Have you ever found yourself yearning to throw all caution to the wind and set out on a worldly adventure, but just as quickly dismiss your travel aspirations as nothing more than a pipe dream?
Maybe your goal doesn’t seem practical, financially viable, or even socially acceptable. Sometimes, unexpected life-changing events put your plans to a halt. More often than not, you’ll be surprised to discover it is your own limiting beliefs that are holding you back.
These are the women who defy odds to see the world and live to pen the tale for your entertainment and inspiration. Reading their stories may just give you the much-needed nudge to go on that dream trip.
1. “Around the World in 72 Days” by Nellie Bly
Long before the female adventurers on this list ventured down a road less travelled, the trail was blazed by American gonzo journalist, Nellie Bly (the pseudonym of Elizabeth Jane Cochrane). In 1888, the then 24-year-old Bly pitched the idea of going on a trip around the world to her editor at the New York World as a journalism stunt.
Inspired by the 1873 Jules Verne novel, Around the World in 80 Days, Bly’s goal was two-fold: to turn fiction into fact for the first time, and to beat the fictional record of Verne’s protagonist by finishing the trip around the globe in 75 days.
She set out on 14 November 1889, on board a steamship from New York. On her travels, Bly had made stops in France to meet and interview Verne, passed by the Suez Canal, visited a leper colony in China, and explored the Straits Settlements of Penang and Singapore where she bought a monkey – among many things.
Adhering to a strict schedule and traveling by steamship and railroad systems, she triumphantly arrived back in New Jersey on 25 January 1890, completing the journey three days earlier than planned. Later in the year, the chronicle details of her journey were published in a book that is now in the public domain.
2. “Seeing the World in 500 Days: A Travelogue” by Hong Weixi
It seems to be the dream of every avid traveler to quit the rat race, leave the only life we’ve known behind and travel the world nonstop. Well, Hong Weixi decided to follow her heart and lived that dream. Despite not having a clear destination in mind and objections from family, Hong resigned from a promising job as a sports reporter and bought a one-way ticket to China.
She eventually stepped foot in 40 countries in 502 days. In her travelogue, she shares her personal experience and offers plenty of tips and tricks that solo female travelers would find particularly helpful.
3. “Tales of a Female Nomad: Living Large in the World” by Rita Golden Gelman
In 1987, Gelman’s husband asked for a divorce. She was 48, with two adult children and had gone back to school to study anthropology. Determined to create a life for herself instead of living through her children and relying on alimony payments, Gelman sold all her possessions and left behind the only life she knew in Los Angeles for a village in Mexico.
She has since gone from country to country and lived everywhere from thatched huts to luxurious places. Tales of a Female Nomad covers 15 years of Gelman’s nomadic life, which she continues living into her 80s. Gelman shows us that it is possible rediscover the wonder and exuberance many of us lost touch with as adults, and that age is not a barrier to having and heeding an adventurous spirit.
4. “All Over the Place: Adventures in Travel, True Love, and Petty Theft” by Geraldine DeRuiter
While we tend to think of travelling as a way to broaden our horizons, let’s not forget how much we can also discover about ourselves on the way. All Over the Place is one such travelogue that focuses on the inner journey, where the trips are just jumping-off points to reflect on various aspects of life.
With a sense of humour, DeRuiter chronicles the years she spent traveling the world after getting laid off from her job, starting a travel blog and surviving a brain tumour. Those years taught her a great deal about herself, her family, and her marriage. DeRuiter’s story is a reminder that travel is as much an external journey as it is an inner one.
5. “Traveling with Ghosts” by Shannon Leone Fowler
In the summer of 2002, the then twenty-eight-year-old Fowler, a marine biologist, was backpacking with her fiancé and love of her life, Sean. Just as they planned to return home after an excursion to Thailand, Sean was killed by a box jellyfish sting.
Her world shattered, Fowler went on a solo journey around the world to find peace and healing, bringing along with her the memory of Sean. This profoundly moving memoir is a beautiful tribute to those we lost and the unexpected ways their presence echoes in everywhere we go.
6. “Paris or Die: A Memoir” by Jayne Tuttle
Tuttle was an aspiring actress living in Melbourne with dreams of a creative and adventurous life, until her mother’s untimely death left her lost and untethered. Still grieving, she hopped on a plane to Paris with an overstuffed backpack, no return ticket or a place to stay.
Inevitably, she discovered that running off to the City of Love was not all it’s made out to be in rom coms. Witty and full of candor, Tuttle’s page-turner of a memoir is likely to resonate with those who have – or wished they could have – moved to a foreign country for a fresh start.
7. “Kuala Terengganu in 7 Days” by Mimi Mashud
In this whimsical travelogue-comic, illustrator Mimi Mashud takes you on a journey to discover Kuala Terengganu’s treasure trove of heritage, culture and hidden gems, including the local food and the distinct Terengganu dialect.
This book is a visual journal of the author’s adventure in rediscovering her mother’s hometown, laced with personal observations and anecdotes. It makes for enjoyable light reading and a fun guide to Terengganu’s capital city, showing that there’s plenty of adventures to be had in familiar destinations, if we can only see it in a new way.
