The Best Women’s Travel Writing, Volume 13

My story “Into The Wind” was included in the anthology The Best Women’s Travel Writing, Volume 13: True Stories from Around the World.

“Into the Wind” was first published in Bicycling Magazine and reprinted in Singletrack World. It was a Longreads pick of the year in 2024. In 2025 it contributed to my nomination for the Dan Jenkins Medal for Excellence in Sportswriting.

The Best Women’s Travel Writing, Volume 13: True Stories from Around the World Press Release

The anthology releases on June 9, with essays by Roxane Gay, Susan Orlean, Ann Hood, Pier Nirandara, Marcia DeSanctis, and Laura Killingbeck.

Edited by Lavinia Spalding, the latest edition of this bestselling series from Travelers’ Tales includes 27 stories spanning all seven continents.

Rarely has there been more urgency for a book that celebrates bold women, diverse voices, expanded worldviews, and an appreciation for other cultures. “In times of turmoil and despair,” Spalding says, “it becomes more vital to pay attention to how much there is to live for, and travel for, and stand up for—and the stories in this volume shine light on this.”

The collection fuels wanderlust and underscores the ways travel can inform and transform our lives. Themes include adventure, spirituality, culture, motherhood, nature, climate science, grief, healing, history, race, class, identity, empowerment, romance, and resilience.

Spalding has edited six previous volumes of The Best Women’s Travel Writing, and in doing so, read thousands of essays. “Travel stories are proof that we’re not alone,” she writes in her introduction. “Though our experiences are decidedly distinct, each of us is part of the rhythm and lilt of something bigger than ourselves. Together, we form a whole—a collective of curious souls who embrace and examine the unknown, led by curiosity and a willingness to pass along what we’ve learned from each place and moment we inhabit.”

About Travelers’ Tales:

For over thirty years, Travelers’ Tales has been, as Andrew McCarthy wrote in the New York Times, “publishing books that might best be described as the literary equivalent of a group of travelers sitting around a dim cafe, sipping pints or prosecco and trading their best stories. With more than a hundred titles currently in print, this publisher has carved out a valuable niche in the travel world.”

Praise for The Best Women’s Travel Writing series:

“In story after story, the refreshing absence of bluster and bravado, coupled with the optimism necessary for bold travel, create a unifying narrative that testifies to the personal value and cultural import of leaving the perceived safety of home and setting out into the wider world.” —The New York Times Book Review

“The mix of tones and topics—sorrowful and joyful, the positive side of travel and the negative—reflects the “duality” many travelers face.” – Afar

“A contemplative break from daily life...a wise and affectionate collection.” —Clarion

Publisher: Travelers’ Tales

Publication Date: June 9, 2026

$19.99, paperback

ISBN-13: 9781609522179