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Lonely Planet Women Travel Solo: 30 Inspiring Stories of Adventure, Curiosity and the Power of Self-Discovery

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272 pages, Hardcover

Published May 20, 2025

46 people are currently reading
413 people want to read

About the author

Lonely Planet

3,676 books886 followers
OUR STORY
A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies and Lonely Planet was born. One hundred million guidebooks later, Lonely Planet is the world’s leading travel guide publisher with content to almost every destination on the planet.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
Profile Image for Niki.reads.rainbow.
306 reviews30 followers
May 28, 2025
“While I do not often purposely travel solo, my bucket list is too long to wait for anyone.”

This is a collection of 30 stories from women describing their experience with travelling solo. It’s a really interesting book for someone like me, who doesn’t travel much.

I like how at the end of each chapter are tips and notes (for example - travelling while pregnant, a packing list, etc.). It also features a lot of photos (I especially like the photos of food).

I recommend this book, if you like to read about travelling, or you’re looking for inspiration for where to travel.

Profile Image for Kaytee Pergentile .
458 reviews8 followers
May 30, 2025
"Where do I get to go next?" I ask myself as I get ready to turn the page in this collection and each time, I am genuinely excited.

Women Travel Solo is a collection of stories (I call them adventures) from women from all walks of life. These are strong, independent females with an itinerant spirit who perfectly encompass what it is to be struck by wanderlust. 

I usually find collections like this easier to read over a few weeks as the stories are short and you can come back to the comfort of a new tale later on. However, that was not the case with this one. As as I finished one story, I wanted to read another. It really felt like you got to know these women through their stories and travels and could relate to them in so many different ways. 

There is something about reading about different parts of the world but to hear it from a solo perspective is something completely out of my comfort zone so I think I appreciated the book more because of that. That's what solo travel is all about, pushing yourself a little bit and daring to take an adventure you don't know the outcome of.

Things I loved about this book:

🌍 Adventures around the world
💪🏻 Strong, independent female narrators
📚 Many different types of travel, people and experiences
📷 Beautiful destination pictures
Profile Image for Carol Ogden.
175 reviews4 followers
July 2, 2025
This book tells stories from over 30 amazing, brave, and interesting women, unafraid to explore the world completely solo.

Some have experienced loss, others are pregnant or have a child with them. Some are overcoming major internal struggles and learning to be comfortable with themselves, by themselves.

The book contains beautiful pictures of far of places, famous spots, and delectable eats from around the globe. I also love the "pink summaries" at the end of each chapter with tips or things to try from each author.

As a married mom of 2, I have never considered solo travel. But this book has inspired me to do more on my own. Even small things like eating alone in a restaurant or seeing a movie solo can be a form of self exploration. Whether you are a renowned world traveler or just someone trying to get to know themselves better, this book is for you.
Profile Image for Caitlyn.
402 reviews9 followers
January 14, 2026
As a woman who has done several solo trips and plans for many more, this book was incredibly inspiring. I loved that it featured women from a vast expanse of backgrounds experiencing all types of solo travel, including even traveling alone with a child. Highly recommend for anyone with an insatiable wanderlust.
Profile Image for Kerry Pickens.
1,219 reviews36 followers
April 20, 2025
I received an ARC from Lonely Planets and enjoyed this collection of travel suggestions from women travel writers. The variety of locations visited is the most interesting part of the book.
Profile Image for Keri.
233 reviews32 followers
May 16, 2025
When I saw this book, I thought it would be a collection of travel essays—IE, where, when, why, and how—similar to Jessica Nabongo’s book. It wasn’t, and that is okay. Simply put, it is a self-help book meets travel.

Lonely Planet picked 30 women to tell their solo travel stories. Many of these stories were about how solo travel had helped them from

Rediscovering one’s identity
Helping to redefine how we see ourselves
Rediscovering why they love travel
Lessons that travel taught them

There are both big and little lessons for everyone here. I was also given ideas of where to go and how to get there. One of the key messages was that

Solo travel can be scary. Start small and then gradually work your way up. And even if you are not ready for that big leap, there are solo travel experiences that give you both group travel as solo travel.
Profile Image for Amy Lorton.
493 reviews6 followers
May 26, 2025
Thank you @sabrina_dax and @lonelyplanet for sending me a beautiful hardcover copy of Women Travel Solo: 30 Inspiring Stories of Adventure, Curiosity and the Power of Self-Discovery. All opinions are my own.

