Women Who Travel: An Ethnographic Inquiry into Identity, Freedom, & Connection

 

A field note for readers

This is a condensed version 2 of my study. The first version was written for an academic audience. I have rewritten it here for the blog so it reads like a story you can walk through. The content, research, and citations remain the same. What changes is the voice: less footnote, more field note.

This is an ethnographic project. I used semi-structured interviews, close listening, and old-fashioned field notes, then paired those with historical narratives. I spoke with women of different ages, races, careers, and family setups. For privacy, I use first names only here.

In conjunction with a literary review of Black Lambs and Grey Falcons: Women Travelling in the Balkans, edited by John B. Allcock and Antonia Young, I set their contemporary narratives beside historical accounts of women who traveled with grit and humor: Edith, Margaret, Rose, Flora, Barbara, Mercia, Emily, and Elsie. The point is not to prove that women have always wandered, though they have. It is to show how movement rearranges the inside of a life.

What follows keeps the rigor of the original paper and adds room to breathe. You will still find the scholarship, but you will also meet the women as I met them: laughing over coffee, looking out plane windows, standing in doorways between who they were and who they are becoming.

Alright. Let’s go.

Prologue: The World in Motion

The scent of saffron drifts from a souk in Marrakech.
The damp, mineral-rich air of a Scottish moor clings to woolen scarves.
The sunbaked stones of a Roman road radiate heat beneath worn leather soles.

A train hums somewhere across the Balkans; a woman steadies herself against the window, watching her reflection blur with passing fields.

Travel is not just motion—it is metamorphosis.

Travel is more than movement; it is a sensory plunge into the unknown, a kaleidoscope of scents, textures, and sounds that transform the traveler as much as the destination. Do we travel for knowledge? For leisure? For adventure? Or simply because of something in us that hungers for the unfamiliar? While men have historically dominated the pages of travel literature and exploration, women have long carved their own paths through landscapes both physical and social, challenging constraints placed upon them by gender, culture, and circumstance. From early solo explorers who defied Victorian-era expectations to contemporary travelers who navigate questions of safety, race, and personal identity, women’s experiences of travel remain complex and deeply transformative.

This study explores the motivations, constraints, and transformations of women who travel, using ethnographic interviews and historical narratives to illuminate their experiences. Participants shared insights into their reasons for traveling, the ways they immerse themselves in unfamiliar cultures, and the impact of these journeys on their identities. Their stories are woven together with historical accounts of women who defied convention, women like Edith Durham, Margaret Masson Hasluck, and Rose Wilder Lane, who navigated foreign lands and societal expectations alike.

By analyzing Black Lambs and Grey Falcons: Women Traveling in the Balkans alongside contemporary accounts, this study examines how travel shapes identity, autonomy, and cultural negotiation. The narratives of historical figures parallel the lived experiences of modern travelers such as Eepi, Catherine, Christy, Sarah, Julie, Aspen, Denise, and Simone, demonstrating that while the landscapes may change, the spirit of exploration remains a powerful force in women’s lives.

Women travelers have long been both celebrated and dismissed, often relegated to the margins of male-dominated narratives. Edith Durham, who traversed the Balkans at the age of 37, recounted her experiences with humor, remarking, 

“I did my best to assist their plans and have in fact provided them with the materials for a fairly accurate biography of myself should one ever be required; its excessive dullness went a long way towards soothing their agitated nerves” (Hodgson, 2000, 11). 

Like Durham, many women today use humor, resilience, and cultural adaptation to navigate the complexities of travel.

Scholars such as Wilson and Harris (2006) have examined “meaningful travel” as a means of self-discovery and empowerment, while Wilson and Little (2005) analyze the unique constraints women face, from safety concerns to financial limitations. Historical figures such as Flora Sandes and Elsie Inglis challenged gender roles, forging paths into male-dominated spaces through travel, war, and professional ambition. Sandes, originally trained as a nurse’s aide, but instead became a soldier and later a captain: “Sandes was neither Serbian nor a peasant but an English lady and thus an invaluable asset” (Wheelwright, 2000, 94). These examples illustrate that for women, travel has never been merely about leisure; it has been a means of reshaping identity and power.

