Featured image: Celine Cousteau | Photo by Capkin Van Alphen

Get inspired by this soul-nourishing advice from women

by Mia Taylor

History is filled with bold female travellers. For at least 200 years, pioneering women have been fearlessly crossing oceans and continents, feeding their wanderlust. In a modern era marked by political change, increasingly hard-line policies, and geopolitical uncertainty, the stories of these women are soul-nourishing—a reminder of the infinite possibilities for women and their dreams.

To find out how women are approaching travel in the midst of uncertainty, we reached out to several who are modern-day legends in their own right: An artist, astronaut and poet; a celebrated television host known for her work on the Travel Channel; a photographer, speaker, travel storyteller and international author; a filmmaker, explorer and environmental advocate…These are just some of the titles and accomplishments of the women who agreed to share their thoughts about being a woman travelling the world in 2025.

Gathering courage from the women who came before us

During the course of her life, the English explorer, naturalist, photographer, and author Isabella Bird (who lived from 1831 to 1904) visited every continent except Antarctica and went on to write best-selling books about those exploits. All of which helped her become one of the first women admitted to the Royal Geographical Society in 1892.

Around the same time that Bird was busy crisscrossing the globe, Massachusetts-born Fanny Bullock Workman (1859 – 1925) was also making a name for herself as an explorer, travel writer and perhaps most notably – as a mountaineer. Workman was one of the earliest women to climb Mont Blanc, the Jungfrau, and the Matterhorn, and she set a string of women’s altitude records. Bird and Workman may have been ahead of their time, but they’re hardly isolated examples from the past two centuries. Subsequent years and decades brought the likes of Nellie Bly, who circled the globe in 72 days, Annie Londonderry, who cycled around the world merely to win a bet and many, many more such women.

There are, of course, plenty of modern parallels to Bird, Workman, Bly, and Londonderry. Women who inhabit and explore the world boldly, no holds barred. And amid the winds of political change, it felt like a good time to check in with some of these women to talk about their outlook regarding travelling the world as a woman, including solo travel. Read on for a dose of modern-day inspiration and wisdom from a few of our era’s boldest female adventurers.

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1. Dr. Sian Proctor, Astronaut, Artist, Poet, Explorer

“Why go? Because I can.”

Dr. Sian Proctor’s life is full of firsts. She is the first artist and poet selected to be an astronaut. She’s also the first African-American woman to pilot a spacecraft on SpaceX’s Inspiration4 mission. Her accomplishments also include being a geoscientist and space artist. So, when it comes to the importance of travel, Proctor offers a perspective only a select group of humans can offer, one gained from viewing Earth from orbit.

Asked about being a female traveller in the world today, amid the evolving women’s rights landscape, Proctor offered hope and common sense while not flinching from current, emerging realities.

“It is unfortunate that we are seeing more individuals being empowered to be bad humans and openly aggressive toward women and people of colour,” says Proctor. “As a result, I think that women need to be more careful when solo travelling in the United States. Women of colour have an even more challenging time because the colour of our skin is something you can’t hide and therefore become a double target.”

Being a successful female traveller, including a solo female traveller, means that safety must be a standard part of any travel itinerary, Proctor adds. There are many ways to accomplish that goal, including using technology wisely as a globetrotter.

“For example, giving a trusted friend the ability to track your location via smart device technology,” says Proctor, who also suggests creating a “check-in” schedule with family or friends so that they know when to become worried if they haven’t heard from you.

Installing language translation apps on your smartphone to ensure you can always communicate with locals is another step Proctor suggests, along with knowing where your embassy is located and how to connect with it should an emergency arise.

With that said, Proctor, like other women interviewed, remains undaunted and unwavering about the ongoing importance of travel.

“Being the first artist selected to go to space means that I have a love for both travel and adventure,” adds Proctor. “I believe the personal growth from being an explorer often outweighs any potential dangers. 

Every time I travel, I discover something new and that discovery fuels my soul.”

And then Proctor, ever the artist and poet, offers a Cinquain poem she wrote that expresses her sentiments surrounding the importance of travel:

Why Go?
Because I can
It’s What Humans Do
We Explore, We Observe, We Learn
Seeker!

2. Samantha Brown, World Traveller and Television Host

“Seek out a life filled with travel… to understand ourselves and to be better” 

A travel trailblazer who barely needs an introduction, Samantha Brown’s adventures are well documented given her roles on a long list of popular Travel Channel shows including Girl Meets Hawaii, Great Vacation Homes, Great Hotels, Passport to Europe, Passport to Latin America, Great Weekends, Green Getaways, Passport to China, and Samantha Brown’s Asia.

It’s a travel resume that’s hard to beat and a richly rewarding globetrotting life that more than a few of Brown’s viewers would love to lead.

As a travel show host, Brown has a production crew of seven people with her when exploring (currently to film the show Places to Love). But as host and executive producer of the series, it’s Brown who gets to decide the approach for each destination.

