Tag: Women's Travel

Interview With Nicholas Kristof: Traveling and Tweeting Under ‘Half the Sky’

Nicholas Kristof Photo by Fred R. Conrad

David Frey asks the author about his dream vacation, Twitter, travel to hellholes and the trip that changed his life

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Aboard the ‘Ladies Special’ in India

The New York Times reports from a new women-only commuter train in Delhi, part of a pilot program spanning four major Indian cities that’s aimed at cutting down on the harassment of female passengers. I’m thrilled to hear about the program, but here’s hoping it will only need to be a short-term solution—as one interviewee noted in the story, “You really need to make every train as safe as the Ladies Specials.”


The Plight of Western Women in Muslim Lands

Judy Bachrach looks at the circumstances and issues Western women face when they’re living or traveling in Muslim countries. She writes in World Affairs Journal:

Local women are of such negligible importance that they can be viewed as prey. On the other hand, foreign women are in a wholly different category: wild and yet easy, so menacing and just plain available they are invariably treated as prey. The foreigner without a murderous uncle by her side or a veil over her face is a communal dish.

It’s a powerful essay. (Via Arts & Letters Daily)


The Plight of the ‘Long-Neck Women,’ Continued

The Plight of the ‘Long-Neck Women,’ Continued Photo by babasteve, via Flickr (Creative Commons)
Photo by babasteve, via Flickr (Creative Commons)

The Washington Post’s Amit R. Paley is the latest to visit the long-neck women of the Padaung tribe in Thialand and ask: “Were tourists really being taken to see virtual prisoners? And if so, would my visit encourage slavery by paying money to human traffickers? Or would I be able to sound the alarm if I saw real human rights violations?”

Last year we blogged about several other stories about the women.


R.I.P. Edith ‘Jackie’ Ronne: ‘First U.S. Woman on Antarctica’

Edith “Jackie” Ronne was 28 years old when she set foot on Antarctica in 1947. It was a journey she never intended to take.

She was, according to the Washington Post, talked into joining the expedition by her explorer husband so she could, among other things, write stories about the expedition for the North American Newspaper Alliance and the New York Times. As part of the expedition team, she became the first U.S. women on Antarctica and, along with Canadian Jennie Darlington, the first woman to spend a winter on the continent. (The first woman on Antarctica: Norwegian Caroline Mikkelsen, in 1935.)

Ronne was 89.

Here’s the trailer for the documentary about the expedition she joined:

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Ten Inspirational Women Travelers

Julia Ross celebrates women who have blazed their own trails

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Spinning Travel in a Tough Job Market

When I decided to quit a full-time job in Washington, D.C., to take a one-year fellowship in Taiwan, I didn’t know I’d be returning home to economic collapse and the worst U.S. job market in years.  I skirted the problem by choosing to work for myself, at least for the immediate future.

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Six Great Women Travelers in Asia

iStockPhoto

March is Women’s History Month, so this seems a good moment to call out a few of history’s great women travelers. Because so many 19th- and early 20th-century adventurers found themselves drawn to Asia, I’ve narrowed this list to women who made their mark on that continent, fording the Indus River or crossing the Tibetan Plateau, in defiance of social norms and often at great risk. These are the women I wish I’d been in another life. Herewith, my top-six list of the most intrepid Western female travelers to take Asia by foot, camel or donkey.

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Shanghai Barbie: Tourist Magnet?

Shanghai Barbie: Tourist Magnet? Photo by Gary Soup via Flickr (Creative Commons).
Photo by Gary Soup via Flickr (Creative Commons).

Every time I visit Chicago, I’m amazed at how the city’s American Girl flagship store continues to draw moms and daughters from across the Midwest; I never fail to see them marching up Michigan Avenue, giant American Girl shopping bags in hand. Hotels in the area have lapped up the phenomenon, offering packages with kitschy extras like “one exclusive American Girl bed for your little doll to keep for future slumber parties” and a “free in-room movie showing of Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front.” Apart from the boost to tourism, the trend is a masterful case study in 360-degree branding.

Now I’m wondering if Shanghai is courting a similar fate with last Saturday’s opening of China’s first Barbie flagship store. The store, which includes 900 different kinds of Barbie dolls, a spa, a bar and a line of Barbie-themed clothing for adults, could well become a tourist mecca for Chinese girls and their mothers, who weren’t able to get their hands on the doll in their (pre-economic boom) childhood years.  If the store is a success—and I have a sneaking feeling it will be—we’ll see how long it takes nearby hotels, vendors and restaurants to co-opt a little Barbie magic. The gravity-defying doll hasn’t survived 50 years for nothing, after all.

For full Shanghai Barbie immersion, check out this Yahoo slideshow of the mega-store. It’s certainly in keeping with the brand’s image: six storeys, all glowing pink.


Dipping Into the Ex-Boyfriend Archives

Danielle Pastore ponders the fate of travel photos taken with that not-so-special someone

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Morning Links: Goa Beach Parties, Kim Jong Il’s Childhood Home and More


Six Degrees of Vietnam

Julia Ross went to Vietnam seeking relaxation and a place to recover from a breakup. She found a whole lot more.

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Women-Only Hotel Floors: Smart or Sexist?

The revival of women’s floors in hotels—complete with vanity mirrors, yoga mats and extra-soft socks to satisfy the “needs” of a modern woman—is sparking controversy among female travelers and hospitality workers. While hotels seem to believe that women’s floors will make a stay more enjoyable by catering specifically to female tastes, the New York Times reports that women’s floors are viewed as discriminatory by many.

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My Travels, My Feet

After taking one too many headless torso shots of herself, solo traveler Sophia Dembling started snapping photos of her feet around the world, from the Grand Canyon to Red Square.

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As a Woman, Can I Really Travel Without Much Fear for my Safety?

Vagabonding traveler Rolf Potts answers your questions about travel

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One Man’s Odyssey into ‘Eat, Pray, Love’

Elizabeth Gilbert's best-selling trans-global travel book is a fun read -- but don't expect Rolf Potts to embrace the fantasy

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Women’s Travel E-Mail Roundtable, Part Twelve: Hitting the Road

All this week, four accomplished travelers -- Stephanie Elizondo Griest, Liz Sinclair, Terry Ward and Catherine Watson -- talk about the rewards and perils of hitting the road alone as a woman.

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Women’s Travel E-Mail Roundtable, Part Eleven: (De)Parting Words

All this week, four accomplished travelers -- Stephanie Elizondo Griest, Liz Sinclair, Terry Ward and Catherine Watson -- talk about the rewards and perils of hitting the road alone as a woman.

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Women’s Travel E-Mail Roundtable, Part Ten: Ode to the Mother Road

All this week, four accomplished travelers -- Stephanie Elizondo Griest, Liz Sinclair, Terry Ward and Catherine Watson -- talk about the rewards and perils of hitting the road alone as a woman.

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Women’s Travel E-Mail Roundtable, Part Nine: Girl Power, and the Get Up and Go

All this week, four accomplished travelers -- Stephanie Elizondo Griest, Liz Sinclair, Terry Ward and Catherine Watson -- talk about the rewards and perils of hitting the road alone as a woman.

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