This study employs ethnographic methods, incorporating interviews with modern female travelers alongside literary analysis of historical narratives. Interviews were conducted with women from diverse backgrounds, including solo travelers, professionals, and those who frequently travel in women-only groups. Their experiences provide insight into how travel continues to serve as both a space of freedom and constraint. Additionally, primary texts from Black Lambs and Grey Falcons were analyzed to draw connections between historical and contemporary themes of women’s travel.

Motivation for Travel

Women’s motivations for travel are as varied as the landscapes they traverse, encompassing personal growth, professional ambitions, and the pursuit of cultural immersion. For many, travel is not just a journey across physical distance but an inward expedition, a process of self-discovery and reinvention.

Aspen, one of the interviewees in this study, was inspired by her father’s solo travels to seek independence through her own adventures. His stories instilled in her a sense of curiosity and courage, eventually leading her to teach English in Costa Rica and embark on solo journeys that reshaped her understanding of herself. “I grew confident and learned to enjoy my own company,” she reflected (Personal Communication, February 3, 2025). Travel became a proving ground, a space where she could shed self-doubt and develop resilience.

For Julie, travel was an act of survival as much as exploration. She described how, during a period of deep depression and severe alcoholism, setting out alone provided the clarity she desperately needed. “At the time, I was dealing with deep depression and battling severe alcoholism. It was during a solo road trip that I realized I needed to make a change” (Personal Communication, January 26, 2025). In motion, she found stillness, time to process, reflect, and ultimately, to transform. Like many women who travel alone, she experienced a shift in perspective that helped her reclaim agency over her own life.

Simone, too, spoke of a moment that reshaped her self-perception while traveling in the Bahamas. “For some reason, I was a QUEEN in the Bahamas. I had always gone to predominantly white schools where they weren’t checking for me like that, but here… phew. It was awesome” (Personal Communication, February 8, 2025). Her words capture the often-overlooked yet deeply significant aspect of travel: the way it allows women—especially women of color—to experience themselves through different cultural lenses. In the Bahamas, she was not invisible. She was celebrated, seen, and valued in a way that challenged the narratives imposed on her back home.

Christy found that traveling post-motherhood allowed her to redefine herself, but in her words, it’s also pure, joyful chaos. A loud, funny Cuban-American and the life of the party, she told me she travels to stay in awe of her own life. 

“Sometimes I just stop and look around and think—Whose life is this?!” (Personal Communication, January 27, 2025). 

She jokes that “motherhood is like running a circus without pay or applause,” and travel lets her step into wide-open spaces where she can eat, dance, and talk to strangers. “Motherhood is beautiful and wild,” she said, “but when I’m out there, saying yes to new places, I remember how big life is again.” For Christy, travel is not escape so much as joyful reclamation.

Historical women travelers sought reinvention just as much as their modern counterparts. Flora Sandes, an English secretary who defied expectations by becoming a soldier, viewed travel as a chance to begin anew. “She was 38 years old and considered her life was just beginning. She shed her identity as an eccentric spinster… and embraced the unknown” (Wheelwright, 2000, 92). For Sandes, stepping beyond familiar borders was an act of liberation, a rejection of the roles society had prescribed for her. Her transformation mirrors the experiences of contemporary women who use travel as a way to break free from constraints (whether personal, cultural, or systemic) and to redefine themselves on their own terms.

Eepi's travels are deeply rooted in her passion for storytelling and understanding the human experience. Whether she’s speaking about the intersections of culture and memory or the ways in which landscapes shape identity, her reflections are rich with depth and nuance… a poet at heart. She believes that travel is not just about movement, but about the narratives we carry and the ones we collect along the way; she shares, “Every place has a story, but not everyone takes the time to listen” (Personal Communication, January 26, 2025). For Chaad, the most powerful moments of travel come from sitting with those stories, whether they are embedded in a crumbling building, a quiet marketplace, or the words of a stranger willing to share a piece of their world. Through her journeys, she emphasizes the importance of slowing down, paying attention, and allowing places to reveal themselves beyond the obvious.

Balkan traveler Margaret Masson Hasluck spent 30 years doing ethnographic research in the area. She used to like to boast that in the First World War, she smuggled secret messages between Athens and London in her garters (Clark, 2000, 128). She began traveling, inspired by a horrific war and years of watching her husband die slowly; she desperately needed freedom and adventure. After receiving a traveling fellowship from Aberdeen University in 1921, she began bribing children with marbles in order to gather their folk tales; she says, 

“As a rule, I don’t pay, even with marbles, for information, but I make an exception with witches” (Clark, 2000, 131).

