Book info

• Title A Trip of One's Own
• Author Kate Wills
• Year 2021
• Genre Memoir

Kate Wills wasn't expecting to be divorced after less than a year of marriage. She hadn't anticipated restarting a life that had, for the last 12 years with her partner, seemed so stable. Luckily, her job as a travel journalist offered her the perfect opportunity to escape from it all. But this time, her jet-setting felt different. Kate felt more alone, 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. From a 4th-century nun to a globe-girdling cyclist, Kate discovers that throughout history, there have been astonishing women who've broken free from more burdensome expectations, clearing the path for us to do the same.

Thoughts

After heartbreak, our author went travelling on her own, and this book examines the philosophies behind that and the journey it helped her to go on. It also covers some really fascinating histories of female travellers throughout history.

I was really enjoying it, and then it felt like we went slightly off the rails, talking more about becoming a family than solo travel, however, the book continues on into the global pandemic which then brought it back to interesting philosophies about being alone and the highs and lows of isolation. A very interesting piece, this one.

Rating: 4 / 5