Heather is the Meetup Organizer of the Week for June 18, 2008

NomadChick is a growing network of adventurous women travelers, especially women who want to travel alone.  I guess the stock, somewhat sappy answer also is: NomadChick is about the transforming power of the journey, and the gutsy women who challenge themselves to embrace all the journeys that life holds.

What prompted you to the idea?

Having lived in several states and countries, I spent my 20's traveling, and being amazed at the lack of resources for women travelers.  It seemed like the only stuff out there were plastic packaged spa tours; and what I found most valuable about travel was how it stretched me personally, and I don't think you get that as much with a packaged pre-planned tour where they give you the itinerary when you register.  I'm not saying that those kinds of trips are bad, and there's definitely a place for them, but just that I wanted an alternative - a place to meet other like-minded women who wanted to challenge themselves and create amazing experiences and memories.  

I work for a not-for-profit library cooperative in California and am very involved in the library world, especially the marketing of libraries.  It's a niche world, but I LOVE it.

How did you find Meetup.com and has your group impacted the success of NomadChick?

Like many people, I'm sure, I found Meetup during Howard Dean's 2004 Presidential race!  I went to Dean Meetups, and after that I was hooked.  It's such a great idea and easy way of getting people together who share a passion.  I've used Meetup whenever I've moved to new cities, too - it's an instant way of having a great community because you already know that you're going to be around people that you have something in common with.

You've also started several more Meetup groups in California.  Do you have plans to take NomadChick world-wide?

Right now it's a labor of love (and since I started it, I got married, bought a house, and suddenly have a bunch of cats, so I haven't been laboring as much as I'd like lately!) but I would love to have Meetups worldwide - I definitely think it would be great - already we've had people from the Los Angeles group talk about attending the London one - it would be awesome to have them everywhere!  I just have to figure out how to make that work.

The London Meetup is very popular. To what do you owe that success?

The amazing Assistant Organizers, Maria and K - and I can't thank Kathryn, the previous AO, enough either; and also the fact that all of the members really take an ownership of the group.  It's really their group, much more than mine, which I think is the way it should be.  
I also think that London has travel in its blood much more than cities in the US - flights to Europe, Africa and most of Asia are less expensive, and shorter, which makes a huge difference.   

Do you have a favorite Meetup story you'd like to share with us?

I guess it would be the first meeting of the Glendale, CA group.  It was small, and I was really nervous, and then suddenly everything just fell into place, we were laughing and planning the excursions we wanted to take, and I realized how much women wanted to have a group like this, myself included.  I always think that it's about more than just traveling to exotic places - it's about being willing to stretch yourself, take a chance, learn and have fun along the way.  

I have big plans for it - I just need to find the time to put them into action!  I want to create a community for women travelers - whether they're going to another state or another continent. 
I am planning a series of guidebooks on advice for single women travelers, am working on a collection of travel memoirs from single women, and lots of other fun stuff.  Sometimes, when
I stop to think about it all, it really freaks me out!