If someone asked me to choose one thing in the world that I like to do more than anything it would be traveling. Most of the time, I travel alone, but I am not always alone. Sometimes I am hardly ever alone. Spending time with locals is a gift that gives you a close and personal view of the culture. Living with locals gives you an opportunity to be a part of a family. Meeting other travelers can give you lifelong friendships that develop over very short periods of time. This blog serves to share advice to other dreamers and travelers, particularly to women heading out to a faraway place for the first time. The one thing I can say to all of you is: get out there, wander the earth and wonder what the next turn in the road brings. An adventure awaits you.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Read up.

It is the holiday season, the season of giving, the season of buying, the season of pushing and shoving, the season of shoppers in Wal-Mart pepper-spraying one another to get a DVD player on sale. Right. I’m not really into that scene. Shopping amidst madness and mayhem. I do not need to endure such hell. Best of luck to those of you who do.

So anyway, I wanted to put that out there since you may think that in this particular blog post I am trying to get you to buy something. But I am not. I am merely suggesting some interesting reading to those of you who are thinking of a big trip in the coming year. You could put these books on your own Christmas or Hanukkah list. Or you could just skip on down to the library and check them out. I am not receiving any payment from the authors for recommending their books. They don’t even know I’m alive. But I think their books are worth a read, especially for you travelers or wanna-be travelers out there. 

Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World, by Rita Golden Gelman.
The author of this book left her life behind, all things and possessions, and decided to “live in the world,” wherever the wind took her. Her experiences and adventures will intrigue the hell out of you. She is an inspiration to solo female travelers everywhere!

No Touch Monkey!: And Other Travel Lessons Learned Too Late by Ayun Halliday. Some of these stories are so dang funny I about split a gut. The author is usually traveling with a boyfriend, but this doesn’t keep her from finding herself in hairy situations that make for hilarious tales of adventure mishaps and cultural misunderstandings. One of my favorite parts is when she has to explain what the tampons in her bag are to a clueless soldier at an airport who evidently suspects they are ammunition of some kind.

Avoiding Prison and Other Noble Vacation Goals: Adventures in Love and Danger, by Wendy Dale. Crazy and hilarious. I gasped, I cringed, I laughed. Her adventures are beyond any I’ve had, and I am very thankful for that! This book makes Eat, Pray, Love seem like reading Ikea bookcase assembly instructions in comparison.  

And no, I’m not going to recommend Eat, Pray, Love. I just couldn't relate, and hasn’t it gotten enough publicity? Haven't most of us women read it already anyway? 

There are so many great travel books out there, and there are so many more I intend to read. In the meantime, as you think about the coming new year and the adventure you may want to take or have already planned, don’t just read guidebooks and websites. Read some travel memoirs by other female travelers. And read some that are not about where you intend or wish to go. Use the books to spread your wings a bit. They will inspire you no matter what.  


If any of you out there have recommendations for other travel memoirs, please post them in the comments. I'd love to hear! 
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