A Woman Alone: Travel Tales from around the Globe
- Book Review,
by Faith Conlon
From Library Journal
These two new collections of entertaining travel essays focus on female travelers. The Unsavvy Traveller includes hilarious stories of trips gone horribly wrong, while A Woman Alone contains stories of intrepid women traveling solo. The first is the more unusual of the two, vividly describing experiences that are both horrendous and humorous, including getting lost in the jungle, being chased by a bear, and being questioned by the police on the suspicion of taking photos of a nude man sunbathing. Contributors include Caryn Bark, Lucy Jane Bledsoe, and Novella Carpenter. Many of the stories in A Woman Alone are about women of various backgrounds (e.g., veteran travel writer Mary Morris and Faith Adiele, a Buddhist nun) connecting with others while traveling alone. "In the Ladies' Compartment," for example, describes one woman's experience traveling by train in India. Her previously established connection to other women on the train aids her when the guard thinks she is a man and threatens to throw her off the train. Other adventures include driving in a snowstorm alone, going on a religious pilgrimage in Mexico, and befriending women in Senegal. While many of the tales are unique, the theme itself is not, and there are already quite a few books in print that cover similar ground more thoroughly. For example, Susan F. Rogers's Solo: On Her Own Adventure (LJ 5/01/96) not only offers a more consistent treatment of the same theme but also addresses more immediate concerns of women traveling alone in the outdoors. Nevertheless, with the increasing popularity of travel essays, public libraries may wish to purchase both of these volumes, depending on their patrons' interests. Those with limited funds should opt for The Unsavvy Traveller. Alison Hopkins, Queens Borough P.L., New York Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
This absolutely delightful collection features anecdotal travel tales from 29 different women. Differing in background, temperament, and destination, these women share a common bond in their love of solo travel. While acknowledging the inherent risks of traveling alone, the emphasis of each individual essay is on the ultimately rewarding experience of both the interior and the external journey. Interspersed with humor, philosophical musings, and handy travel tips, this charming travelogue bounds back and forth over six continents, offering a comfortable armchair view of an array of exotic adventures. These brief articles will whet readers' appetites for voyages of discovery. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
The idea of a journey without companions is too daunting for most travelers. Not so the women of this collection. These contemporary pioneers savor the ultimate freedom of solo travel. Marybeth Bond discovers the dubious pleasures of desert camel-riding when she decides to follow an ancient Indian trading route. Faith Adiele, a black Buddhist nun, enters a deserted train station at 3:00 a.m. in a Thai village controlled by armed bandits. Ena Singh negotiates with Russian police to visit the blue-domed city of Samarkand. In A Woman Alone, these women and others tell their funny, thrilling, occasionally terrifying, ultimately transformative stories of navigating some of the most unusual destinations on the globe.
Excerpted from A Woman Alone: Travel Tales from Around the Globe by Faith Conlon, Ingrid Emerick, Christina henry De Tessan, Christina Henry de Tessan. Copyright © 2001. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
INTRODUCTION--From the Editors Why go alone? This is the oft-asked question solo travelers grapple with, whether it springs from deep within, or from the lips of curious friends and worried family members. Why aren’t you going with someone, they ask. Wouldn’t it be safer, easier, less intimidating to travel with a companion? Why indeed? When the three of us began talking about our own travels, we were most curious about each other’s solo trips – where, what, how, and of course: why? In the casual swapping of our stories and those of our friends, we realized that the reasons for going alone are as many and varied as the travelers themselves. For some of us, the first solo trip is less a personal choice than a last resort: family and friends couldn’t commit, partners were too busy or didn’t exist. For others, traveling alone fulfilled a long-held dream, sometimes years in the making. But whether propelled by fierce independence or circumstance, each of us found that the urge to travel had simply become too strong to ignore any longer. Facing down assorted worries – loneliness, vulnerability, fear of the unknown—we packed our bags and headed out, on our own. Traveling alone can be as challenging as it is liberating, and for many women, especially those of us who’ve been told that “we shouldn’t,” learning to navigate the inevitable ups and downs of solo adventure can be surprisingly satisfying. Every obstacle overcome is all the more exhilarating, each small triumph—the meal you hope you’ve ordered actually appears on your table—more intensely gratifying. With each step, we learn that the world reveals itself in startling and vivid ways when experienced without the filter of someone else’s viewpoint. Perhaps this is why we remember our solitary trips in such remarkable detail. Despite the fact that these solo journeys are often undertaken with fear and trepidation—or perhaps because of that—it is all the more astonishing that it can really be such a liberating and fun experience. Untied to the whims and schedules—and opinions and expectations—of others, we are free to do what we like when we like. We learn to rely on ourselves, and this greater self-confidence fuels us as we tackle each new day. Through the sometimes hilarious process of trial and error, we learn a great deal about ourselves along the way. As solo travelers, we are more exposed and vulnerable, and we are all the more aware of our actions as a result. Undiluted by the comforting presence of a companion, all of this—the freedom, the encounters, the obstacles overcome, the self-awareness—make for more intense and textured journeys. Perhaps most important of all, we learn, very simply, to be good and reliable companions to ourselves. Knowing how many of our women friends had traveled on their own – or at least talked about giving it a try – we were astonished to find that no volume of women’s solo travel stories existed. Certainly the travel lit sections were overflowing with stories by men, and we were aware of several wonderful single-author accounts of solo adventure by women such as Robyn Davidson or Mary Morris. But we wanted a book that would present a wide array of experiences and shine a light on the growing numbers of women who are exploring every corner of the globe. We wanted to inspire other women to listen to the inner voice urging them on, to put those fears on hold. And we wanted stories that told it straight: what went wrong, what went right, what was it really like? We were amazed and gratified by the enthusiastic response to our call for submissions, and dazzled by the range of voices and experiences. Working on this book was an inspiring and exciting process as we read through all the wonderful, wild, strange, poignant and funny stories. Certainly we were prepared for tales of adventure and independence – and we got those in spades, from scorching African deserts to rain-chilled islands in the North Atlantic – but we were intrigued by the number of stories that focused on cross-cultural connection and friendship. Interestingly it seems that traveling solo opens wide the possibility for connecting with others, perhaps because we must rely on the kindness of strangers or simply because we are free to interact in new ways. Over and over we read about memorable, if fleeting, bonds made during the course of a trip, whether on a crowded train through India, a quiet wood in Ireland, or a bustling village in Senegal. Although women are often cautioned about the dangers of traveling alone, these stories show that warmth and friendliness are a common experience. Editing A Woman Alone made us long to hit the road ourselves, to put down our work and take off – obviously the stories were casting their spell. We hope you will experience the same feeling as you read, whether you are a seasoned traveler or contemplating your first solo journey. We think you’ll find compatriots in this volume, a travel tip, good laugh, a new locale and perhaps a little inspiration.
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