Super cute book and a great cast of characters. Well done in every way and perfect for a weekend read. Light storyline with an easy to follow plot.

Not really sure how to see this book. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting, a travel journal from a solo female traveller. Rather it was a historical overview and insights into others trips, which were interesting in parts but not what I'd signed up to.
Then there were sections that read almost like a guidebook on how to travel which felt a little facetious and patronising to other women, complete juxtaposition to the heroic historic stories of empowerment bright about by travelling.
It wasn't that I didn't enjoy the book, just that it didn't really meet my expectations and I felt it was a little bit disappointed

Great book for travel lovers! If you're thinking about your own world tour, give this book by Kate Wills a read. A Trip of One's Own will make you want to take a trip!

I love reading about travel journalists. As an aspiring travel writer, I love reading about peoples journeys through new places and pull inspiration from everywhere.

When I received this book, I expected it to be about a woman's adventures traveling solo around the world and finding out who she is when not in a relationship. The book, however, is not that. Instead, this book is a bit of an odd amalgamation of memoir, tips for solo travel and research regarding other female solo travelers. I appreciate the tips and I did find the information about other female solo travelers interesting, but it simply was disappointing because it wasn't what I was expecting. It was a missed opportunity for Willis to write about how traveling changed her, what it means to her, or maybe what parts of her trip was the most impactful.

The book was informative, but I felt her personal story was a lost thread.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the arc.

A Trip of One's Own is a book to pick up if you are missing taking a vacation. I liked how the author followed the footsteps of great women travelers. Every chapter also includes some tips about how to pack, how to stay safe etc. when traveling solo. Reading this book made me crave a vacation.

I went into this thinking it was a travel memoir and how travelling alone changed the author’s perspective of travelling but it wasn’t what I expected.

“Getting lost occasionally is essential—not only while traveling but when traveling through life. The destination we think we want is often, when we actually get there, not what we need.”

Kate Willis is a travel journalist who is facing a divorce after only a year into her marriage. She is forced to rethink her life and how she wants to move on. Luckily for her, her job as a travel writer allows her to escape from her thoughts and personal life. Kate chose to travel alone for the first time without any of her crew and she felt very out of place. She began to research on female travelers in history to give her inspiration and strength to face her problems.

I loved the little tips and tricks Kate offered for women who wants to travel on their own which I found helpful. I also like the parts where she wrote about women who has travelled alone over the years and what they have discovered through their journey and how much it has changed through time. I didn’t particularly enjoy the parts about her divorce and how she uses travel to not think about it. Although I appreciated the tips and history, I wished she had wrote more about how and why travelling is important to her, how it has changed her and which parts of her trip are memorable to her. That was kind of what I was expecting going in. I would have enjoyed this better if she had incorporated that into her book together with the travel tips and history bits.

This was a breezy read with some informative facts along the way but unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this as much as I’d hoped.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the arc.

This book was an unexpected surprise. I encountered the book expecting to read a memoir of a woman who traveled to relieve her broken heart. What I got were tips for solo travel (awesome!) and information about other travel journalists/female solo travelers. I would have liked to read more about Wills' story, as her story often faded into the background. Overall, it still appeals to my wanderlust and I enjoyed it.

I was really excited to read this book. I thought it was going to be about a woman's adventures traveling solo around the world, getting reacquainted with who she is when not in a relationship. Instead it's about a completely culturally insensitive woman aimlessly wandering around and comparing herself to other travel writers (who I am sure didn't 1) compare themselves to others and 2) travel solely to try to outrun a broken heart). This book had such promise but I found her obliviousness toward other cultures somewhat insulting and her 15 second recap of a multi-decade struggle in the Middle East to be a little too blasé. I was hoping for some good adventures and this did not have it.

I appreciated the premise of this book, and am always interested in women solo travels. I loved learning about the history of solo women adventurers and the stories the author brought were well-rounded and had just enough research without bordering on boring. I wanted to learn more about the author's journey, and sometimes felt as if she didn't share quite enough on her personal journey as she did on the adventurers she researched. Nonetheless, it was a quick and enjoyable read that makes me hungry for travel!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this galley.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving this book to me for my review.

I enjoy traveling albeit it has not been alone but has nevertheless been amazing and I have my own travel blog.
However the premise of the book seemed more like a personal conflict rather than travel. Wills now divorced, and a travel writer, wants to do more solo traveling. She therefore researches the books of prior solo women who have amazing stories to get inspiration. I don’t think she was looking to walk the Antarctic, or cross Shanghai , or walk the world or even bicycle it. I wanted to read more of her travel story but it didn’t go into enough detail.
The book also has a list of pointers for solo and even non solo travelers. I thought it interesting especially the points on danger and packing your stuff.
It was ok, if you want to travel, solo or not it’s worth the read. I liked that she included that you can find interesting things if you just look out your front door.

