Adventure is usually assumed to be the domain of tall, bearded, muscular men with high testosterone levels. But there are some brave women who defied convention, ditched the norms, and heeded the call of the wild! They’ve scaled mountains, sailed the high seas, and ridden rough roads, and each time they achieved such a feat they broke a cultural stereotype. On this International Women’s Day, we are celebrating our sheroes who have an intrepid spirit, a thirst to explore and know how to travel smart. Here are 9 such inspiring travel stories from the explorers we LOVE!
1. Sarah Outen – 25,000 miles across the northern hemisphere.
Sara Outen © Sara Outen / Wikicommons
A biology graduate from Oxford University, Sarah is a British adventurer by land and sea. In 2009, Sarah set out on her first major expedition – to row solo across the Indian Ocean. On this expedition, she set two records as the first woman and the youngest person to accomplish such a daunting feat. Outen didn’t stop at that. In 2011, she embarked on her second global voyage, London2London via the World. Braving hurricanes, pneumonia, allergies, loneliness and much more, she rowed, cycled, and kayaked across the northern hemisphere. Her 25,000 miles long endeavor took four and a half years to complete!
You can read about her awe-inspiring adventures in her books, A Dip in the Ocean: Rowing Solo Across the Indian Ocean and Dare to Do: Taking on the planet by bike and boat.
2. Kira Salak – The real-life Lara Croft is a Ph.D.
Kira Salak © Lana Eklund Art & Soul Photography
Daring, gutsy, and tough, Kira Salak has been dubbed as the “real life Lara Croft” by the New York Times. A journalist by profession, Salak is a contributing editor at National Geographicmagazine and a true adventurer at heart. Having travelled to almost every continent, Salak’s adventure list is long and envious. She has visited some of the remotest places in the world – Papua New Guinea, Borneo, Madagascar, Congo and more; in fact, she is the first woman in the world to traverse Papa New Guinea. She is also the first woman in the world to kayak solo 600 miles down the Niger River in West Africa. She has cycled over 700 miles from Alaska to the Arctic Ocean. In 2003, she sneaked into the civil war-ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo with a few Ukrainian gun-runners.
And that’s not all, between her epic adventures across the world, Salak even managed to earn a Ph.D. in English Literature. Whoa!
3. Rosie Swale Pope – Running 20,000 miles for a cause.
Rosie Swale Pope © Thruxton / Wikicommons
When a loved one passes away, most people deal with it by moving houses, meditating, learning new hobbies, or joining support groups. But adventurer Rosie Swale Pope had a different approach to handling her husband, Clive’s death due to prostate cancer in 2002. She chose to change the definition of ‘long-distance running’ in the memory of her husband.
On her 53rd birthday, 2 October 2003, Pope set off from her hometown of Tenby in Wales to run solo around the northern hemisphere to raise prostate cancer awareness. As she ran, she towed along a specially designed cart of food and basic camping. Even extreme loneliness, freezing temperatures, accidents, a wild wolf stalking her, and blizzards could not stop Rosie from completing her awe-inspiring run. 20,000 miles and five years later, Pope successfully circumnavigated the northern hemisphere on foot, the longest unsupported run in history!
Pope’s experiences are captured in detail in her book, Just a Little Run Around the World: 5 Years, 3 Packs of Wolves, and 53 Pairs of Shoes.
4. Afghan Women’s Cycling Team – Riding towards equality.
Afghan Women’s Cycling Team © Mountain2Mountain / Wikicommons
In a country where it is rare to find a woman walking alone on the streets, Afghanistan’s Women’s Cycling Team has dared to ride against the conservative Taliban ideology, literally! These young cyclists are the first Afghan women to compete internationally in India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and South Korea.
