and ice axes. You’ll get sendy ice-climbing glacial walls (Yes, you CAN ice climb!). We’ll set off across black sand beaches on ATV searching for the famous plane wreck and zipping through mountain canyons.
Let’s not forget all of those waterfalls! Instagram-worthy moments include Gulfoss, Strokkur’s steamy water geyser, Skógafoss, strolling along the black sands of Diamond Beach, Glacier Lagoon, Reynisdrangar, and Seljalandsfoss.
Do you work for National Geographic now? Probably.
Did we go overboard with three hot springs soaks? After hiking into a river valley, we strip down ducked behind the smallest wall ever in frigid temperatures to take a dip in a natural hot spring in Iceland surrounded by snowy mountains. You’ll soak with locals at the Secret Lagoon and end our epic winter adventure in the new, swanky Sky Lagoon.
Sound exciting? You’ll also be with a local and an Explorer Chick Guide who will be planning your adventure day by day to take advantage of the weather and the daylight. Hey, it’s a road trip where we call the shots! No rigid schedule, but a trip that flexes and flows so you get the best vacation. We’ll be sure to stop at local favorites too for ice cream, shopping, and craft brews!
Are you ready for this?!
ADVENTURE HIGHLIGHTS
- Sensory nirvana––blue glaciers, white waterfalls, black beaches, green landscapes, amber beer
- Hike through hills, canyons and craggy-gorgeous national parks.
- Hunt down Aurora Borealis by simply walking out of the hotel/guesthouse.
- Strap on crampons and a helmet and grab an ice axe to trek across a glacier surrounded by volcanic ash
- Ice Climb on a badass glacier
- Strip down to your skivvies to enjoy the steamy goodness of natural hot springs.
- Soak in the geothermal waters of three of Iceland’s best hot springs including Sky Lagoon
- Explore the famous Golden Circle trifecta of destinations – Þingvellir National Park, Geysir, and Gullfoss.
- Soak in the iconic sights of Iceland’s southern coast including Skógarfoss Waterfall, Dyrhólaey, Glacier Lagoon, and Seljalandsfoss
- Stay in traditional Icelandic accommodation, including a sheep farm!
- Live it up aboard our private transportation as your local and Explorer - Chick guide make unplanned stops and surprises along the way. It’s your trip! We can do what we want!
- Relax with a comprehensive itinerary that makes the logistics, transportation, navigation, meal planning, lodging, and everything in-between easy.
- Geek out with supportive and encouraging Explorer Chicks on a private, women-only, small group adventure tour.
See the website for full itinerary, details and to book.
https://explorerchick.com/adventures/iceland-glaciers-and-hotsprings-winter-tour/
Say Hello 👋
💻 Website: https://explorerchick.com/
📧 Email: hello@explorerchick.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explorerchickadventureco/
❤️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExplorerChickAdventureCo/
👯♀️ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weareexplorerchick
🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@explorerchick - Smoky Mountain Boots and Roots HikingNeeds location
OVERVIEW
Are you into endless views? Old-growth forests? Mist bouncing off a 100-foot waterfall hitting your face? Then spend a long weekend with a small group of women hiking the best trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (including parts of the Appalachian Trail).
Channel your inner goat girl as you stroll through iconic scenery and listen to stories of the women who helped shape the Smokies. Take a brief break from the trail living out your pottery fantasies throwing clay on the wheel and sculpting your very own mug. Then kick back like a queen with nightly glamping near Gatlinburg, TN.
BOOTS = HIKING
Get your blues and greens in on three stunning hikes that don’t even look real. The views from Charlies Bunion and Ramsay Cascades are complete madness. Wind your way through pine trees and over classic creek crossings that make you momentarily consider a coonskin hat. (But not really, because animals ♥️)
ROOTS = HER-STORY
Did you know a woman was the first settler to move to the Smoky Mountains? You didn’t? That’s because Martha Jane Huskey Ogle’s husband called dibs on the fame. Learn about the deliciously woman-heavy history of a wilderness that man tried real hard to claim as his own. Your Explorer Chick guide will drop all the juicy gossip, connecting you to the goosebumpy sisterhood who walked before you.
