If I was feeling the wanderlust and didn’t know where to start,
this book would surely answer more than a few questions:
Wanderlust and Lipstick:
The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo
| Beth Whitman enthuses about the joys of independent travel for women, of being open to new people and places and of finding yourself along the way. Her book is laced with enticing stories of women who have taken off into great adventures , experiencing ‘the sheer joy of these heightened experiences’.Travel is marvellous and energising, as well as sometimes scary and confusing. For the novice traveller, Beth Whitman offers everything from packing lists, to itinerary suggestions and handy healthy tips.Even for an experienced traveller there are some ideas, like uploading your photos to flickr as you go, creating and managing a blog to save those endless individual emails home and pre-printing a list of address labels to send home beautiful postcards.I enjoyed the section on love, romance and sex while travelling. Recently we hosted a German woman who was having a glorious holiday romance with a local – great for both of them! However Beth gives sage advice about letting coffee be the drink of seduction rather than alcohol.
One of her comments about New Zealand was inaccurate- she asserts that you can just pitch your tent on someone’s farmland- not a good idea at all. So maybe follow her other advice with caution. A great book to read, to make you start giving up café lunches and luxury goods, to open that travel account, then begin reading other more country-specific books. Bon Voyage. |
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| Ceridwyn Parr |
Wanderlust and Lipstick:
The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo
published by Dispatch Travels www.dispatchtravels.com Dispatch Travels is devoted to publishing travel books for women with the express purpose of encouraging them to stretch their travel boundaries and to pursue their dream journeys.
I have just added a whole lot more tours for women to India onto the Women Travel the World Tour Calendar. There is so much choice from some wonderful companies, you can do a tour, and add some extra stays to explore by yourself once you have gained some confidence. As a woman travelling on my own, I find this a great way to travel. Join a small tour where I can get the feel of a country and then branch out confidently to explore on my own. There is now a choice of 17 tours in India on the Tour Calendar on Women Travel.
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Traveling through the colourful Indian state of Rajasthan you might find your eyes watering: women saunter through the streets in vivid saris, farmers sport large bright turbans, elephants are painted in rainbow colours, and even the cities are known for their different shades – Jaipur the pink city, Jodhpur the blue city and Jaiselmer the golden city. Read more
The latest from Venus Adventures Tours for Women – Ethiopia
I am just back from a quick trip to Germany where I went to meet up with Firew Ayele, our Ethiopian guide. Firew is an intelligent, interesting man, who is passionate about his country and people – it is a privilege to have him on a trip, and anyone who meets and spends time with him is usually deeply impressed.
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It’s not easy travelling alone – negotiating driving in a strange country and trying to navigate as well has had me going round in circles more than once. Sitting alone in a restaurant, wondering where to go next – all these things are the challenge of travelling alone.
But it is also a time to reflect and take stock – no other ‘noise’ keeping you from harsh reality.
I have a new mantra – “I am open to love and life and what the future offers”.
So doorways, windows, passage ways are what my eye is drawn to along the way. It’s giving me a great focus for exploring the country and reflecting on this staging point in my life. There are so many openings – some sealed up, some often used, some which offer promise and possibility – it is a fantastic metaphor. So I have started a series of pictures of windows and doors, it seems an apt thing for this transitional time in my life.
I will add more to this collection of photos over time – click on them and view them as a slidesow.
I am discovering traveling alone has its good and bad sides. Good because it is a time to tune in to your own rhythms and take stock of life – without the ‘noise’ of other people.
However occasionally I have caught myself wondering what on earth I am doing, so far from home and familiar surroundings. In New York one night I was sitting at a restaurant feeling decidedly sick – I suspect a bit of heat stroke, but I wondered if I could even make it the few blocks home. At moments like that you wonder what would happen if you collapsed – who would help, what would happen.
