Hyojeong Kim

Updated March 2026

Safety: the unseen barrier to women’s solo travel

Fourteen years ago, while couchsurfing across Europe in her early 20s, Hyojeong Kim awoke one night to find an intruder engaged in a sexual act. 

Described by Hyojeong as “a deeply shocking moment,” the young South Korean’s experience was a stark reflection of women travelers’ worst fears, misgivings that routinely discourage them from solo travel.

Research shows that while many women globally express a desire to travel alone, significant numbers hesitate due to safety concerns. At the same time, women-led tourism businesses, which are often best placed to welcome and support solo female travelers, struggle with limited visibility and access to international markets.

In late 2019, still processing the trauma of that night and determined to change what solo travel could look like for women, Hyojeong founded NomadHer, built around a guiding principle: “She Can Travel Anywhere.”

A safe digital space that empowers women travelers and entrepreneurs

Operated from South Korea and France, NomadHer is a global community app designed to help women travel independently with peace of mind, while supporting women entrepreneurs building sustainable tourism businesses. 

A women-only space, the app enables travelers to connect, share advice and find trusted travel companions. Hyojeong emphasises that safety is NomadHer’s north star, using a self-developed identity authentication algorithm to ensure members can confidently match with other verified women.

Hyojeong describes how a woman planning her first solo trip might search for others traveling to the same destination at similar times, read their profiles and learn about their interests and travel styles. By connecting in advance, that same traveler can arrive in an unfamiliar place knowing she will be met by a friendly face. Another traveler might use NomadHer while already on the road, checking who is nearby and joining a small group for dinner or a local experience. “What begins as reassurance quickly becomes connection,” says Hyojeong. “A way to feel part of a global sisterhood.”

Alongside peer connections, users can access female-friendly travel tips and local insights shared by women on the ground, ranging from where to avoid after dark, to which cafes and restaurants provide welcoming spaces. 

Splitting her time between Paris, Seoul and Busan, Hyojeong says she regularly uses the app herself, meeting community members for lunch or exchanging recommendations.

Crucially, NomadHer also connects travelers with women-led tourism businesses, enabling them to discover local experiences, support female entrepreneurs and travel more consciously. “By partnering with local women entrepreneurs, we create curated travel programs and community meet-ups that connect women travelers and ensure tourism spending supports women locally,” Hyojeong says.

A 400,000-strong global sisterhood supporting sustainable tourism — and each other

What began as a response to one woman’s experience has grown into a global community of more than 400,000 women. For NomadHer’s members, the app has helped replace fear with confidence, turning solo travel from a source of anxiety into an opportunity for what Hyojeong describes as “a powerful journey of self-discovery.”

As the community expands, so does its influence. NomadHer is now supported by a network of more than 100 partners committed to socially and environmentally responsible tourism, including UN Tourism, the United Nations’ specialized agency for travel.

Buoyed by these partnerships, the platform has helped channel more than $100,000 USD in revenue to women-owned tourism businesses, ensuring that travel spending creates tangible local impact.

This growing recognition was cemented in 2023, when NomadHer won the UNWTO (UN Tourism) Global Tourism Startup Competition Grand Championship for innovation in women’s travel technology. 

The accolade marked a turning point, but the journey to get there was far from straightforward. Based out of Paris startup incubator Station F, NomadHer launched just three months before the COVID-19 pandemic brought global travel to a standstill. “Literally nobody wanted to talk about travel at that point,” Hyojeong recalls. 

Now, with travel rebounding and interest in gender-equitable, values-driven tourism accelerating, Hyojeong has her sights set on reaching one million members by next year. The word-of-mouth momentum of NomadHer’s global sisterhood is already carrying the platform toward that goal.