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.

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 Cahners Business Information.

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  • Specialty Travel
    • Adventure