Across time and geography, women have turned to travel not only to see the world but to see themselves more clearly. Whether through moments of quiet self-reflection on a solo journey, the exhilarating realization of being desired and appreciated in a new cultural context, or the sheer act of rewriting their own narratives, women continue to find power in movement.

Among both the modern travelers interviewed for this study and the historical travelers chronicled in Black Lambs and Grey Falcons, a few motivations emerge as particularly prevalent. The pursuit of reinvention, whether as an escape from societal expectations, personal hardship, or stagnation, is a recurring theme. Women across generations have turned to travel as a means of reclaiming autonomy, whether it be through Aspen’s search for independence, Julie's journey toward sobriety, or Flora Sandes’ radical transformation from nurse aide to soldier. The need to step outside of prescribed roles is another common thread, evident in Christy’s exuberant desire to exist beyond motherhood and in Margaret Hasluck’s reinvention as an ethnographer and intelligence courier. Travel also serves as a means of reimagining oneself through the lens of different cultures, an experience shared by Simone in the Bahamas and Hasluck as she embedded herself in Balkan communities. Finally, the deep connection between travel and storytelling emerges across time: Eepi’s poetic reflections on the narratives within landscapes echo Hasluck’s meticulous collection of folk tales from bribed children. Whether escaping, reinventing, or immersing, these women, past and present, use travel as both a mirror and a window, revealing not only the world around them but also new dimensions of themselves.

Cultural Immersion

Women travelers frequently engage in deep cultural immersion, seeking connections beyond the surface-level tourist experience. Many approach travel as a means of understanding both themselves and the world through firsthand encounters with different customs, traditions, and ways of life. For some, this immersion is deeply personal.

Catherine, for example, traveled to Italy in search of more than just beautiful landscapes and historical landmarks; she sought a connection to her roots. “Traveling there, I didn’t just visit—I belonged. The place felt like a piece of me I had been missing” (Personal Communication, January 22, 2025). For women like Catherine, heritage travel is not merely an exploration of place but of identity, a way to reclaim lost histories and deepen their sense of belonging in the world.

Denise's approach to travel was shaped by her mother, who instilled in her the belief that the best way to understand a place was to take the back roads and fully immerse herself in its culture. 

“My mom never wanted to take the highways,” Denise recalled. “She always said, ‘You don’t really see a place from the main roads. You have to go where people actually live’” (Personal Communication, January 30, 2025). 

This philosophy carried into Denise's own travels, where she prioritized deep, meaningful engagement over tourist attractions. Rather than skimming the surface of a destination, she sought out conversations with locals, ate at family-run restaurants, and participated in everyday life. For Denise, travel was never just about seeing new places; it was about experiencing them as fully as possible, absorbing the stories, flavors, and traditions that made each place unique. This mindset allowed her to move beyond the role of an observer and into that of a true participant, reinforcing the idea that cultural immersion is not about passing through; it’s about becoming part of the landscape, if only for a little while.

Barbara Kerewsky-Halpern’s decades of travel between the Balkans and the U.S. reflect a profound sense of belonging to multiple places. She described her journey home through a muddy village road, stating, “Slowly, gently, and finally, home!” (Kerewsky, 2000, 189). Yet, just two paragraphs later, she referred to her husband as being back “home in Massachusetts” (Kerewsky, 2000, 189). Her ability to navigate and claim both spaces as home speaks to the transformative power of long-term cultural immersion. More than an observer, she fully assimilated into Balkan life, embracing its customs, relationships, and traditions. She chronicled her shifting identity, moving from outsider to insider, from bride to wife, mother, and eventually an elder, a hierarchy in which each status held greater social significance in the village. Through her experience, Kerewsky-Halpern demonstrates how women travelers do more than witness culture; they actively shape and are shaped by it, defying rigid notions of belonging and selfhood.