This is a strange, but enjoyable combination of memoir, accounts of intrepid female travellers and advice for women travelling solo. Heartbroken after a divorce, Kate Wills decides to travel in the footsteps of other solo adventurers by herself and her first trip alone really is quite adventurous. She journeys to Israel and travels to Bethlehem at dusk, a dangerous time to cross the checkpoint apparently. She is following the path of Egeria, one of the first solo women travellers, probably a fourth century nun.

I liked reading about these brave solo women from past centuries, especially foolhardy Emily Hahn, better than Wills's stories about her own trips, although these were interesting. The chapters providing advice about such useful things as avoiding danger and packing are extremely useful. I would be interested in other books by Kate Wills.

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781728255279
PRICE $16.99 (USD)

In her nonfiction travel memoir, Kate Wills combines anecdotes from her own travels with the stories of other female travellers throughout the last centuries and some super interesting and useful lists of tips and recommendations.

I have to say that my feelings about this book are very mixed. While I loved learning about all the solo female travellers that have paved the way, I often felt bored by the author‘s own anecdotes which I simply didn’t care for as much. I guess that‘s because I simply don’t find solo travelling as impressive anymore nowadays compared to a hundred years ago and more - but clearly, to the author herself, her adventures make for great memories and stories as well.

What I did like a lot, however, were the lists. They ranged from packing tips to recommendations on how to travel locally, and I will definitely refer to them in the future. Super useful and insightful!

And I do have to say that reading this book has really ignited my wanderlust. My „gap yah“ consisted of working as an au pair in Sweden and travelling a bit through Scandinavia, and that was honestly the best time of my life. Since I started university (and then C hit) I haven’t travelled much at all, but reading this memoir reminded me of how much I love travelling, and also travelling solo. I might start smaller than crossing Antarctica on cross country skis, but I will definitely be thinking about booking my next holiday right away. And I love this book for giving me that!

I loved that the book has a Bibliography at the very end, because I desperately want to read the accounts and stories of some of the women that were mentioned in this book!

3.5/5 stars.

A Trip of One's Own by Kate Wills is part guidebook, part memoir. She does a great job of alternating between inspiring readers to travel solo while also sharing her own stories. After years of not being able to leave the country, I was happy to read about it and this book definitely inspired me to start making some travel plans in the near future!

When the author, a travel journalist, shares about her own solo trips, I really enjoyed this book. Alas, she writes more about women who traveled alone in years, decades or centuries past. She also spends a lot of time writing about her divorce experience; not the focus I'd hoped for. I had wanted to hear more about how and why traveling changed her and what her trips entailed. Had she'd offered that, the content of the book would have better matched its description, and impacted more readers personally.

Thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

#ATRIPOFONESOWN #Sourcebooks #NetGalley #womentravelingsolononfiction #travelmemoirs #bookstagramcommunity

A Trip of One’s Own is part memoir and part travel guide. The book has alternating chapters with Willis’ own experiences/the experiences of other female solo travellers and tips on having your own solo adventure.

She follows in the footsteps of fellow solo female travelers throughout history, going to Israel and Palestine like Egeria the first female solo traveler to Shanghai following Emily Hahn, a solo traveler from the 1920s with stories reminiscent of a soap opera.

The stories were immersive and I felt like I was there, seeing the sights with Willis! It made me nostalgic for my own travels in the past and being excited for future adventures. She even makes me consider traveling solo one day.

All the women she discussed sound phenomenal and I want to read and learn more about them, especially Gellhorn and Hahn! Her stories and the stories of others were inspiring, emotional, and funny. Willis also gives a reminder that you don’t have to leave home to explore and have an adventure, which I loved!

Willis of course recognizes her privilege in being able to travel and feeling (relatively) safe as a white hetero cis woman, acknowledging that not everyone has that luxury. She also emphasizes the importance of safety when traveling solo, and things to consider when choosing your destination.

I enjoyed the first half better than the second half. It’s always hard writing a review for a memoir but the second half took a turn that didn’t hold my focus as well as the beginning.

I recommend this book for anyone who loves travel or enjoys travel inspired books like Wild and Eat, Pray, Love!

Let me say it from the outset, I really enjoyed this book. I went in expecting a simple travel memoir yet it proved to be that and so much more. Part memoir, part travel with tips and tricks, part historical investigation - this book has much to offer.