The first time I heard about traveling solo was when I was young, thumbing through one of my sister’s magazines and coming across an article saying something like, “The Key to a Happy Marriage? Separate Vacations!” I continued to read it and thought “huh, this marriage thing doesn’t sound so bad with these separate vacations!”

When I started traveling for work, I discovered the joy and necessity of dining alone and being a tourist alone. Once while on a trip to Oahu for work, I flew to Kauai afterwards for a wonderful solo getaway thanks to airline miles.

No offense but after I became a mother, for my birthday I would ask for a night at a hotel room (with no view and black-out curtains) as a gift. I would bring two books but fall asleep on book one page 7 and enjoy a full night of sleep.

In other words, solo traveling has appealed to me for a long time, and I looked forward to diving into this book. I read it this weekend on a trip with my family of five, where we enjoyed our annual all-day beach party with around 20 family members. It was great, but I laughed at my choice of reading material. My life is one of the least solo lives I know! But children grow and move out, and maybe someday I will see if separate vacations are as good for a marriage as that magazine said they would be! I was inspired by “How a single, retired woman set out to see the world” and although this book is non-fiction, my romance-loving heart enjoyed it as well. Besides the stories, there is a list of reasons to travel solo, expert tips from the Lonely Planet team and of course gorgeous photography that make you add locations to your TBT (To Be Traveled) list. I appreciate books with short, standalone, thorough stories, so they can be read here and there when you have time. It was perfect read for a solo (or not solo) trip!

I love these lines by Jessicca Nabongo: “While I do not often purposely travel solo, my bucket list is too long to wait for anyone.” And “I love exploring places a creating memories with my family and friends, but their absence doesn’t stop this show.”

5/5 stars
Profile Image for Ashleah.
814 reviews29 followers
May 22, 2025
(4.75/5 stars)

Women Travel Solo is a collection of travel stories and photography compiled by Lonely Planet.

For some people, it may seem terrifying to travel as a solo femme-presenting individual. This book has a lot of inspirational solo travel stories that can help alleviate some of that anxiety.

I particularly enjoyed "Found in translation," in which Jamie Wong wonderfully describes their spur of the moment trip to Paris after the end of her romantic relationship. I'll be travelling to Paris for the first time next year, so it was lovely seeing the city through her eyes. She includes a list of her seven favorite things to do alone in Paris, and I'm excited to try a few myself.

France, it seemed, had more to teach me than just elegance and style; it would show me the beauty of solitude, an art I both feared and desired to master.


Lauren Gay's "Transforming my fear into freedom through solo travel" also hit me in the feels. She travelled to Azores, an archipelago of islands in the middle of the Atlantic ocean both she and I had never heard of, after leaving an abusive relationship. She found a Groupon travel deal that included her flights and hotel, which she notes is a great option for new solo travelers.

I was in my burning season, but that was only temporary. Eventually, just like this volcanic lake, my own beauty would emerge from the ashes.


As with all Lonely Planet books I've read in the past, the photography inside is exceptional. Sometimes I'll just pick up the book and flip through to look at all of the glorious parts of the world I would love to someday visit. Several of the essays made me cry while I was reading them; proud of these women for what they were able to achieve, both emotionally and physically, on their solo travels.

I received a complimentary review copy from Sabrina Dax PR and Lonely Planet. All opinions contained herein are my own.

If you want to see more from me, check out my blog, Bookstagram, TheStoryGraph, or Bluesky.
Profile Image for The Bookish Chimera - Pauline.
456 reviews8 followers
June 30, 2025
“Discover the transformative power of going it alone.”

I loved my experience with Women Travel Solo.
Most of the book is a collection of 30 testimonies (and a few advice pages in the end), describing their personal experience, about one specific destination or as a solo traveler in general. This book is not a classical travel guide. It’s more like an inspiration. I loved to naviguate all these different stories that say so much about traveling but also about humanity and being a woman. From a passenger on a cargo ship (who knew it was even possible? no me!), to a grieving wife learning to travel solo again (that chapter was so emotional!), passing by difficulties about being a member of the LGBTQIA+ communities in some part of the world, or exploring the world solo as a young retiree.
As usual in this collection, the book is also full of beautiful photographs that make you travel by themselves. But the stories are its core. Every single one is inspiring in its own way and, tells so much about personal history, about motivation and trajectories, about challenges, but, mostly, about confidence and empowerment. Some of these stories are more adventures and self-discoveries than a “traditional travel journal” and the fiction reader that I am loved that, my imagination taking the lead to go further.