The concept of “home” in the context of cultural immersion is fluid, shaped not by geography alone but by relationships, rituals, and a deep sense of participation in daily life. For long-term travelers like Kerewsky-Halpern, home is not a fixed point but a layered experience, built through repeated acts of belonging: sharing meals, speaking the language, adopting traditions, and forming lasting bonds. This dual sense of home is not unique to her; it is a common thread among women who immerse themselves in unfamiliar cultures for extended periods. Over time, the foreign becomes familiar, and the traveler ceases to be merely an observer, instead developing an intimate, reciprocal connection with their adopted environment. Yet, this duality also raises questions of identity...does home reside in a place, or in the self? Women who split their lives between multiple worlds, much like Kerewsky-Halpern, illustrate how home is not always singular, but rather a composite of the places and people who shape us along the way.

This fluid sense of home, shaped by immersion and participation rather than fixed geography, reflects a deeper transformation that travel can inspire, one that extends beyond belonging to a place and into a way of seeing. For some, like Kerewsky-Halpern, home is built through long-term integration into a culture. For others, like Oliver, immersion is not just about where one is, but how one experiences the world. Oliver’s time in Japan offered a different kind of transformation, not through movement or reinvention, but through stillness, observation, and a newfound appreciation for the quiet details of daily life.

Aspen's time in Japan taught her the art of patience, observation, and the quiet beauty of everyday life. Unlike her previous travels, where she often sought adventure and movement, Japan encouraged her to embrace stillness. 

She found meaning in simple rituals: watching the steam rise from a bowl of miso soup, listening to the rhythmic clack of wooden sandals against stone, and learning to appreciate the deliberate care with which people approached their daily routines. 

“I came to Japan expecting to see new things, but what I really learned was how to see differently” (Personal Communication, February 3, 2025), she reflected. The experience reshaped her understanding of presence, showing her that immersion isn’t always about doing—it’s just as much about being.

Aspen's experience illustrates how immersion is not always about movement but about learning to see and exist differently. Her shift in perspective, finding beauty in stillness and meaning in ritual, reflects a broader theme among women travelers: the ability to navigate and embrace liminal spaces. This in-betweenness, where identities are reshaped and belonging becomes fluid, is a recurring motif in the journeys of women who immerse themselves in new cultures. 

Traveler and lecturer Mercia McDermott captured this sentiment, stating, “My name is Mercia, and it means a frontier, and as a woman’s name it means a woman who lives on the frontier between two states” (Waller, 2000, 183). This speaks to the liminality many female travelers experience, existing between cultures, identities, and geographies. For women, this in-between space is often both liberating and challenging—a space where they must negotiate belonging, navigate cultural expectations, and redefine their sense of self.

Unlike traditional narratives of travel that emphasize conquest or mastery over a place, women’s travel frequently centers on connection, adaptation, and fluidity. Whether forging deep ties with a new community, immersing themselves in unfamiliar traditions, or reconciling multiple identities, these women embrace the complexities of movement and transformation. Their journeys reflect not just physical crossings but the ability to exist between worlds, challenging rigid boundaries of identity and place.

Constraints

Women travelers may also navigate unique constraints, including safety concerns, societal expectations, and economic limitations. Safety remains a paramount concern, with many women taking extensive precautions to protect themselves while on the road. Sarah described her careful approach, avoiding situations that might make her vulnerable: “I don’t go out at night alone, no dates while traveling alone, and I rarely tell men that I’m there alone” (Personal Communication, January 25, 2025). These strategies, while necessary, illustrate the ongoing burden of vigilance that women must carry, often shaping the way they experience travel itself.

Many interviewees spoke of the emotional labor required to balance freedom and self-protection, a tension that can be both exhausting and deeply frustrating. Eepi, for example, described the heightened awareness required as a woman of color in unfamiliar environments: “Each trip is a time capsule of leaving identities behind. I am my core self, which is an artist and a documentarian” (Personal Communication, January 26, 2025). Her words suggest a dual reality, one where travel offers the freedom to shed certain societal labels but simultaneously demands hyper-awareness of new cultural and racial dynamics.

This negotiation of identity and awareness is not only a modern concern but one that has long shaped women’s experiences in unfamiliar spaces. The balance between freedom and self-protection, between shedding societal labels and remaining hyper-aware, echoes the paradox faced by historical women travelers. Similarly, the women traveling the Balkans often found themselves navigating the fine line between risk and acceptance in foreign spaces. Emily Green Balch, for instance, reflected on the unusual freedom she and her companion experienced despite traveling alone: “Though we were two women without escort, we felt no fear… In this once wild frontier, no case of highway robbery is remembered for 45 years” (Despalatovic, Halpern, 2000, 59). Her words reflect a paradox that continues to define women’s travel, both the perception of vulnerability and the reality of unexpected safety and hospitality.