‘Women have many reasons for going traveling alone, apart from seeking adventure. Often we’re searching for something, reaching for some meaning in our lives, something bigger and higher than ourselves.’

Kate’s personal story provides the foundation of this book and whilst some readers did not enjoy this aspect, I thought it made sense and helped project the book to the next level. Losing and finding yourself is life’s journey - both figuratively and actually - and is the obvious place to base your findings on life’s discoveries whether they be close to home or further afield.

‘… I became obsessed with putting some distance between myself and everything I knew - both the monotony of everyday life and the big soul-searching questions that would creep in from time to time. It was as if I thought that the meaning to life could be found in a well-packed suitcase and a freshly printed boarding pass.’

The most engaging aspect of this book, however, is Kate’s investigations into the stories of women from the past who made some incredible trips travelling alone. Some I had heard of, many I had not, but they all served to bring both entertainment, education and inspiration to this book. Gosh, there were some remarkable women with incredible tales to tell mostly from times when female adventurers were uncommon and mostly frowned upon.

‘I was only just starting to unravel the untold stories of so many unconventional women who had traveled the world and lived life on their own terms.’

Kate then also includes practical tips and tricks to the various aspects of travelling - everything from staying safe to how to pack and travel on a budget. This alone is full of really useful advice no matter what or where you may be.

‘Getting lost occasionally is essential—not only while traveling but when traveling through life. The destination we think we want is often, when we actually get there, not what we need.’

This book is definitely empowering and not only for women who intend to travel. Your journey may be an internal one and this book will be sure to speak to you as well. I so want to go back and tab this book as a future reference for drive, determination and inspiration.

‘There was a whole world right on my doorstep; it had always been there, I’d just had to open my eyes and ears and nose to it.’

Please do not be deterred from reading this book if you are not a traveller. Whether you be an armchair traveller or just seeking to become more aware of things around you closer to home, I believe you are sure to find something that will speak to you from within these pages. Many of us now live vicariously thanks to Covid and if the backyard is as far as you get, Kate certainly has some thoughts to share on that.

‘Travel doesn’t have to mean a journey through space, it can be an inner change, too.’

This book is wonderful. It is written from the heart and contains things that will make you smile and laugh, to things that will inspire and stir you to action. I very much appreciated the list of books referenced at the end detailing the many admirable women who are mentioned within this book. This is so much more than just a travel book, it really is inspirational in encouraging women to make ‘ a trip of your own’ whether it be around the world or around your backyard.

‘Nearly all the women in this book speak of achieving remarkable feats by being in the moment and not thinking beyond the end of each day, the next step, the next mile.’

I am sure we have all wished to escape our seemingly humdrum lives at some time or other - physically or metaphorically. Katie gives readers a book that shows us how to live a life - wherever that may be - in a meaningful and present way. Thank you Kate.









This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

I really enjoyed reading this one and I am grateful for the opportunity to have done so. During the pandemic I have not been able to travel, so it was fun to read about what it would be like. I have never traveled solo, but this book convinced me that this is a meaningful experience and worthwhile adventure. I very much appreciate the chance to review this one. Thank you!

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an interesting collection of travel stories.

Wills shares experiences of hers while traveling for work and fun along with comparisons and contrasts of other women travels. There's quotes from historical books and other memoirs as a sort of theme for each chapter relating to Wills' experiences.

This is an interesting collection of stories - some are funny, some are heartfelt, but they all give us a sense of travel and what it is to see the world (even if it's sometimes rushed). There are also tips for traveling solo and traveling as a woman throughout the book.

Overall it's an interesting read for those wanting to see more of the world.

I've done my fair share of traveling solo over the last 15 years, and was super excited to read this book. I could relate to many of Wills' travel experiences (and cracked up at some of the descriptions, especially around airports in the beginning!).

But, I do wish she'd focused more on the travel component (given the book blurb/title/etc.) and less on relationships-gone-wrong (and some colorful experiences in that regard--TMI for me, personally). And the summary of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict felt so...high-level--too much so for such a nuanced topic. I had high hopes in that regard, having been to Israel twice myself (most recently, just two months ago)...but it left out some key elements that would have gone a long way in helping readers begin to tap the surface.

Solo travel can teach each of us so much--I know I've learned a ton with every trip!--this book just ended up missing the mark. The tips at the end of each chapter are worthwhile, so consider skimming a copy from your local library.

Note: There is some language, as well as the aforementioned colorful relationship stories (along with some about the female travel writers whose footsteps she followed).

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.