Thank you to Sabrina Dax and Lonely Planet for sending me this beautiful reviewing copy. My opinions are my own.
Profile Image for erin_leigh_reads.
239 reviews12 followers
May 20, 2025
I have dreamed of taking a solo trip to England and Ireland to explore my roots, but lack of confidence always prevented me. But after reading Women Travel Solo by @lonelyplanet I feel more confident and motivated to plan a solo trip.

Thanks to a very inspiring forward written by Jessica Nabongo, who has travelled to every country in the world (often solo), for great tips on how to start getting ready for a solo adventure. Her advice? Start small. See a movie or explore your own city solo. Then amp it up a bit and travel solo to a country where they speak your language, you know people, and so forth, until you are ready to travel to your dream destination by yourself.

Women Travel Solo is divided into 33 chapters. Each chapter is written by a female solo traveller and reads more like a story. Which definitely drew me in and captivated me. It was very interesting to read what motivated each woman to venture off on their own. Each story was so unique and inspiring but I was especially drawn to the chapter written by Lauren Gay. Lauren went on a soul searching solo journey to find out who she was, while leaving an abusive relationship behind. Lauren was able to transform her “fear into freedom” while going on her first solo trip to the Archipelago’s. She pushes through fear and barriers which enabled her to regain her confidence and rediscover herself. Whether you are young or retired, married, a widow or single, a parent or childless, Women Travel Solo will speak to you. If you want to bike, boat, fly, walk or drive you will find inspiration from this book. There is even a chapter written by a mother that took a biked trip with her young child. And another chapter written by a woman who travelled pregnant to Morocco. Now that is definitely courageous! These women travel all over the world. From the high seas to the desert, through cities and the countryside. The pages of Women Travel Solo will take you on a journey of a life time.

Thank you so much @lonelyplanet and @sabrina_dax_pr for my arc of Women Travel Solo. I loved it.
Profile Image for Charissa LeVasseur.
28 reviews
May 31, 2025
✨My Thoughts On Women Travel Solo✨

In January of 2013, I traveled to Nosara, Costa Rica for vacation, and ended up living there for 3 years. At the time that I travelled there I was very unhappy and felt very stuck, and felt that I needed that trip and that time to rediscover myself. I think I did in many ways. Although it feels like another life, it was an experience that shaped my life, and one I will never forget.

Within the pages of this book are stories; ones that I could see myself in. And it brought back many memories from my travel experiences. These are the stories of strong, brave, resilient women who have traveled to all different parts of the world alone, all for very different but important reasons. They may be from all different walks of life, but they share in the joy of travel, adventure, and the peace which their experiences have brought them.

The stories are captivating, as well as the beautiful color photos that go along with them, and after each chapter there are travel tips for women thinking of taking their own solo excursion.

I found this book to not only be informative but also so full of life and adventure.

A big thank you to @lonelyplanet and @sabrina_dax_pr for sending me a copy of this beautiful book!

Book Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Profile Image for Amy.
59 reviews4 followers
June 21, 2025
Travel is a privilege. An important truth to acknowledge before consuming any travel guide. However what sets this book apart are the personal tips and experiences from women of all walks of life as they ventured the globe solo. These are mini travel guides of sorts which readers can naturally gravitate toward (30 in total).

Many of these individual accounts were genuinely inspiring, interesting and I found myself wishing for a bit more sometimes.

I really appreciated the focus on and for different women, ranging from lgbtq+ and pregnant women, retirees, young or old, single or widowed women. All perspectives fascinating and crucially helpful in some way. The handy compilation of tips from the experts considering safety, activities, finances, rest, customs and social situations.

If you want to learn about different forms of solo travel, be inspired and confidently take on some new tips from expert travellers, I'd highly recommend this.

- Thank you lonelyplanet and sabrina dax pr for the gifted copy.
Profile Image for Kristin.
149 reviews7 followers
June 15, 2025
Thank you @lonelyplanet and @sabrina_dax_pr for the gifted copy and the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

When Sabrina reached out to me about receiving a book on travel, I happily accepted. Little did I know how much this book would speak to my soul once I got the opportunity to open it.

Travel has always been something I haven’t had an opportunity to do a lot of but has always intrigued me. This book lent to that fire in me.

I truly loved reading all of these spectacular womens’ stories and found myself reliving their travels with them.

