The Best Women's Travel Writing 2011: True Stories from Around the World by Lavinia Spalding (2011) Since publishing A Woman’s World in 1995, Travelers’ Tales has been the recognized leader in women’s travel literature, and with the launch of the annual series The Best Travel Writing in 2004, the obvious next step was an annual collection of the best women’s travel writing of the year. This title is the seventh in an annual series—The Best Women’s Travel Writing—that presents inspiring and uplifting adventures from women who have traveled to the ends of the earth to discover new places, peoples, and facets of themselves. The common threads are a woman’s perspective and compelling storytelling to make the reader laugh, weep, wish she were there, or be glad she wasn’t. 

Go Your Own Way: Women Travel the World Solo by Faith Conlon (Editor), Faith Conlon (Editor), Ingrid Emerick (Editor) (2007) There is nothing quite like hitting the road by yourself to awaken your senses, sharpen your mind, and build your confidence. In twenty-three beautifully crafted essays, women recount the thrills of traveling solo. Despite threat-assessment levels and airport-security hassles, women of all generations are traveling more freely and independently than ever before. In that go-for-it spirit, Go Your Own Way spans the globe: adventure diva Holly Morris finds herself lost in the jungles of Borneo, alone with her thoughts and a cold-blooded companion; Lara Triback's quest to learn the tango takes her to the late-night dance floors of Buenos Aires; Stephanie Griest finds female friends invaluable in her journey through Uzbekistan; and Amy Balfour recounts a hilarious trek up Yosemite's Half Dome. The writers in Go Your Own Way pay tribute to the empowerment of independent adventure and discovery, offering up the perfect antidote for today's climate of fear and international discord. All the while, they show that alone doesn't have to mean lonely.

Solo Traveler: Tales and Tips for Great Trips by Lea Lane (2005) A quarter of all travelers hit the road without a companion each year, whether for business or pleasure. In this personal book, solo travel expert, Lea Lane, reveals the joys of the experience as well as its challenges, and dispels the stigma of traveling solo, covering such topics as: Dining alone, Solo-friendly lodgings, Group and special-interest travel—including ditching the group, Socializing with locals and finding romance along the way, Traveling with pets, Smart ways to save and spend. With warmth and wit, the seasoned, and award-winning journalist, Lane helps readers conquer their fears, make intelligent choices, and appreciate solo travel not just as a different way to go, but the ultimate way to go.

Women in the Wild: True Stories of Adventure and Connection (Travelers' Tales) by Lucy McCauley (ed.) (2004) Women in the Wild is a collection of thoughtful, insightful, and courageous adventures celebrating women in the outdoors. The stories weave a common thread of connection between the women’s lives and their experienes with the powerful forces of nature. The book offers hard-core high adventure such as climbing Everest, swimming across Lake Titicaca, and surviving a shark attack, but also looks at the softer side of Mother Nature with solitary fishing in Ireland, rescuing an injured pelican, and the simple act of giving birth. Authors span the generations, with more than forty years between the youngest and oldest, providing encounters that thrill, humble, induce awe, and remind us just how fragile our lives, and this planet, can be. The collection celebrates the many ways in which women inteact with the natural universe as prey, as protector, as hunter, as lover, and as survivor. Join Alice Walker as she steps out her back door to connect with an ailing stallion, Jane Goodall and the chimpanzees in the forestsof the Congo, Lesley Hazelton as she flies high above the clouds, and GretelEhrlich as she is struck by lightning.

A Woman's World: True Life Stories of World Travel by Marybeth Bond (2003) For generations the bulk of worldwide travelers were men, but today women are taking the lead, venturing out on their own or with others, making connections, spreading goodwill, confronting challenges. More and more it’s a woman’s world, and this collection of stories by 50 women is inspiring, enlightening, and entertaining. It will move you out of your armchair, take you along paths of memory, and fill you with the spirit of adventure. Join Pam Houston as she weathers depression and a blizzard camping in the mountains of Utah; Ride on the hormone rollercoaster of menopause on a jungle river trip in Borneo with Tracy Johnston; Experience a spiritual awakening with Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D., at Chartres Cathedral in France;  Ride across the steppes of Mongolia on a horse with no name with Lynn Ferrin;  Shoot the rapids of the Grand Canyon with grandmother Ruth Bond as she fulfills a lifelong dream; Laugh with Carole Chelsea George as she finds she is worth ten buffalo cows in Pakistan for her hand in marriage; Marvel with Mary Beth Simmons at the vibrant community of women who meet every day at the well in Cameroon

