This Power List highlights 16 women whose work is remaking travel — who gets to tell place-based stories, how communities benefit, and what journeys can mean in 2026.
Susie Wolff – The former F1 test driver and ex-team principal for Formula E now leads F1 Academy, the all-women feeder series. She has reoriented the program around meritocratic pipelines and fan engagement that opens motorsport to young women.
Fatmata Binta – An award-winning chef in Accra, Binta brings Fulani foodways to the world through Dine on the Mat, a traveling communal pop-up. As FAO Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Africa, she promotes climate-resilient grains like fonio and supports women farmers via the Fonio Heritage Village and training programs.
Brenna Huckaby – Paralympic gold medalist and Team USA snowboarder, Huckaby has used elite sport to push for fair classification and visibility for disabled athletes. Her advocacy and high-profile wins expand access and imagination for adaptive winter sports.
Cherien Dabis – The Palestinian American filmmaker behind the Oscar-shortlisted All That’s Left of You, Dabis navigated forced relocation of production across Cyprus, Greece, and Jordan to keep a Palestinian-centered story alive, showing resilience and the importance of lived perspectives in place-based film.
Lissy Urteaga – Cofounder of Delfin Amazon Cruises, the only locally owned luxury line in the Peruvian Amazon, Urteaga has built a model that treats the rainforest as partner: sourcing local guides and craftspeople, supporting artisan markets and reforestation, and designing ships and cuisine that reflect Shipibo and Amazonian traditions.
Martha Stewart – The entrepreneur and lifestyle icon continues to fuse travel and taste, with renewed mainstream interest following a Netflix documentary. Her hospitality ventures and a new Bedford restaurant extend her seasonal, farm-forward approach to guests and travelers.
Sasha DiGiulian – One of the world’s leading rock climbers, DiGiulian has logged multiple first female ascents and became the first woman to climb Yosemite’s Platinum Wall. She frames climbing as a passport to remote places and an inspiration for more women to enter the sport.
Muna Haddad – Founder of Jordan’s Baraka Destinations, Haddad builds community-led tourism that keeps value local. Initiatives such as Beit al Baraka turn brief visits into multiday cultural exchanges, retain the majority of revenue within partner communities, and transfer ownership to micro-entrepreneurs.
Maggie Kang – Korean Canadian filmmaker Maggie Kang created KPop Demon Hunters, a film rooted in Korean culture that became Netflix’s most-watched title. Beyond views, Kang measures impact by renewed cultural pride at home and a wider global fluency in Korean music, fashion, and folklore.
Katarina Barruk – A singer from northern Sweden, Barruk performs in Ume Sámi, a critically endangered dialect, using joik and contemporary music to preserve language and cultural memory. Her touring work shows how respectful cultural exchange can support Indigenous survival.
Napheesa Collier – WNBA star Napheesa Collier co-founded Unrivaled, a three-on-three women’s basketball league that turned Miami into a sports-tourism draw. With higher pay and entertainment-forward arenas, Unrivaled creates viable careers for women athletes without forcing repeated overseas seasons.
Emilie Stordalen – Owner of Strawberry, one of the Nordics’ largest hospitality groups, Stordalen prioritizes worker wellbeing as the industry changes. She’s rolling out mental-health supports, dialogue programs, and training to make hospitality a sustainable career for younger workers while scaling responsibly.
Louise Erdrich – The Pulitzer Prize-winning author runs Birchbark Books and Native Arts in Minneapolis as a civic and cultural anchor, championing Indigenous literature and makers. Her long-term curation creates a safe communal space for conversation, art, and resilience.
Eva zu Beck – Adventure host and storyteller Eva zu Beck documents solo expeditions across deserts, Arctic regions, and ultramarathons, advocating radical independence and outdoor confidence. Her memoir, The Wilder Way, translates those lessons into practical guidance for women seeking less-trodden journeys.
Anna Lambe – Inuit actor Anna Lambe stars in North of North, the first major TV production filmed in the Arctic and shot in Iqaluit. She uses the role to present contemporary Inuit life and to urge visitors to approach the North with respect for Indigenous sovereignty and local realities.
Sarah Dusek – After founding Under Canvas, Dusek returned to Southern Africa to invest in women-led ventures and launch Few & Far, a regenerative travel brand. Projects like Few & Far Luvhondo emphasize local hiring, invasive-plant materials, rewilding, and funding for women entrepreneurs.
Taken together, these women show that travel in 2026 can be joyful, restorative, and a way to redistribute power — toward local communities, underrepresented voices, and more sustainable futures. Their work reshapes where we go, who benefits, and why the act of travel still matters.