Wanderess: The Unearth Women Guide to Traveling Smart, Safe, and Solo

by Nikki Vargas, Elise Fitzsimmons

Feminism meets travel in this interactive resource for women who love to travel the world, near and far—from the co-founders of Unearth Women, a print and digital women’s travel magazine that’s been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, and Good Morning America .

Wanderess features expert tips from leading women in the travel industry. You’ll find everything you need to experience life-changing adventures, both near and far. And because travel is not a one-size-fits-all experience, our experts offer helpful advice for specific travelers, whether you’re a woman of color, a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, or an expecting or new mom.
 
Open this book to . . .
• Discover your specific travel style
• Build your destinations wish list
• Find volunteer opportunities abroad
• Get expert tips on travel hacking
• Use helpful checklists, from trip planning to packing
• Learn how to travel solo
• Write your own feminist city guide
• And so much more!

Featuring advice and wisdom from experienced and well-respected travel experts and influencers including Annika Ziehen, Oneika Raymond, Brooke Saward, Kelly Lewis, Dani Heinrich, Esme Benjamin, Beth Santos, Jessica Nabongo, and Evita Robinson, Wanderess will inspire you to travel in a way that’s smarter, safer, and smoother, all while supporting local women.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Feminism, Nature, How To

192 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2022

About the author

Originally from Colombia, Nikki Vargas is the author of CALL YOU WHEN I LAND (HarperCollins, 2023), named a best women's memoir by Glamour Magazine, selected as a Staff Pick by Apple Books, and a top 50 bestseller by Hudson Books. CALL YOU WHEN I LAND has been recommended by Good Morning America, Cosmopolitan, Real Simple, Forbes, Goodreads, and more.

Vargas is also the co-author of WANDERESS (Penguin Random House, 2022), a women's travel guide available in stores now. In addition, she is a Senior Editor for Fodor's Travel and the founder of Unearth Women, a women's travel publication.

Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Good Morning America, CNN, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, The Daily Beast, The Washington Post, and more. Beyond her writing, Nikki has spoken at various travel conferences, including the Women’s Travel Fest, Women in Travel Summit, Latino Travel Fest, and more.

Nikki is represented by the Literary Division of the Paradigm Talent Agency.

IG: niknakvargas
TikTok: authornikkivargas
Twitter: msnikkivargas

Reviews

[Marathon County Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not an in-depth travel guide, this is a fantastic starting point for travelers who identify as female and/or are traveling alone and want extra tips on staying safe. This brightly formatted book includes concise tips, packing lists, resources, travel quotes and more. Included is everything from how to pack light to managing anxiety while traveling to public transportation tips (I wish I would have known there were women-only taxi services in London while I was there!) I loved the travel experiences included throughout, and have a few quotes that really stick out at me too, such as the following: "There are both a warrior and a curious child inside of you that come to the surface when immersed in new cultures. You learn things about yourself that only those circumstances could have taught you. You give pieces of yourself to the people you meet, and they leave pieces of themselves embedded with you forever." - Evita Robinson

I also really appreciated that there were sections devoted specifically to travelers of color and LGBTQIA+ travelers. This really does have something for any traveler who identifies as female or wants tips specifically on traveling safely alone, whether you're traveling pregnant or traveling with menopause, whether you like adventure or you'd rather relax once you've arrived. There are also chapters on sustainable travel, how to volunteer with animals while traveling, and how readers can support other women while traveling, which were my favorite sections. This is definitely a travel guide I plan to pick up again and again!

Sarah M. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

[TL Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good tips. Some felt a little too basic. Like "be careful" level basic, when...duh? But others were things you might not have thought of. The encouragement to not be held back from solo travel was good.

[Xenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is great for beginners but as someone who has travelled solo quite a bit, I found it to be very basic. I also think that style over substance applies here.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not an in-depth travel guide, this is a fantastic starting point for travelers who identify as female and/or are traveling alone and want extra tips on staying safe. This brightly formatted book includes concise tips, packing lists, resources, travel quotes, and more. Included is everything from how to pack light to managing anxiety while traveling to public transportation tips (I wish I would have known there were women-only taxi services in London while I was there!). I loved the travel experiences included throughout, and have a few quotes that really stick out at me too, such as the following:

There are both a warrior and a curious child inside of you that come to the surface when immersed in new cultures. You learn things about yourself that only those circumstances could have taught you. You give pieces of yourself to the people you meet, and they leave pieces of themselves embedded with you forever. - Evita Robinson

I also really appreciated that there were sections devoted specifically to travelers of color and LGBTQIA+ travelers. This really does have something for any traveler who identifies as female or wants tips specifically on traveling safely alone, whether you're traveling pregnant or traveling with menopause, whether you like adventure or you'd rather relax once you've arrived. There are also chapters on sustainable travel, how to volunteer with animals while traveling, and how readers can support other women while traveling, which were my favorite sections. This is definitely a travel guide I plan to pick up again and again!

[Noël · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice resource book for women new to (or interested in) travel. The book was much more interactive than I realized it would be, starting out with a quiz to determine your travel style and then itinerary planners and travel company information towards the back.

The travel styles (solo, adventure, woman of color, LGBTQ+, etc) are each highlighted in their own respective chapters--I ended up skimming a lot of the chapters that didn't apply to me, but I was happy to see plenty of representation.

Since I have already traveled solo, for business, and with others, I found this to be a little rudimentary. But I did enjoy the inspirational quotes and the authors' personal stories.

[Ruby Escalona · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book but it's mostly catered for beginner travelers who have no idea where to go and have no idea what type of traveler they are.
It's colorful, yes, and while I picked this book to see if I could learn more tips that I don't know about, I sadly did not pick up anything. I am mostly open to destinations and don't need a quiz to tell me where to go for my travel type (since I'm a mixture of a lot)
If you want to check the book out for yourself, I would suggest borrowing it from a library.

[Karla Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am getting ready for an all girls road trip so this was a nice read for planning a great trip. Then in 2025 maybe I'll be ready to fly solo again but fr maybe not. It's nice to see examples of women who are sharing their experiences to other women can be brave like them. My mom said i was brave for doin a road trip with other girls and she's right. Even tho i won't be alone it's still brave for us to venture out of our comfort zones <3<3<3

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book you want to read and keep with you when traveling. Local or international, the information gives you a starting point so you can enjoy yourself. While this book may be written for women the information can be used for all genders. Everyone needs to read this book

[Selena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting since it focused on international travel. Also it was stuff that seemed pretty common sense with a lot of parts to fill in yourself so if you're interested buy it, don't get it from the library.

[Sheila Gaudet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers a lot of practical, easy to digest information for women travelers including special advice to POC and the LBGQT? communities. Safety is covered but there are a lot of solid recommendations depending on your travel style. A great start for those preparing to travel solo.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very pretty design and layout, but if you’ve ever travelled at all, you’ll know most this information. Might make a good gift for a teen going abroad for the first time ever, and maybe has never googled anything about travel?

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valuable tips. I wish it had been available in my 20's.

[Carly Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource for travelers, especially for solo travelers, women, and marginalized groups.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was given to my daughter for her to read before she travels internationally. It has some great tips.

[Sydney C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really useful tips in here for anyone looking to travel.

[Nancy Beshears · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd love to be able to travel solo sometimes. This book brought up so many issues that I hadn't even thought about.

[pea. · Rating 2 out of 5]

not all those who want to wander want to go to Iceland.
resources pages are the highlight

[Margaret Nordahl · Rating 2 out of 5]

While informative, this is definitely a book for women just starting to consider solo travel.

[zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great! It had many useful tips that I’m excited to use on my upcoming trip!

[Millie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A guide helping women who travel solo, of course, I had to buy this book. Besides having a fun quiz to find out what kind of traveler I am(Solo Traveler), it contains many tips besides predictable how to pack or prepare for a flight. It explains how to choose where to go, research before you book your flight, and how to stay safe internationally. There were details about the best places to go for relaxation, adventures, food ventures, and so much more. I haven't traveled much because of COVID and work, but I hope to change that next year. This guide provided multiple social media groups that exchange tips and advice with other female solo travelers. I'm inspired to take this plunge for adventure, relaxation, and fun traveling outside the U.S. I highly recommend it to other travel lovers and even hopeful travelers.