No Place for a Lady: Tales of Adventurous Women Travelers by Barbara Hodgson (2002) Hodgson profiles adventurous women who sacrificed personal comfort and respectability to pursue experiences traditionally open only to men. Filled with fascinating portraits, historical maps, and intricate drawings, this is at once a beautifully illustrated exploration of early travel and a spirited celebration of women.

Gutsy Women: More Travel Tips and Wisdom for the Road by Marybeth Bond (2001) A completely revised travel guide for women travelers covers important issues of health, safety, and comfort while traveling on a budget. Original.

Unsuitable for Ladies: An Anthology of Women Travellers by Jane Robinson (2001) Real ladies do not travel--or so it was once said. This collection of women's travel writing dispels that notion by showing how there are few corners of the world that have not been visited by women travelers. There are also few difficulties, physical or emotional, real or imagined, that have not been met and overcome by these women. Life is never dull for Jane Robinson's intrepid women. From an encounter with a snake in the Amazon jungle to shipwreck and kidnap on the Barbary Coast, this book includes tales of derring-do and great danger. It also tells tales of unimaginable hardship, including caring for a family in an ammunition cart during the siege of Delhi and a journey through Tibet that leaves its author childless and widowed. There is no such thing as a typical woman traveler--and there never has been--as this exhilarating anthology shows on a journey of its own through sixteen centuries of travel writing. So get ready for adventure and excitement with some of the most extraordinary characters you are ever likely to meet.

Women's Travel In Your Pocket by Marianne Ferrari (2001) Women's Travel in Your Pocket is a lifeline to women's hotels, restaurants, discos, bars, feminist bookstores, lesbian centers, and lesbian hotlines across the globe, but that's just part of the story.The book's Calendar section lists hundreds of women's events, women's festivals, and mixed gaylesbian events worldwide, as well as departure dates for women's tours, resort vacations, and outdoor adventure trips. A special section describes the tour companies in detail, and a mail-order section includes a listing of all kinds of companies that tailor their products and services to women and lesbians. Compact enough to fit in a pocket or -- for "lipstick lesbians" -- a purse, it features unique national" gay-lesbian symbols that provide important details about bars and other business. Thoroughly revised, this 19th edition of Women's Travel in Your Pocket is astonishingly up-to-date, with listings added and/or revised as little as two weeks before press time.

The Rough Guide Women Travel 4: A Rough Guide Special by Natania Jansz (Editor) (1999) Featuring more than 80 adventures around the world, this collection tells what it is like to backpack around India with your mother, be crowned Queen Mother of an African village, have a girls' night out in the Kalahari Desert, and sweat behind the scenes at a Caribbean carnival.

A Foxy Old Woman's Guide to Traveling Alone: Around Town and Around the World by Jay C. Ben-Lesser (1995) Ben-Lesser's book is a delightful hoot that will appeal to travelers of all ages, especially women who wish to travel by themselves. The words doughty and indomitable come to mind when you read the common-sense message of the author, a veteran traveler. Women need to gather up their self-esteem (through a series of unique exercises designed by the author) and then hit the road in search of happiness and a new meaning to their lives. Ben-Lesser does indeed cover everything from around the block to around the world; she tells of her travel experience in a fascinating and enjoyable manner. Put on your sensible shoes and get ready for a reading treat!-Joseph L. Carlson, Vandenberg Air Force Base Lib., Cal.

Wanderlust and Lipstick: The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo by Beth Whitman (2007) This comprehensive guide for women travelers is filled with safety tips, anecdotes, resources and information on how to start planning a dream journey. The book dispels the myths that solo travel is dangerous and provides straightforward advice on making the most of your travels while having the time of your life. With up to date listings of websites and details on the latest in technology products, it is the most up to date book in this genre.

