Answered by Shaykh Hamza Karamali, SunniPath Academy Teacher
Is it permitted for a wife to travel to attend a 3 day sister’s only deen intensive workshop without her husband? I would like to attend the workshop and stay at the hotel with the other sisters.
According to the Shafi`i school, a woman may not travel without a male close relative (mahram) or her husband. If, however, she is unable to attain personally obligatory knowledge (defined in the Reliance of the Traveller, (a4.1-4.7 )) except by traveling, and her husband or male close relative will not travel with her, then she may travel alone to attain this knowledge. Note that if she can attain the knowledge, without traveling, such as through local scholars, learning through the phone, or taking lessons on www.SunniPath.com, which aims to teach all obligatory knowledge that a person needs to know, then she may not travel alone.
There is, however, a position in the Maliki school that permits her to travel without her husband or close male relative if she travels with a secure group of people (such as with the passengers on an airplane). This has been previously explained in this answer: http://www.sunnipath.com/resources/Questions/qa00003995.aspx . It is permissible for you to follow this opinion.
And Allah alone knows best.