Contemporary women travelers, too, often report a similar duality. They must constantly assess risk, yet they frequently find that their presence as women invites openness, generosity, and cultural exchange in ways that male travelers might not experience. Denise spoke of the balance between freedom and caution, emphasizing that research and preparation play a key role in her travels. “I’ve explored where it is a more accepted norm to travel alone as a woman versus other places where the risks outweigh the benefits,” she explained. “It doesn’t stop me, but I’m more aware” (Personal Communication, January 30, 2025). Similarly, Eepi described the hyper-awareness required as a woman of color, acknowledging both the exhaustion and empowerment that come with solo travel. “The keys thus far have been preparation and staying hyper-focused on self-preservation. It is at once invigorating and tiring” (Personal Communication, January 26, 2025). 

Despite these challenges, women often find unexpected moments of connection and kindness. Simone recalled how, in the Bahamas, she felt seen and celebrated in a way she never had before, an experience that reshaped her sense of self. “I was 19, and for the first time, I felt beautiful. The men were so… vocal and appreciative of ME. It was so strange… and awesome” (Personal Communication, February 8, 2025). These experiences highlight the paradox of women’s travel. While vigilance is necessary, the act of moving through the world as a woman also fosters unique encounters, deep cultural exchanges, and moments of profound self-recognition.

Women’s Travel as Resistance and Empowerment

For many women, travel is an act of resistance against societal norms. Julie reflected, “For generations, women were consigned to the home. When I travel, the simple act of taking a journey alone or with other women is an act of resistance” (Personal Communication, January 26, 2025). This echoes the experiences of women like Dr. Elise Inglis, who, when told by a male officer, “My good lady, go home and sit still” (Krippner, 2000, 50), instead went on to establish an all-female medical unit during World War I. 

Similarly, Denise emphasized the defiant freedom of stepping beyond societal expectations, noting that leaving the constraints of U.S. cultural norms behind feels liberating. “…stepping away from my own cultural norms and surroundings is a wonderful opportunity for me to reflect on my own identity” (Personal Communication, January 30, 2025). Eepi echoed this sentiment, describing travel as a space where she is able to shed societal labels and simply exist as her core self. 

“Each trip is a time capsule of leaving identities behind... I am my core self, which is an artist and a documentarian” (Personal Communication, January 26, 2025). 

Whether resisting the expectation to stay home, challenging the limits placed on their identities, or carving out space for personal reinvention, women travelers continue to defy the boundaries set for them, transforming the act of movement into a declaration of autonomy and self-determination. Yet, even as they claim new freedoms, they often encounter reminders of the deeply ingrained gender norms that persist across cultures.

Kerewsky-Halpern’s arrival in Orasac is a striking example—not just of the limitations imposed upon women, but of the quiet rebellion inherent in her presence. As she attempted to sit at the front of a wagon, the driver directed her to the back. 

“And so I entered Orasac for the first time as a commodity in the rear of a cart along with some poultry,” 

she recalled, later learning from her grandmother that in her ancestral village, she would have been expected to walk behind the cart (Kerewsky, 2000, 195). This moment underscores how, even in the act of travel, women must navigate and confront systems designed to confine them, yet their very presence in these spaces remains an act of defiance. For Kerewsky-Halpern, that moment of relegation to the back of the cart was more than just an inconvenience; it was an introduction to the unspoken rules of gender and power embedded in the cultural landscape she was entering. Yet, rather than retreat, she chose to remain, immersing herself in the rhythms of Orasac and forging a life within its traditions. Over time, she moved beyond the role of an outsider, becoming a wife, mother, and eventually an elder...each stage granting her greater social standing within the village.

Her journey illustrates how women travelers do not merely pass through foreign spaces; they shape and are shaped by them, engaging in a continual negotiation of identity, belonging, and resistance. By staying, by listening, by participating in the very customs that once sought to diminish her, Kerewsky-Halpern subverted the notion that she was merely a guest. She claimed space in a world that had not initially made room for her, proving that presence itself is a form of defiance. Her story, like those of many women before and after her, underscores travel as a means of empowerment, not just through movement, but through the quiet, persistent act of existing where one is not expected to belong.

