What Makes A Great Woman Traveler?

By Christine Garvin On March 24, 2009 · 10 Comments

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Discovering new lands is certainly impressive, but what about all the other life-changing moments for women travellers?

I recently came across a post by Julia Ross recounting who she believes are the six greatest women travelers in Asia. It made me contemplate the idea, what makes a great woman traveler?

According to Ross, these women “Defied social norms, often at great risk.”

This included taking treacherous trips up the Yangtze river, roaming Arabia’s desert on camelback, studying Buddhism in a cave in Sikkim, being the first European woman to enter Luristan in Western Iran, and completing a solo bicycle tour through Europe, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and India.

Much of these travel escapades occurred in the late 19th or early 20th century.

But does a woman have to scale-a-mountain-while-being-shot-at-by-a-government-spy-without-dropping-the-baby-she-is-breast-feeding in order to be considered a great woman traveler?

What about a woman in her 60s who leaves home for the first time, traveling to an unknown place alone? Or a devout Muslim woman who decides to travel without a chaperone?

Some could even argue an older woman visiting a developing country for a bit of action might make a great (at least impressive) woman traveler.

This certainly defies social norms, can be risky, and to some, may be thought as women taking control where it normally lies with men.

Any way you look at it, women are traveling in droves, alone, together, with family or friends. And they have quite a bit to say about it, if you take a look at sites like Journey Woman, Tango Diva, and Women Travel Blog.

What do you think makes a “great woman traveler”? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

About The Author

Christine Garvin

Christine Garvin is a certified Nutrition Educator and holds a MA in Holistic Health Education. She is the founder/editor of Living Holistically...with a sense of humor and co-founder of Confronting Love. When she is not out traveling the world, she is busy writing, doing yoga, and performing hip-hop and bhangra. She also likes to pretend living in her hippie town of Fairfax, CA is like being on vacation.

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http://collazoprojects.com Julie

I think this is a great question, Christine. A Matador member asked a somewhat similar question in her recent blog about how we define adventure travel and I responded much in the same way you do here: Isn’t someone who gets on a plane for the first time to explore a place that’s new to them having an adventure? Or someone trying a new food? We tend to like these handy labels, but they may not have as much value as we’d like to think.
Eva

“Some could even argue an older woman visiting a developing country for a bit of action might make a great (at least impressive) woman traveler.”

Women who travel to developing countries for sex with impoverished younger men are no more great than men who do the same, in my book… There’s debate to be had over sex tourism, for sure, but the trouble is too often the same women who condemn men for doing it feel that for women, it is somehow empowering. Maybe it’s exploitation or maybe it’s not, but I think in this case the power differential stems from money and (often) skin colour, rather than gender.
Luke Nye

I think what makes a great woman traveler is the same as what makes a great male traveler, their curiosity, their sense of adventure, and their willingness to try new things. I don’t know that we should separate great travelers into men and woman.
http://www.women-on-the-road.com Scribetrotter

Feel the fear, and do it anyway!
http://Travel-Writers-Exchange.com Rebecca

Unfortunately, we still have double standards in this world. Most people would not think twice about a guy traveling on his own or with a buddies.

I think what makes a great woman traveler is the fact that she decides to travel on her own for the first time and have new experiences. She’s exercising her independence and is ready to breakout of the same old, same old.

Most people will faint at the thought of a woman traveling on her own. My family members freaked out when I said I was going to the UK in 2007. This is why I am starting to keep my plans to myself. FYI: I would like to go to the Middle East, India, Africa, and other countries!
DHarbecke

I don’t think twice about a woman traveling, solo or otherwise. I met so many Aussies on their Overseas Excursion, it doesn’t even enter into the picture. Man, woman, rich, poor, lesbian eskimo, whatever. Go for it.

I object to that “Greatest Women Travelers” list (shouldn’t it be “female”?), just as I would to a “Greatest Men Travelers” list. (See what I mean? It should be “male.”) It turns travel into a contest when it’s really about the experience. “I ran through a tribe of cannibals wearing nothing but a giant hot dog bun and a smile” doesn’t automatically make me a trailblazer. “Female travelers” are inspirational and I admire that, but it’s a fine line from that to condescending.

Leaving your zone of comfort to see something more is THE criteria for travel. I’m all for that empowerment, regardless of gender, race or tax bracket. It takes courage to go on a real adventure – to me, there’s only one answer to “what makes a great woman traveler”…

…a pair of brass cajones!

Er, wait a minute…
http://www.bylandersea.com Debi Lander

I agree with Luke who commented above, saying, ” I think what makes a great woman traveler is the same as what makes a great male traveler, their curiosity, their sense of adventure, and their willingness to try new things. I donâ€™t know that we should separate great travelers into men and woman.”

For me, travel is learning about other people, places and their culture. Might be a trip to Little Italy in any city (that has one) as well as the real Rome. Leaving your home to experience a place, .
Savannah

Itâ€™s way past the seventies. Why are we still breaking things down into
â€œgreat women doersâ€ and â€œgreat men doersâ€ of things? Also, why would you care about being deemed a â€œgreat travelerâ€ of either sex? I travel to fulfill my own goals, not to gather accolades. How did the act of travelling become an intrinsic good?
http://www.juliaross.info Julia Ross

Christine- Thanks for commenting on my post over at World Hum. You raise some good questions. Perhaps my list should have been more accurately titled, “Six Great Female Adventure Travelers in Asia,” or something along those lines. I blog on Asia travel and culture, so the list was meant to highlight women who have inspired me through their travels in that region, particularly in the way that they broke with social conventions of their era to strike out on their own. I take them as personal role models primarily for that reason.

Traveling alone is still something many women are reluctant to do and, let’s face it, sometimes we find ourselves in situations on the road that men don’t. Male and female travelers are perceived differently in many parts of the world. Sometimes it’s easier for women and sometimes it’s harder, but I’d argue that the experience can be very different, depending on context.

I agree that there are plenty of women I’ve never heard of who could qualify as “great” travelers, based on all sorts of criteria. In the spirit of Women’s History Month, the list was simply meant to highlight six accomplished women who inspired others to travel without fear.
http://www.truequanimity.com/ Christine Garvin

Hi Julia,

I very much appreciated your list, both for its content and the information it provided, and the fact that it made me contemplate how we would define a great woman (or “female,” if one prefers) traveler. And I think there is value in defining what makes a great woman traveler as compared to a man, because as you note, women are hardly perceived the same as men in many corners of the world. So a woman traveling in Australia alone is going to be a way different story than a woman traveling in Afghanistan alone.

Just as I think there is value in naming the accomplishments of specific groups of people that have traditionally been oppressed due to the color of their skin or heritage, even if they accomplish something a white male could also have done (easily, due to the lack of boundaries they would encounter), I think it is important to note the huge discoveries and adventures that your list brought to light. My purpose was to beg the question, how do we define this sector and yet be inclusive of all the women who have overcome adversity in traveling, yet are not recognized for their feats?

What Makes A Great Woman Traveler?

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