Resources & Tips
books
Travels with Myself and Another BY MARTHA GELLHOR The glamorous war reporter (and former wife of Ernest Hemingway) recalls her adventurous life. (Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam)
TRACKS by Robyn Davidson At the age of 27, Davidson trekked across 1,700 miles of Australia’s outback with only four camels and a dog. As compulsively readable as it was 20 years ago. (Vintage Departures)
America Day by Day BY SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR French existentialist journeys across 1940’s America, from New York literary salons to the Grand Canyon. (University of California Press)
A Winter in Arabia BY FREYA STARK She shocked her fellow Brits by studying Arabic and the Koran, and moving to Baghdad in 1929. This volume records Stark’s trip through the country that is now Yemen. (The Overlook Press)
West with the Night BY BERYL MARKHAM In this poetic memoir, one of the first female bush pilots recalls the wild expanses of East Africa in the early 20th century. (North Point Press)
The Gastronomical Me BY M.F.K. FISHER These essays—as much about place as they are about food—trace Fisher’s evolution from provincial Californian to worldly gourmand in pre-World War II France. (North Point Press)
Four Corners BY KIRA SALAK In 1995, Salak abandoned graduate school (and her boyfriend) for a dangerous odyssey through Papua New Guinea’s remotest jungles. A swashbuckling tale. (National Geographic Books)
Writing Away: A Creative Guide to Awakening the Journal-Writing Traveler BY LAVINIA SPALDING. Spalding spins the romantic tradition of keeping a travelogue into a modern, witty adventure in awareness, introducing the traditional handwritten journal as a profoundly valuable tool for self-discovery, artistic expression, and spiritual growth.
The Best Women’s Travel Writing, Volume 9: True Stories from Around the World BY LAVINIA SPALDING The ninth collection in the annual best-selling, award-winning series that invites readers to ride shotgun alongside intrepid female nomads as they travel the globe to discover new places, people, and facets of themselves. The stories in this edition are as diverse as the destinations, the common thread being fresh, compelling storytelling that will make you laugh, weep, wish you were there, or be glad you weren’t.
Journeys BY JAN MORRIS Superbly written articles about cities as different as Las Vegas and Stockholm, about journeys across Europe and China, and about “romantic re-visits” to such historic sites as the Acropolis and the Taj Mahal.
Travels with Myself and Another BY MARTHA GELLHOR The glamorous war reporter (and former wife of Ernest Hemingway) recalls her adventurous life. (Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam)
Destinations BY JAN MORRIS The celebrated Welsh writer tours a Watergate-shocked D.C., an apartheid-stricken Pretoria, and other cities in this collection of Rolling Stone pieces from the 1970’s. (Oxford University Press)
canyon ranch tucson
The week long Journey Through Midlife program focuses on the physical, emotional, and spiritual changes women face as they age. JOURNEY PROGRAM, DOUBLES FROM $4,670.
8600 E. ROCKCLIFF RD.; 800/742-9000; www.canyonranch.com
charles street inn
DOUBLES FROM $265
94 CHARLES ST., BOSTON; 877/772-8900 or 617/314-8900; www.charlesstreetinn.com
golden door spa
Founded by a woman in 1958, the Door still caters almost exclusively to women. SINGLES FROM $6,500 FOR SEVEN NIGHTS
800/424-0777 or 760/744-5777; www.goldendoor.com
hotel teatro
DOUBLES FROM $185
1100 14TH ST., DENVER; 888/727-1200 or 303/228-1100; www.hotelteatro.com
THE GIRLFRIEND’S GETAWAY package includes spa services, a half-day poolside cabana rental, fitness classes, and a personalized feng shui consultation. DOUBLES FROM $430
2100 COSTA DEL MAR RD., CARLSBAD, CALIF.; 800/854-5000; www.lacosta.com
This 28-room design hotel in Switzerland offers the standard accoutrements, but goes a step further by reserving one floor for women. DOUBLES FROM $189.
24 MAINAUSTRASSE, ZURICH; 41-1/380-8010; www.ladysfirst.ch
DOUBLES FROM $460
1705 S. QUINLAN PARK RD., AUSTIN, TEX.; 800/847-5637; www.lakeaustin.com
DOUBLES FROM $289
90 TREMONT ST., BOSTON; 866/646-3937 or 617/772-5800; www.ninezero.com
La Costa Resort & Spa
The Girlfriends’ Getaway package includes spa services, a half-day poolside cabana rental, fitness classes, and a personalized feng shui consultation. DOUBLES FROM $430
2100 COSTA DEL MAR RD., CARLSBAD, CALIF.; 800/854-5000; www.lacosta.com
Lady’s First
This 28-room design hotel in Switzerland offers the standard accoutrements, but goes a step further by reserving one floor for women. DOUBLES FROM $189.
24 MAINAUSTRASSE, ZURICH; 41-1/380-8010; www.ladysfirst.ch
Lake Austin Spa Resort
DOUBLES FROM $460
1705 S. QUINLAN PARK RD., AUSTIN, TEX.; 800/847-5637; www.lakeaustin.com
Las Olas
This funky surf camp in Mexico includes fresh-fish dinners and rustic-chic villas. No men allowed. SIX-NIGHT SURF SAFARI, FROM $1,995
NAYURIT, MEXICO; 707/746-6435; www.surflasolas.com
Miraval, Life in Balance
Mother-daughter trips and sexuality programs for women, such as the upcoming Awakening Aphrodite. DOUBLES FROM $495
5000 E. VIA ESTANCIA MIRAVAL; CATALINA, ARIZ.; 800/232-3969; www.miravalresort.com
Nine Zero
DOUBLES FROM $289
90 TREMONT ST., BOSTON; 866/646-3937 or 617/772-5800; www.ninezero.com
TOUR COMPANIES
Adventure Women
The oldest women-only tour company in the United States. Itineraries include trekking, snorkeling, and horse packing, among other wild pursuits designed for active types 30 and over.
800/804-8686; www.adventurewomen.com
Adventurous Wench
These “soft adventure” journeys combine cooking lessons and spa visits with white-water rafting and hiking.
866/419-3624; www.adventurouswench.com
Chicks with Picks
Armed with ice-climbing tools, girls defy gravity at winter clinics in Colorado and New Hampshire.
$775 PER PERSON; 970/626-4424 www.chickswithpicks.com
Gutsy Women Travel
Tour the winelands of Australia on a Gutsy Gourmet vacation or try a Gutsy Milestone trip for your next big birthday.
866/464-8879; www.gutsywomentravel.com
Women’s Travel Club
The largest club of its kind in the nation, with 25 excursions a year. Groups average between 15 and 20 people, ages 40-65.
800/480-4448; www.womenstravelclub.com
WEBSITES
Journeywoman
In addition to first-person anecdotes, this site lists destination-specific tips, restaurant recommendations, and shopping guides for major cities from Beijing to Stockholm.
www.journeywoman.com
Women Welcome Women Worldwide
Solo travelers abroad can lodge free with members of this network, which provides connections
in 70 countries and encourages cross-cultural exchanges.
www.womenwelcomewomen.org.uk
Women Travel Tips
Hints to make any trip safer and more enjoyable. Plus, how to plan your first independent voyage.
www.womentraveltips.com
U.S. Department of State
Information for single women travelers. (Note: In Laos, don’t invite local men into your hotel room—it’s illegal!)
https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/go/Women.html