But of course, their journey has not been easy. These revolutionary cyclists have had to deal with threats, harassment and even physical assault from orthodox men who adhere to the Taliban ideology that dictates it obscene for a woman to straddle a bicycle. Despite the odds, the Afghan Women’s Cycling Team is successfully challenging cultural norms, breaking gender barriers, and fighting for equality as they pursue their passion for cycling. In 2016, the team was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
5. Ellen MacArthur – Around the Earth in 71 days.
Ellen MacArthur © Chatham House / Wikicommons
Despite growing up inland in Derbyshire, England, Ellen MacArthur was fascinated by sailing from an early age. At 17, MacArthur bought her first boat from her pocket money savings, and at 18 she was voted British Young Sailor of the Year. In 2005, 28-year-old MacArthur broke Francis Joyon’s record and made history when she became the fastest solo sailor to circumnavigate the earth (27,000 miles) in just 71 days, 14 hours and 18 minutes. How did she do it so fast? She never got more than 20 minutes of sleep at a time throughout her journey!
6. Barbara Hillary – Conquering the North and South Pole… in her 70s.
If there’s anyone who can prove that age is just a number, it’s Barbara Hillary. A nurse by profession, Hillary survived breast cancer in her 20s and at 67, she conquered lung cancer. When she retired, Hillary became increasingly fascinated by Arctic travel and raised over $25,000 to fund her expedition to the Arctic. She spent months training for her dream escapade by learning to cross-country ski, regularly working out in the gym, and hauling a sled with bags of sand!
Finally, in 2007, at the ripe age of 75, Hillary became the first African American woman to set foot on the North Pole. But that wasn’t enough for Hillary. Four years later in 2011, aged 79, she created history again and became the first African-American to stand on the South Pole. Today at 85, Hillary continues to inspire people with her motivational talks.
7. Anne Mustoe – It’s never too late to bike.
When Anne Mustoe retired as a school headmistress in 1987, she was 54, slightly overweight and unfit, and had not ridden a bike for 30 years! But that did not stop her from pedaling across the world from west to east. She set out from London and rode across Europe, India and Pakistan, Malaysia, and finally the United States of America. 15 months later, she had completed her voyage of 12,000 miles.
In 2009, Mustoe aged 76, breathed her last in Syria while she was on a biking expedition. Mustoe’s legacy is the proof that it’s never too late for anything! Read about her extraordinary bike ride across the globe in her book, A Bike Ride: 12,000 Miles Around the World.
8. Cecilie Skog – Queen of the Seven Summits and the Poles.
Cecile Skog © sindrelonnes / Wikicommons
One of the most distinguished female adventurers in the world, Cecilie Skog has accomplished what no woman has till date. She is first woman in the world to have conquered the Seven Summits (the tallest mountain on each continent) and both the poles.
But Cecilie faced her biggest challenge in 2008 while on an expedition to K2, the second highest mountain in the world and the toughest to climb. As Cecilie and her companion reached the summit, she witnessed her husband, Rolf Bae’s death as a gigantic avalanche swept him away, just a few feet away from her. Even though she was gravely affected by this tragedy, she kept moving. In 2010, Skog along with Ryan Waters achieved a new polar history as they made the first unassisted and unsupported crossing of Antarctica.
You can follow her travels on her Instagram account @skogcecilie.
9. Cassie de Pecol – Fastest person to visit all 196 countries.
Cassie de Pecol © expedition_196 / Instagram
Cassie de Pecol is the most recent woman to join the esteemed list of women explorers and adventurers. In February 2017, de Pecol not only became the first woman to visit every single sovereign country on earth but also the fastest person to do so in a record 18 months and 26 days! She had been planning Expedition 196, as the 27-year-old called her history-making voyage, since she was 23. In order to fund her trip, she saved $10,000 by babysitting and rest of her $198,000 budget was funded by sponsors.
Having majored in environmental studies, de Pecol took off on her journey to promote sustainable tourism as an ambassador for the International Institute of Peace Through Tourism, a nonprofit organization. During her travels, she met with the mayors and ministers of tourism and presented the organization’s “Declaration of Peace”.
Experience the world through her eyes on Instagram (@expedition_196) and then travel some yourself!
Nothing could stop these wonderful women from exploring our beautiful world and nothing should stop you! Start ticking off your bucket list today – travel smart, travel hard!
