A Trip of One's Own: Hope, heartbreak and why travelling solo could change your life

(Hardback)

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Description

'The destination we think we want is often, when we actually get there, not what we need. '

If we look back through history, from the 4th century onwards, there have been astonishing women who broke free from far more. It's time to seize the day and find your own inner wander woman, whatever that might look like, with the help of travel journalist Kate Wills.

Kate Wills wasn't expecting to be divorced after 6 months of marriage. She wasn't expecting to be remaking a life that had, for the last 12 years with her partner, seemed so stable and fixed. But at 33, this is where she found herself. Luckily, her job as a travel journalist offered her the perfect opportunity to escape from it all, something she'd be doing since she was young and coping with her parents' highly dysfunctional relationship. But this time it felt different. She felt more alone than ever before, particularly against a backdrop of never-ending hen dos, weddings and baby showers. So she began to search history for female travellers to inspire her. In doing so, she discovered that travel writing doesn't just belong to Jules Verne, Paddy Leigh Fermor and Ernest Hemingway. There were women like Nellie Bly, who made it round the globe in just 72 days in 1889 and the uber-cool Emily Hahn, a New Yorker writer who lived in Beijing for most of the 1920s.

We've all dreamed of leaving it all behind and striding off into the sunset to somewhere hotter/happier/quieter, and perhaps we've even got a little way down the road, before the logistics and the doubts and ties that bind have caused us to turn back. Looking back through history, Kate will show that there have been astonishing women who've broken free from far more and cleared the path for us to do the same. Offering an account of some of Kate's most memorable journeys, the notable women who inspired them and her best solo travel tips (and ways to avoid disaster), A Trip of One's Own is a funny, heartfelt invitation to take that trip: to Paris, to Whitstable, to Cambodia: to wherever your heart is calling you to.

Reviews

Wise, fun, horizon-widening and exquisitely executed * Catherine Gray, author of The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober *
The perfect piece of non-fiction - I absolutely loved it * Candice Brathwaite *
Relatable, practical and inspiring. A joyful must-read for anyone wanting to take a trip of one's own * Francesca Specter, author of Alonement *
Captivating, compelling, and beautifully written, Kate Wills' powerful memoir explores the notion of truly being free * Samantha Vrant, author of Seven Letters from Paris *
This paean to traveling alone offers inspiration, humor, and generally great reading * Booklist *
A deep dive into the eternal appeal of solo travel, no passport required * Grazia *
This beautiful book is a love letter to travel, adventure and the art of being your own best friend * RED *

Author Bio

Kate is a freelance travel and features writer for The Times, The Guardian, ES Magazine, Grazia, The Telegraph, Marie Claire, Elle, Refinery29 and many more. A versatile and wide-ranging journalist, her work incorporates everything from celebrity interviews to first-person reportage and her travel writing has taken her all over the world.

She has also worked as a consultant for brands including Mr & Mrs Smith, Snapchat, Procter & Gamble and Acuvue. She hosts panel discussions and appears as a commentator on Sky News, National Geographic Channel and BBC radio.