Product Description
Originally published in 1992, with a second edition in 1996, A Journey of One’s Own has sold over68,000 copies. Praised by travel experts across the spectrum, from Glamour to The Women’s Review of Books, from The Whole Earth Catalog to American Express, U.S. News and World Report, and Parade, and written about in over forty major dailies, A Journey of One’s Own has become an established title in the travel book category.
Although geared to women and including much information specific to women (how to deal with sexual harassment, for example) A Journey of One’s Own has also found an audience with men who value the extensive information and excellent advice that is not gender-specific.
The third edition sports a livelier and more compact text design, a smaller format, and shorter page count. The author has thoroughly updated the material and added new sections on health, safety, and traveling during times of international upheaval.
Yet, the basic structure has been maintained: excerpts from many women’s travel stories are interlaced with -detailed advice on practical matters (how to stay healthy, be safe, avoid theft, etc.). And the author’s own stories, which reflect on political and cultural explorations from her extensive travels, are engaging and thoughtful, and add depth to discussion of issues such as getting acquainted with new cultures, accepting hospitality, bargaining, and communicating without language.
"Thalia Zepatos is . . . teacher, spokeswoman, and heroine of sorts to a generation of travelers, both women and men, who understand travel as more than the periodic recreational migration that our commercial culture promotes."—Seattle Times
"Superlatives generally make us suspicious, but we must say: This is THE best women’s travel resource we’ve seen, ever. . . . It’s authoritative; it’s supportive; it’s amusing; it really does have it all."—New York Daily News
Thalia Zepatos is the author of Adventures in Good Company and Women for a Change: A Grassroots Guide to Activism and Politics.
Amazon.com Review
A Journey of One's Own was written for women who long to travel but are a little hesitant about facing the open road alone. Author Thalia Zepatos has traveled by camel across the Thar Desert, hitchhiked along the Malay Peninsula, and trekked the high country of Nepal, and in this book she offers advice, encouragement, and wisdom to the women she hopes will follow in her footsteps. Zepatos recognizes that female travelers face challenges that their male counterparts seldom experience: sexual harassment, safety and health concerns, and cultural attitudes are a real part of any woman's travel experience. She also believes that women experience travel differently from men, and she sees the "global sisterhood of women" as a positive, ready-made opportunity for women to interact with whatever culture in which they find themselves. Travel essays by women alternate with chapters on practical matters such as traveling alone, finding a compatible travel companion, planning your itinerary, and staying safe and healthy; as an added bonus, there's a list of resources that covers a variety of topics, from travel books and magazines to Internet service providers and socially/environmentally responsible travel opportunities. So, stop dreaming and start planning that fantasy trip with A Journey of One's Own.