The Best Women's Travel Writing, Volume 10: True Stories from Around the World

The Best Women's Travel Writing #10

by Lavinia Spalding (Editor)

In The Best Women’s Travel Writing, Volume 10: True Stories from Around the World , thirty celebrated and emerging writers invite you to ride shotgun as they travel the globe to discover new places, people, and facets of themselves. The essays are as diverse as the destinations, the common thread being fresh, compelling storytelling that will make you laugh, weep, wish you were there, or thank your lucky stars you weren’t. The Best Women’s Travel Writing speaks to the reasons why we travel—and how travel changes our lives.

In The Best Women’s Travel Writing, Volume 10: True Stories from Around the World , you’

Study the ancient art of belly dancing in Egypt
Go day-drinking with a sea captain in Croatia
Scuba dive through an underground cave in Mexico
Run from massive exploding balloons in Burma
Embed with the military in Afghanistan
Experience a different kind of time in Argentina
Go dogsledding in Finland
Confront heartache, pain, and a deadly creature in Indonesia
Negotiate with smugglers in Mongolia
Marry a stranger at Burning Man

... and much, much more.

Genres: Travel, Short Stories, Essays, Nonfiction, Anthologies, Memoir

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 22, 2014

About the author

Lavinia Spalding is the seven-time editor of The Best Women’s Travel Writing and the author of Writing Away: A Creative Guide to Awakening the Journal-Writing Traveler, named one of the best travel books of 2009 by The LA Times. She has also co-authored four books, including This Immeasurable Place, Food and Farming from the Edge of Wilderness, named one of NPR’s best books of 2017. Her award-winning writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Walrus, Longreads, Afar, Tin House, River Teeth, Post Road, Off Assignment, and others. Her essays have been widely anthologized, and she introduced the Restless Books edition of Edith Wharton’s classic travelogue, A Motor-Flight Through France. She lives with her family in New Orleans.

Reviews

[Joanna Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great travel read! 30 wonderful but very different stories. Some funny, some inspirational, some sad. Only a couple less engaging but most of them were well written and very interesting! Will definitely read other volumes

[Aidan · Rating 2 out of 5]

As is often the case with collections, these varied wildly in quality. A handful were really good, another handful were solid, and a surprising number were self-indulgent, boring, and dabbling in vaguely racist stereotypes.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never thought I would dnf a book but alas I picked this up thinking it would help in my project. Don't think so. Moreover this is not a book I would pick up in leisure. I will rate this based on the stories I did read.

Chasing Alexander Supertramp by Eva Holland 3/5 stars
An Unwanted Guest By Simone Gorrindo 3/5 stars
Why did the American Cross the Road by Sarah Katin 3/5 stars

It was interesting that the stories are real ones but they did not impact me in any way. Except for the last one, it stirred something in me. The fear to take the first step is quite common. Especially in the unknown.

[Perri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of these felt like workshop submissions, with a few standout pieces like the Alaska story about Into the Wild tourism, the Thai islands people stories stuck between being water people and a new culture, and the last story about dogsledding. Best American Travel Writing series is a much stronger anthology if you like reading travel stories. With that being said, none were awful and it was easy to get through as most weren't very long.

[Carol Lim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have only 4 stories left to read in the book. Most of the stories are well-written and told from a female point of view.-complete with family and relationship problems. My least favourite one is the story of artists in France and my favourite one are the Afghanistan stories (perhaps because I'm an adrenalists and these stories are told from a warring vantage point)

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many great stories! The one about Afghan bicycle team really tugged my heart strings and the one from Vietnam was really humorous. The one from Finland was an important life lesson.

4,5 stars. I recommend!

[E G Melby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love anthologies where I enjoy all of the stories

[Makennah Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly the best “book”/short stories book I’ve ever read - will be reading the other volumes

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed these heartfelt true stories from around the world, places most will never venture to in their lifetimes. Reading about the Grease Man in Sri Lanka and the truth to who might have been behind it was fascinating. The Balloons over Burma story is a reminder of what happens without OSHA ;) And the story about McCandless pilgrims was insightful. It was a real pleasure to read every story in this book.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice collection of essays and experiences - makes me want to travel.

[Karyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the stories I read in this book, but as often happens with me and short story collections, life gets in the way and I just don't make it to the end.

[Niniane · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite stories were:
- the Middle Eastern women secretly eating ice cream (which was illegal!)
- the woman who relied on her Aussie friend for adventure and became at a loss when that friend got pregnant
- the woman stung by a jellyfish man of war
- the woman who went back repeatedly over 30 years to search for a helpful employee from a hotel