Conclusion

And so, the scent of saffron fades, the damp air of the moor dissipates, and the warmth of sunbaked stones lingers like an echo beneath tired soles. Travel, for women, has never been just about reaching a destination; it is a negotiation of space, identity, and freedom. It is the act of stepping beyond what is expected and into what is possible. The stories of women travelers reveal that mobility is never just physical; it is transformative. Whether seeking knowledge, reinvention, or the quiet defiance of simply existing in places that were not always meant for them, women have long used travel as a means of self-discovery and resistance. They navigate risk, cultural expectations, and the weight of history, yet their journeys leave indelible marks, on landscapes, on narratives, and most of all, on themselves.

By examining both historical and contemporary accounts, this study underscores how women have reshaped the experience of travel itself. They have moved through deserts, across oceans, and down winding city streets, gathering fragments of the world and, in turn, reconstructing their own sense of belonging. Barbara Kerewsky-Halpern’s reflection: “Slowly, gently, and finally, home!” (Kerewsky, 2000, 189) captures this fluidity. Like her, modern travelers such as Denise experience home as something that exists in multiple places at once, an ever-expanding concept that defies borders.

Future research could explore the intersections of race, class, and sexuality in shaping women’s travel experiences, further unraveling the complexities of female mobility. But one thing remains certain: whether walking the sun-scorched paths of a Roman road, navigating the labyrinth of a bustling souk, or quietly watching the mist roll over distant mountains, women will continue to move through the world, through history, and toward the selves they are still becoming.

Follow me on Instagram: @folklore_rgv

References Cited

Allcock, John B., Young, Antonia. 2000. Black Lambs and Grey Falcons: Women Travelling in the Balkans. New York: Berghahn Books. Originally published in 1991.

Clark, Marc. 2000. “Margaret Masson Hasluck.” In Black Lambs and Grey Falcons: Women Travelling in the Balkans, edited by John B. Allcock and Antonia Young, 128-154. New York: Berghahn Books. Originally published in 1991.

Despalatovic, Elinor Murray, Halpern, Joel M. 2000. “Edith Durham: Traveller and Publicist.” In Black Lambs and Grey Falcons: Women Travelling in the Balkans, edited by John B. Allcock and Antonia Young, 39-70. New York: Berghahn Books. Originally published in 1991.

Hogdson, John. 2000. “Edith Durham: Traveller and Publicist.” In Black Lambs and Grey Falcons: Women Travelling in the Balkans, edited by John B. Allcock and Antonia Young, 9-31. New York: Berghahn Books. Originally published in 1991.

Krippner, Monica. 2000. “The Work of British Medical Women in Serbia during the First World War.” In Black Lambs and Grey Falcons: Women Travelling in the Balkans, edited by John B. Allcock and Antonia Young, 71-89. New York: Berghahn Books. Originally published in 1991.

Poling-Kempes, Lesley. 2015. Ladies of the Canyons: A League of Extraordinary Women and Their Adventures in the American Southwest. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.

Wheelwright, Julie. 2000. “Captain Flora Sandes: A Case study in the Social Construction of Gender in a Serbian Context.” In Black Lambs and Grey Falcons: Women Travelling in the Balkans, edited by John B. Allcock and Antonia Young, 90-98. New York: Berghahn Books. Originally published in 1991.

Waller, Diane. 2000. “Mercia MacDermott: A Woman of the Frontier.” In Black Lambs and Grey Falcons: Women Travelling in the Balkans, edited by John B. Allcock and Antonia Young, 166-186. New York: Berghahn Books. Originally published in 1991.

Wilson, Erica, and Caroline Harris. 2006. “Meaningful Travel: Women, Independent Travel, and the Search for Self and Meaning.” Tourism 54(2): 161–172.

Wilson, Erica, and Debbie E. Little. 2005. “A ‘Relative Escape’? The Impact of Constraints on Women Who Travel Solo.” Tourism Review International 9(2): 155–175.

Young, Antonia. 2000. “Rose Wilder Lane: 1886-1968.” In Black Lambs and Grey Falcons: Women Travelling in the Balkans, edited by John B. Allcock and Antonia Young, 99-112. New York: Berghahn Books. Originally published in 1991.