Women of the World : Women Travelers and Explorers

Women of the World - As women in America and Europe struggled for emancipation, women explorers and travelers sought to challenge the traditional ideas and positions of women in the world. Here are the fascinating stories of nine women who loved travel, not just as a passage to a destination but as an experience of life with its own meaning and magic. Ida Pfeiffer looked like a demure 19th century middle-class Viennese housewife, but she had the soul of a reckless adventurer that took her around the world twice. Isabella Bird Bishop escaped 19th century British civilization to explore Japan, India, Pakistan, China and the Rocky Mountains. Florence Baker was a former Hungarian slave who searched for the mysterious source of the Nile. Fanny Bullock Workman, with her husband, traveled to the Himalayas and back in devoted harmony and complete equality for 25 years. Mary Kingsley traveled alone through 19th century Africa and challenged the accepted view of the "primitive" native. Alexandra David-Neel was the first Western women to enter Lhasa, the Forbidden City of Tibet. Marguerite Baker Harrison was an American who traveled the whole world to achieve distinction as are porter, spy, traveler, and pioneering film producer. Louise Arner Boyd was born into a wealthy San Francisco family, but her fascination with the far north led her to exploration. Thanks to her, the Arctic is no longer only a man's world. Freya Stark practiced what she called the "Art of Travel" in little-known corners of Persia, Arabia and Turkey and became one of the 20th century's