“No matter what country or state I’m in, I’ve always focused on finding strong female-led businesses and organizations to highlight,” says Brown. “My favourite thing to do is shine a light on these women and their efforts, and how they are changing their communities, if not the world.”

Pursuing a life filled with travel, including solo travel, is something Brown enthusiastically encourages other women to do. And that sentiment remains unchanged amid current events.

“Do it! Travel offers an amazing freedom to go and do what you want,” she says.

“By travelling solo, you open yourself up to discovering a place that’s far different than if you have a partner or family in tow,” Brown continues. “If you are still reticent, then look for a small travel group that shares like-minded interests or philosophies on life.”

For Brown, who has been exploring the world for 25 years now, one of the greatest joys has always been meeting people face-to-face and learning about another person’s life experience. Putting yourself in new places and exploring new cultures is one of the most unforgettable ways to have these types of enriching interactions.

“We are all on this Earth to understand ourselves and to be better than we thought, for our communities and family, even yourself. Nothing gives us that opportunity like travel,” says Brown.

3. Lola Akinmade Åkerström, Author and Photographer

“Keep travelling, but do so with an open mind, modesty and awareness”

International author, photographer, travel storyteller and expedition leader Lola Akinmade Åkerström is truly the embodiment of the modern-day fearless, fantastic, inspirational globetrotter.

She’s photographed and dispatched from more than 80 countries for a long list of publications, was one of eight Hasselblad Heroines in 2022, and in 2018 was the Travel Photographer of the Year Bill Muster Award recipient for SATW.

Each of these accomplishments are inspiring in their own right, but it’s one of her upcoming travel gigs that really speaks to this important moment in time for women and travel.

Akinmade Åkerström is set to host the first-ever women-only Antarctic voyage, the Antarctic Direct: Fly the Drake Expedition. The trip will take place in February 2027 and has been designed to celebrate women in exploration, storytelling and environmental conservation.

Trips like this, designed to empower women and build community, have never been more important.

“While it may feel hopeless all around, especially for women and our rights, we need to also remember that travel can be an act of activism to fight against bigotry and powers working hard to keep us apart,” says Akinmade Åkerström. “My work within travel is rooted in cultural connection, and now more than ever, I’ve been leaning into this more in my visual storytelling.”

To that end, Akinmade Åkerström suggests women keep travelling but do so with an open mind, modesty and awareness. In fact, she says, awareness must be prioritized now more than ever.

4. Celine Cousteau, Filmmaker and Environmental Activist

“Don’t be guided by fear; be guided by informed information”

Celine Cousteau is another deeply inspiring incarnation of the bold, trailblazing, multidimensional adventurer.

An environmental activist, documentary filmmaker, author and international speaker, Cousteau is committed to helping people reconnect to self, community and nature. Her pursuit of that goal has taken on many forms, including directing, producing and writing a feature film titled Tribes on the Edge, featuring the Indigenous Peoples of the Vale do Javari in the Brazilian Amazon.

She was also a featured expedition member on the Space2Sea expedition to Antarctica in 2024, and in 2026 and 2027, Cousteau will be joining an expedition to map the length of the Amazon River, a journey that will take her from a newly discovered spring in Peru to the Atlantic Ocean.

For Cousteau, travel is integral to her life’s work, connecting people and the environment. And coming from a family of renowned explorers, it’s hard for Cousteau to remember a time when her existence was not deeply intertwined with travel.

“I would say first and foremost, I don’t let myself be guided by fear,” says Cousteau of her continued explorations. “I let myself be guided by informed information.”

For other women travelling the world today, including those who may be travelling solo, she suggests always having a very clear travel plan. Also, consider having someone who’s a trusted person in your life track your journey.

“Call your best friend and say, ‘Hey, would you mind keeping an eye on me?” Cousteau suggests. “It doesn’t make you any less of an independent woman.”

“Check in with someone in the mornings and evenings if you feel like there is any reason for you to feel uncomfortable,” Cousteau adds.”There are many ways for us to create more confidence for ourselves.”

Turning to current events, particularly those in the United States, Cousteau admits that the situation at the moment is uncomfortable. But she adds, that’s a reality not exclusive to women travellers.

“I would pay attention to all travel warnings and I would look at the ever-changing landscape,” says Cousteau. “Because it’s true that right now it is a bit confusing and chaotic. So just keep an eye on the places that are safer to travel to.”

Like all of the women who shared their insights, Cousteau talked eloquently and movingly about one of the most important benefits of travel: The sheer joy that comes from interacting with people around the world. The moments of magic, wisdom, connection and love that spring from those interactions and that stay with us for years to come.

For the traveller – and for the health of the world community – those moments of shared humanity have never been more essential.

“I have the opportunity to meet incredible human beings around the world that remind me of the goodness that there is in the world,” concludes Cousteau. “And that’s really, really key to highlight right now. In a lot of the news that we’re seeing, there’s a lot of negativity. It’s not what we thrive on. What inspires us, and brings us joy, is something positive. It’s something that we are passionate about. It’s the people that have purpose and cause and love in their hearts.”

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