The Most Powerful Women in Travel in 2026

"While travel can be a respite from doomscrolling through the chaos of modern life, it can also be a lens through which to understand it all better or even a tool with which to enact change. Over the past year the work of a select few women has felt particularly prescient in this regard, and can be seen throughout this latest edition of Condé Nast Traveler's Women Who Travel Power List, which honors the musicians, hoteliers, activists, designers, filmmakers, and more who are shaping the way we all choose to move around this shared planet."

"Take WNBA player Napheesa Collier, for example, just one of several athletes we highlight below, who is leveraging the growing interest in women's sports to call for greater financial equity and support for players. Or the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Louise Erdrich, who has created an inclusive community through her Minneapolis bookstore, Birchbark Books, where she provides a platform for the nation's flourishing Indigenous literary scene and, in recent months, a safe space for her neighbors as her city endured trauma and unrest."

"Much like literature, movies continue to serve as a spyglass into others' lived experiences-which is why we also spoke to director Cherien Dabis about her award-winning film All That's Left of You, a stirring family epic about Palestinian displacement, and her belief that 'being joyful is a form of resistance.'"

Condé Nast Traveler's Women Who Travel Power List celebrates influential women transforming how people move through and understand the world. These leaders span diverse fields including sports, literature, film, hospitality, and activism. WNBA player Napheesa Collier advocates for financial equity in women's sports. Author Louise Erdrich uses her Minneapolis bookstore Birchbark Books to amplify Indigenous literary voices and provide community support during crises. Filmmaker Cherien Dabis creates meaningful cinema exploring Palestinian displacement while embracing joy as resistance. Other honorees like Maggie Kang introduce global audiences to Korean pop culture. These women demonstrate that travel and cultural engagement serve as tools for understanding contemporary challenges while enacting positive change through determination and brilliance.

Read at Conde Nast Traveler