Women's escapes: From knitting to spas and scuba-diving

Here are some of the types of trips women are taking:

Special interest (Knitting anyone?): Some women's travel companies offer niche trips focusing on wine tasting, running or even knitting. Sally Black, founder of StitchAwayTours, has been organizing knitting trips for several years to places like Scotland and London. Knitters visit sheep farms, yarn shops and yarn factories. "Knitting has such a great history to it," said Black. "There's so many different techniques that come to us from all over the world."

Learning trips: All of Gutsy Women Travel's trips include something instructional, said co-founder April Merenda, such as learning to prepare authentic Moroccan cuisine, creating an individual fragrance in Provence or painting handicrafts with local artisans in Costa Rica.

Pampering: One of the most popular types of travel among women is a pampering escape, whether it's a spa resort or a cruise. "Spas certainly provide that amazing atmosphere that lends itself to girls being able to share stories, spend time together and get pampered along the way," said Stephanie Oswald, editor of travelgirl magazine.

Adventure: The average age of women on trips with AdventureWomen, which has been in business for 27 years, is 50 to 55. "We scuba dive, we snorkel," said company president and founder Susan Eckert. "We do a horseback trip in Yellowstone. We're bringing back our cattle ranch trip." Softer adventure excursions include sightseeing tours to places like India, China and Greece.

Big cities: Big cities, such as New York, Las Vegas, Boston and San Francisco, are popular girlfriends' getaway destinations. The cities are accessible, and there's lots to do.

Eco-travel: Go Eco Traveler offers "green" trips to destinations like Aspen, Colo., and Montauk, N.Y. The itineraries avoid mega-hotel chains, opting instead for historic inns, solar-paneled farmhouses and smaller independent hotels. They include activities like yoga, hiking, surfing and cross-country skiing. "We carry our own water bottles and try to eat only the healthiest foods," said Tricia Defossey, founder of Go Eco Traveler.

The Associated Press