Deep dive into Appalachian crafts straddling a wheel and molding a coffee mug with your very own hands. Local artists will guide you through the entire pottery process and only help when needed. After 10 weeks of drying, firing, and glazing, your mug will show up at your doorstep. Surprise! Relive the SHE-nanigans of your Smokies trip.YOU FEELING MAX COMFY WHILE GLAMPING
Put your feet up in total Insta-worthy digs at our adorable glamping site minutes from Gatlinburg. You will sleep in a tent that has been tastefully decorated and luxuriously appointed with WiFi and temperature control – with meals freshly prepared at camp by your Explorer Chick guides. You only have one task after hiking: RELAX.
ADVENTURE HIGHLIGHTS:
- Hike the Appalachian Trail to the sweeping panaromic views from Charlies Bunion
- Get up close and personal with the Smokies tallest waterfall, Ramsey Cascades
- Learn how to work clay on a wheel as you create your one of a kind glazed coffee mug
- Kick back at camp with breakfasts and dinners cooked by your Explorer Chick guides.
- Sleep easy at our Glamping site with canvas tents outfitted with all the creature comforts.
- Relax with a comprehensive itinerary that makes the logistics, transportation, navigation, meal planning, lodging, and everything between easy.
- Geek out with supportive and encouraging Explorer Chicks on a private, women-only, small group adventure tour.
See the website for full details and to book.
https://explorerchick.com/adventures/womens-smoky-mountain-boots-and-roots-hiking-trip/
Say Hello 👋
💻 Website: https://explorerchick.com/
📧 Email: hello@explorerchick.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explorerchickadventureco/
❤️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExplorerChickAdventureCo/
👯♀️ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weareexplorerchick
🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@explorerchick - Moab Hiking, Rappelling, And Off Road WeekendMoab, Moab, UT
Your salt lamp is trying its best to inspire but sometimes, you need the real thing. Escape into the russet vistas and sublime arches of this 4-day women’s multisport adventure in stunning Moab, Utah.
This is your golden ticket to lace up those hiking boots and leave real life behind as we explore both Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Marvel at the colossal swoops of sandstone that frame the breathtaking landscapes like a picture. Summon your inner mountain goat as you scramble up slick rock and skip across sand dunes. Escape the crowds to discover an otherworldly quiet no meditation app can inspire.Slip into a realm that seems plucked from another dimension, brimming with rock dunes, fins, and hidden slot canyons. Suit up, tie in, and prepare to rappel over 100 feet to the secret canyon floor below. Then do it all over again (AND AGAIN) on a beginner-friendly canyoneering adventure. You’ll scramble, downclimb, and maybe even wade through gorgeous, remote slot canyons. End the day with a stunning sunset hike to the most iconic spot in all of Utah.
Show off those sick carpool skills as you climb into the driver’s seat of an off-road vehicle. Let the sand slap your face and the wind tangle your hair as you become one with ancient desert lore. Unearth ancient relics and dinosaur bones while navigating tunnels, ravines, hills, and arches.
We’ll explore the unique town of Moab and check out the funky shops, food truck park, and restaurants all tucked in between two National Parks. Every day is a new adventure followed by the promise of the best night’s sleep of your life.
Your unforgettable Moab Multisport Weekend starts with a breezy rendezvous at an airport hotel in Salt Lake City followed by a 3 night stay in our private Explorer Chick House. Hop in the SHE-nanigan Shuttle and let your guides handle the rest.
See the website for full itinerary, details and to book.
https://explorerchick.com/trip/womens-moab-national-parks-multisport-weekend/Say Hello 👋
💻 Website: https://explorerchick.com/
📧 Email: hello@explorerchick.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explorerchickadventureco/
❤️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExplorerChickAdventureCo/
👯♀️ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weareexplorerchick
🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@explorerchick