If travel is something you’re interested in, pick this up. If you’re thinking of traveling solo and don’t know where to begin or where to go, DEFINITELY pick this up. I truly enjoyed every step of this book.
Profile Image for callistoscalling.
994 reviews28 followers
May 18, 2025

📖 Book Review 📖 This one has all the cool trips and tips for women traveling solo at any point of their lives- from single to retirement and anything in between - they have you covered! There is a wealth of information covered (you can travel the world on a cargo ship 🤯) and no detail is spared. For LGBTGIA+ travel considerations to those who prefer the solo lifestyle, it’s all here. I love it all so much!
Profile Image for Stephanie.
25 reviews
May 31, 2025
I love this book so much! The book itself...beautiful. The stories inside...captivating, heartwarming, inspiring, powerful. For the young, retired, explorers, divorced, lost, adventurers, foodies, Igbtq+, hikers, circus performers, bicyclists, mothers, writers, and wanderlusts..."solo travel for women is a balm for the soul."

Thank you @lonelyplanet and@sabrina_dax_pr for the opportunity and beautiful book.
Profile Image for LAJordan Leigh Ann .
840 reviews49 followers
July 28, 2025
Women Travel Solo makes such a beautiful coffee table or gift book. I especially recommend it for those in your life with wanderlust or needing some inspiration of bravery & joy seeking. I love how the 30 different short accounts of travel can be read in any order, whichever story piques your interest in the moment. The corresponding photographs are gorgeous.
80 reviews
December 30, 2025
An interesting collection of stories from a variety of women about solo travel.

Because it is a collection most people will be able to find at least one story that connects with or inspires them in some way.

There were definitely some stories that I preferred and others that I didn't connect with for various reasons, but it is a fun and inspiring read. I did enjoy it.
Profile Image for Becky of Becky's Bookshelves .
737 reviews101 followers
May 22, 2025
These are great stories that celebrate travel and the book tells you how to travel as a women alone. The stories are interesting, engaging, and fun to read. I highly recommend.

I was given a copy and not required to write a positive review
Profile Image for Sue.
360 reviews
November 29, 2025
An inspiring book full of tempting places to visit and great photos. A small number of the essays were loaded too much towards the life of the individual rather than the actual travel experience, but most were fascinating dips into exciting locations and experiences.
1,457 reviews
August 14, 2025
Some of the places traveled were cool but the short essays read more like brief travel magazine plugs than the parting of any deep insight or wisdom.
Profile Image for Skye.
26 reviews1 follower
September 26, 2025
A few misses but overall nice adventure inspo.
Profile Image for Christine.
252 reviews16 followers
November 8, 2025
Cant write a review, too busy packing my suitcase.....
Profile Image for Isabelle Gillibrand.
255 reviews1 follower
December 7, 2025
Saw while at a bookstore a few weeks ago randomly, impulse loaned it from the library, and now feeling inspired as hell! And came out of it with a list of itineraries of travel I now want to try!
Profile Image for Melissa McAdoo.
61 reviews
December 17, 2025
individual stories of female solo travelers with different stories to tell. They share travels from all different parts of the world and each one has a unique story to tell.
Profile Image for Berenike Swan.
Author 5 books2 followers
November 21, 2025
Trenta storie di donne coraggiose, forti e avventurose che viaggiano in solitaria per passione e/o necessità. Mi sono lasciata ispirare dalle loro avventure e mi sono ritrovata in tante situazioni. Ho avvertito l'adrenalina del viaggio, della scoperta, della sfida personale e ho sognato attraverso le loro parole. Questa guida può causare un'incredibile voglia di viaggiare, da sole! Soprattutto a una wanderluster come me.
Profile Image for Terri Bain.
256 reviews10 followers
December 28, 2025
Do you have any summer trips planned ? I have a few but I’m going with family and will have the comfort of knowing that if challenges arise, I’m not alone.

I was lucky enough to be gifted a copy of WOMEN TRAVEL SOLO by @lonelyplanet and @sabrina_dax_pr which is out today, May 20, 2025.

The stories and pictures are beautiful and so inspiring. Germany, Paris, The Camino, Mongolia, the Lygen Alps- 30 individual tales of incredible women who decided to go for it alone and have an adventure. One remarkable woman even traveled with her young daughter; another traveled solo while pregnant. They just did it .

Wanderlust is defined as “a strong desire to travel” . I know I have it and if you pick up this book, I’m sure you will be inspired to venture out .
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