5 Travel Books Written By Women To Pick Up On Your Next Trip

The genre of travel writing has often centered around the experiences of men, and it is important to highlight the captivating and empowering travel narratives penned by women. Here is a list of remarkable books by female writers that will change the way you look at travel.

Renowned journalist Sophy Roberts undertakes an extraordinary journey through one of the most challenging landscapes on earth, venturing into the vast wilderness to the east of the Ural Mountains. Scattered throughout this remote region are pianos from the 19th century, bearing witness to the enduring influence of piano music in Russian culture. We follow Roberts on a three-year odyssey as she traces several instruments in search of one with a definitively Siberian history. Roberts journeys across Lake Baikal, visiting isolated towns and villages, meeting vibrant characters who show how vital music is to their lives and culture. It is fascinating to discover how these individuals cherish their pianos, transporting them to the farthest reaches of the earth.

Award-winning English journalist and author Alice Albinia takes a journey along the Indus, one of the oldest and largest rivers in the world, from Karachi to Tibet. Along the way, she explores the people, history, and cultures of the regions it flows through. The river has played a significant role in fostering civilizations and religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism. Covering a distance of 2,000 miles through eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, northwestern India, and the Tibetan plateau, she delves into the geographic and cultural landmarks of these areas. Albinia’s narrative intertwines the past and present as she navigates through the borders of four different countries.

This fascinating book explores the two interconnected lakes, Ohrid and Prespa, located in the Balkans. Poet and writer Kassabova reflects on the complex relationship between history and geography, noting that sometimes history’s pathways can be found in geography’s remote areas. The lakes are about six miles apart, separated by the Galičica mountains, and Ohrid spans across Albania and North Macedonia. As a bilingual writer in English (her primary literary language) and Bulgarian (her mother tongue), Kassabova used to visit the area during her childhood holidays. The destination of the book is a tripartite political frontier, and Kassabova’s journey represents a quest to reconnect with her ancestral home, which her grandmother left but she feels a strong pull towards.

Many people perceive Kabul and Afghanistan solely through the lens of conflict and war. However, Khan offers a lyrical, personal, and meditative portrayal of the city, capturing its bookstores, cinemas, glittery wedding halls, graveyards, and poppy palaces. It’s not every day you encounter a woman strolling around Kabul, but Khan did so daily for years. The stories begin in 2006, when she first arrived in Kabul, five years after the Taliban regime was overthrown, and conclude in 2013, when she returned to India.

Award-winning author Cal Flyn delves into the intriguing world of abandoned places, exploring ghost towns, exclusion zones, and post-industrial hinterlands. The book vividly illustrates what happens when nature is given the opportunity to reclaim these spaces. Embark on a journey with Flyn to desolate and ravaged areas of the Tanzanian mountains, the volcanic Caribbean, the forbidden regions of France, and the mining areas of Scotland. It’s surprising how these seemingly hopeless places hold our best opportunities for environmental recovery. This book is brimming with deep insights and new ecological discoveries that collectively offer a roadmap for addressing the big questions: what happens after we’re gone, and how much of our damage to nature can be undone?