didn't have great expectations--don't really like travel tales.
1995 gold medal best travel book satw lowell thomas travel journalism award ( )

These stories, all concerning women traveling alone, are short and satisfying. Among the most memorable: "What I Came For" by Lucy McCauley about visiting her grandfathers grave in Guatamala. He had been murdered on his farm, at a young age. The description of Lucy and her mother crossing a ricketty, aged rope and plank bridge above a high gorge sent chills through me. One part of the anthology dealt with dangerous encounters of strangers in foreign countries. Since I usually travel alone, that intrigued me. Always trust your instincts and don't let your guard down, especially in an unfamiliar land. You can still have adventures and meet fascinating people while using common sense. You don't like to travel? Read this book for a vicarious thrill. (less)
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Cameron
Feb 05, 2011 Cameron rated it it was amazing
Shelves: grrrl-power
Required reading for feminists and travelers and combinations of the two. Inspiring, heartbreaking, funny, and sometimes just strange.
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Kate
Jul 04, 2017 Kate rated it it was ok
Shelves: travel, essays, non-fiction-tbr, read-in-2017
"The first special edition in the Travelers' Tales series, A Woman's World brings together more than 50 contemporary voices in which women tell their tales, offer pearls of advice and warning, and share their dreams and ambitions with fellow travelers."

Not quite what I thought it would be. I sometimes thought that the writing was surface, well mostly. A few essays stood out for their passion, but mostly it was all rather humdrum. At least to me.

The last section of the book didn't fall into humdr ...more
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Pamela Beason
May 23, 2017 Pamela Beason rated it it was amazing
Shelves: nonfiction
I'm not usually a fan of short stories or brief writing of any kind, but this book is dynamite for all women who have a yen to travel. Each story is fascinating and beautifully written.
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Kristi
Dec 26, 2016 Kristi rated it it was amazing
Reading this book swept me away with the authors on their amazing travels. I loved each of these true stories from the road. Each one inspirational in another way. Each one celebrating the bravery of these travelers.

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Arizonagirl
Mar 29, 2015 Arizonagirl rated it really liked it
Shelves: own, nonfiction, travel, keeper
I love this book. I believe it was first given to me as a gift--by whom, I can't remember--and then I promptly lost it or let someone borrow it. I also received a similar book, The Condé Nast Traveler Book of Unforgettable Journeys: Great Writers on Great Places, which I haven't read yet, but it just made me want this one back. I remembered the map in the beginning of the book with numbered dots for the location of each story (although the Utah story is put at the Montana/Canadian border), and w ...more
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Jimmi
Oct 13, 2009 Jimmi rated it really liked it
This large collection of short stories by women travelers, although written 14 years ago, is still pertinent today. In one story entitled "Excess Baggage," Mary Morris writes that sometimes losing your luggage will teach you about traveling lighter - both literally and figuratively. "What we bring wtih us as we forge ahead tells a lot about who we are...I move less burdened by the weight of self-the self I had opted to journey with. And I've learned what every traveler needs to know along the wa ...more
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Victory Wong
Sep 24, 2008 Victory Wong rated it really liked it
Shelves: travel-memoirs, short-stories
A nice selection of exciting, shocking, scenic, end of the world, around the corner, and frightening short stories about women traveling on their own...

Interesting, a little bit too sappy sometimes, but it also has some wonderful inspiring and interesting stories very short stories. Some of the stories are excerpts of books which look interesting enough to read the entire thing, so it's good as a pointer to other books as well. Most stories are only a few pages, 10 I think is the max, making th ...more
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Lisa
Jan 09, 2017 Lisa added it
This book is so much more than just essays by women travelers. As I traveled precariously with each of these women, I felt an myriad of emotions. I felt proud I shared the same sex of these women who see beyond the big picture. I was envious, not having ever been this brave. But mostly, I wanted to climb on a soapbox and make this required reading for all young girls in school. As I grew up and started finding books hidden away in people's nooks and crannies, I discovered "Little Women" and I wa ...more
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Jill
May 28, 2011 Jill rated it liked it
Shelves: 2011
An entertaining, educational collection that spans the tragic to the introspective to the inspirational, Travelers' Tales: A Woman's World gives a realistic look at the dangers and joys of travel. Because this is a collection, some entries are better written than others. The organization of the book makes it easy to skip around. Not all stories have dates. This is a lengthy collection, but the variety of perspectives makes it worth reading.
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Jody
Mar 16, 2014 Jody rated it it was amazing
I loved this book. I stumbled upon it in a Little Free Library and am so grateful. All of the writing was wonderful and I greatly appreciated the thoughtfulness of the brief quotes in the side bars and the excerpts at the end of each story. I have not always been a fan of collections of stories or travel writing but I WANT to like both of those categories so I keep trying. This book was a huge pay off for the continued effort. I now want to read everything in this series of books as well as many ...more
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Lorri
Dec 18, 2012 Lorri rated it it was amazing
I found this book at a great used bookstore on Whyte avenue in Edmonton.

Each of the chapters was fascinating on its own, but what I most enjoyed was the1994 (or earlier) perspective on women traveling/traveling in general. A few of the locations I've been to, some I hope to visit, and many I'll only experience through a book like this.

This book will come with me on my year of travel, I think, to share. And I'm definitely going to explore the Edmonton Bookstore next time in the city.
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Ella Barnard
Jul 21, 2016 Ella Barnard rated it it was amazing
Shelves: for-the-powerful-woman
I LOVE this book. When your dream of traveling seems a little distant, this book takes you there. It's also a great place to get trip ideas.

I gift this book to all the lady high school and college graduates I know.
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Misty
Feb 28, 2013 Misty rated it really liked it
Simply motivational
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Mayra Thompson
Jan 30, 2012 Mayra Thompson rated it really liked it
Fast reading, excellent stories, it's also a book how women travel through the world and how the world relates to them.
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Rhonda
May 07, 2016 Rhonda rated it really liked it
Shelves: read-in-2016
Interesting read about women traveling the world alone. Trying to motivate myself
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Young
Jun 29, 2009 Young rated it liked it
Loved the travel stories as told by women for women.
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Nina Fitzgerald
Feb 24, 2014 Nina Fitzgerald rated it really liked it
This is a book of intriguing short travel stories by women. I wanted to save it for this summer's reading so after a few chapters I bookmarked my place.
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Paralee Hayward
Apr 24, 2013 Paralee Hayward rated it really liked it
I loved this book! I have never been so inspired as I read the collection of stories from women traveling the world. It has made me a stronger woman and better prepared to follow my dreams.
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Maureen
Jul 22, 2013 Maureen rated it really liked it
Amazing travel stories told exclusively by women. Some are frightening but most inspire me to travel more.
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Nmdb22
Dec 30, 2013 Nmdb22 rated it really liked it
This is a book to pick and choose from, stories from different experiences in different parts of the world. For anyone who has traveled, there will be stories that resonate -
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Keleigh
Aug 31, 2007 Keleigh rated it really liked it
Recommends it for: Wanderlusters
Very inspiring. I like to read it in the bath or at the gym, pretending to plot my next adventure.