How to Travel Practically Anywhere by Susan Stellin (2006) An essential guide for today's traveler: timesaving tips to navigate, book, and troubleshoot your travel planning, on and off the Web. If you? ve ever tried to find a sale fare you saw advertised for a flight, only to turn up much higher prices, or discovered that the hotel you booked wasn? t exactly "steps away from the ocean," you know that the do-it-yourself era of travel can mean something else entirely: you? re on your own. Now Susan Stellin, a regular contributor to the New York Times, offers the ultimate guide to the sometimes overwhelming logistics of travel, from researching trip plans to avoiding pitfalls on the road. This comprehensive guidebook presents practical advice on the most useful Web sites, strategies for finding the best deals, and resources to help you decide where and when to go. It also provides crucial tips to ensure your trip doesn? t disappoint, including - what you should research before you book your hotel - how to avoid hidden fees and expensive change penalties - what your credit card covers when you rent a car - whom to call if you need a doctor far from home No matter what type of trip you're planning -- business or pleasure, domestic or international, budget or splurge, exotic getaway or family visit -- How to Travel Practically Anywhere will be an indispensable resource.

The Thong Also Rises: Further Misadventures from Funny Women on the Road (Travelers' Tales Guides) (2005) by Jennifer L. Leo, Ayun Halliday, Laurie Notaro Too many travel guides are dry lists of attractions or portentous histories of a place. This isn't the case with The Thong Also Rises. Hot on the (high) heels of Sand in My Bra and Whose Panties Are These? comes this collection of the best in women’s travel and humor writing. These Ms-adventures take readers around the world and back again — and they’ll be happy to be reading rather than experiencing some of these adventures. Subjects include learning how to go to the bathroom with a pig in Thailand, trying to explain that sex toy to customs while Mother is watching, attending naked wedding ceremonies on Valentine’s Day in Jamaica, conquering that consuming fear of wooden puppets with a visit to Prague, boarding a crusty old Soviet Bomber in Laos, and more. Contributors include such notable writers and comedians as Jill Connor Browne, Wanda Sykes, Laurie Notaro, Wendy Dale, and Ayun Halliday.

A Journey of One's Own: Uncommon Advice for the Independent Woman Traveler by Thalia Zepatos (2002) Originally published in 1992, with a second edition in 1996, A Journey of One’s Own has sold over68,000 copies. Praised by travel experts across the spectrum, from Glamour to The Women’s Review of Books, from The Whole Earth Catalog to American Express, U.S. News and World Report, and Parade, and written about in over forty major dailies, A Journey of One’s Own has become an established title in the travel book category. Although geared to women and including much information specific to women (how to deal with sexual harassment, for example) A Journey of One’s Own has also found an audience with men who value the extensive information and excellent advice that is not gender-specific. 

Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World by Rita Golden Gelman (2002) “I move throughout the world without a plan, guided by instinct, connecting through trust, and constantly watching for serendipitous opportunities.” (From the Preface). Tales of a Female Nomad is the story of Rita Golden Gelman, an ordinary woman who is living an extraordinary existence. At the age of forty-eight, on the verge of a divorce, Rita left an elegant life in L.A. to follow her dream of connecting with people in cultures all over the world. In 1986 she sold her possessions and became a nomad, living in a Zapotec village in Mexico, sleeping with sea lions on the Galapagos Islands, and residing everywhere from thatched huts to regal palaces. She has observed orangutans in the rain forest of Borneo, visited trance healers and dens of black magic, and cooked with women on fires all over the world. Rita’s example encourages us all to dust off our dreams and rediscover the joy, the exuberance, and the hidden spirit that so many of us bury when we become adults. 

Wild Writing Women: Stories of World Travel by Lisa Alpine, Jacqueline Harmon Butler, Lauren Cuthbert, more… (2002) Wild Writing Women: Stories of World Travel is an anthology from a remarkable writers' group. The WWW - a gathering of twelve women - travel the globe, returning as often as they can to share their tales of adventure. Through these pages you will journey alongside each author, traveling through China on a motorcycle, playing with fire at a volcano's edge in Hawaii, experiencing the supernatural in Scotland, or falling in love in Moscow. Life's adventures are expressed here with sensitivity and verve, providing a terrific read that is sure to become a favorite of book groups, armchair travelers, and wild women everywhere. 

Being A Broad In Japan: Everything A Western Woman Needs To Survive And Thrive by Caroline Pover (2001) My encyclopedia, my translator, my phone book, my best friend! Western woman living in Japan Being A Broad in Japan includes everything you need to make the most out of your life: case studies of Western women working in almost 50 different types of jobs; anecdotes from many of the 200 Western women interviewed; profiles of 23 women's organisations; essential Japanese words and phrases; and indispensable resource sections listing telephone numbers and Websites for English-speaking housing agencies, banks, doctors, dentists, gynaecologists, therapists, lawyers, maternity classes, day care centres, employment agencies, labour unions, graduate schools, and MORE. An essential book for any Western woman living in Japan. 

Women of Discovery: A Celebration of Intrepid Women Who Explored the World by Milbry Polk, Mary Tiegreen (2001) Across the centuries and from many lands, women have set forth on journeys of exploration. Visionaries, adventurers, artists, and scientists, these women challenged the limitations, both physical and social, of their times and, in the face of formidable challenges, expanded the world's body of knowledge. Yet despite their extraordinary achievements, they have remained unknown and unsung for too long. No longer. The stories of more than eighty extraordinary explorers and adventurers are vividly recounted and stunningly illustrated in Women of Discovery. Here for the first time are gathered the tales of early voyagers, such as the valiant tenth-century Viking adventurer Unn the Deep Minded and seventeenth-century Spanish conquistadora Catalina de Erauso. Intrepid explorers like Mary Kingsley in Africa, Alexandra David-Neel in Tibet, and Freya Stark in the Middle East traveled fearlessly into the blank spaces on the map. Artist explorers, including the great botanical painter Anna Maria Sibylla Merian in Surinam, writer Zora Neale Hurston in Haiti, and photographer Ruth Robertson in South America, captured in their art the beauty and mystery of exotic lands. Many brave women have ventured into extreme environments to bring back knowledge, whether they were aviators like Amelia Earhart, mountaineers like Annie Smith Peck, or Arctic explorers like Irina and Valentina Kuznetsova. And the annals of science would be far poorer without the work of such women as primatologists Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey, ethnobotanist Nicole Maxwell, and ichthyologist Eugenie Clark. This is truly a gathering of heroines, full of tales of courage, talent, intelligence, and sheer determination. With a foreword by renowned journalist Christiane Amanpour, Women of Discovery is a remarkable book, an achievement in its own right, and certain to thrill anyone captivated by the world-changing drama of exploration. 

Maiden Voyages: Writings of Women Travelers by Mary Morris (1993) This is a collection of women's travel writings, including work by Joan Didion, Edith Wharton, Mildred Cable, Willa Cather, Isak Dinesen, and others. In wry, lyrical, and sometimes wistful voices, they write of disguising themselves as men for safety, of longing for family left behind or falling in love with people met along the way, and of places as diverse as icy Himalayan passes and dusty American pioneer towns, the darkly wooded Siberian landscape and the lavender-covered hills of Provence. Yet even as their voices, experiences, and paths vary, they share with one another—and with us as readers—reflections upon their gender as it is illuminated by unfamiliar surroundings. Edited and with an Introduction by Mary Morris, in collaboration with Larry O'Connor.
 

Penelope Voyages: Women and Travel in the British Literary Tradition by Karen Lawrence (1994) Looking at travel writing by British women from the seventeenth century on, Lawrence explores not only the significance of gender for travel writing, but also the value of travel itself in testing the limits of women's social freedoms and restraints. She shows how writings by Margaret Cavendish, Frances Burney, Virginia Woolf, and others reconceive the meanings of femininity in relation to such apparent oppositions as travel/home, other/self, and foreign/domestic.