AWARDS

• GOLD PRIZE for Best Travel Book of 2007 by the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation’s Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition
• “Best Travel Book” in the 2008 International Latino Book Awards

REVIEWS

“This is a veritable encyclopedia of destinations that appeal to women in some way, however vague… [and it] reaches into unexpected corners of the world. Whether urging women to submerge in a bubbling crater of mud outside of Cartagena, Colombia, go pearl diving in Bahrain or visit New York for a pilgrimage to the birthplace of women’s rights, the thoughtful narratives come from an active intelligence that sparks inspiration.”

— The San Francisco Chronicle

“If you prefer concrete destination options, and especially if you are looking for a female slant to your journey, you will find more than a lifetime of ideas in “100 Places Every Woman Should Go.” Categories include places of adventure (the Amazon River basin), purification (an onsen or Japanese hot springs or bathhouse), indulgence (famed chocolate sites), celebration and womanly affirmation (belly dancing sites), struggle and renewal (New Orleans), and inspiration (Bhutan). The most women-centric trips are in the chapter on powerful women and their places in history, from sites of Madonna sightings in several countries to Sappho’s home in Lesbos, Greece. Lesser-known spots include County Mayo, Ireland, to follow in the footsteps of pirate queen Grace O’Malley, and a tour of the “lady ghosts” of Savannah, Ga. While you are out and about, writes Griest, “return the Good Sister Karma. Be nice to female travelers you encounter at home, and try to help out your local sisters abroad.”

— The Boston Globe

“….A whirlwind of exotic escapades. The author gets a bikini wax in Brazil, drinks chocolate in Mexico’s Oaxaca, pats the belly of a manatee in Florida, and watches women dive for seaweed and shellfish in the East China Sea. Destinations in “100 Places” are logical (Seneca Falls, N.Y., birthplace of the women’s rights movement), remote (Rouen, France, where Joan of Arc died), sacred (Mount Kailash, Tibet, a pilgrimage point for Buddhists and Hindus) and virtual (the Museum of Menstruation at www.mum.org). The book also is a way to learn, briefly, about whirling dervishes in Turkey, flamenco dancing in Spain and the Holy Ganges in India. Less specific, geographically, but most poignant is the Motherlands chapter. “At some point in life,” Griest writes, “return to your ancestral home, be it a specific neighborhood or an entire continent, to learn from the roots within you.”

— The Capital Times (of Madison, WI)

“For many women, the open road beckons. But where — they might wonder — can they find adventure, inspiration, empowerment, and renewal? Stephanie Elizondo Griest’s new book, 100 Places Every Woman Should Go (2007, Travelers’ Tales), reveals treasures far and near. Griest suggests female travelers try seeking enlightenment in any of the 66 temples of Luang Prabang, Laos; race yaks across the Mongolian grasslands; or pay homage to pharaoh Hatshepsut, who Griest writes, “is widely regarded as history’s ‘first great woman.’” The book also offers tips on safety, how to fend off unwanted male advances, and, perhaps most importantly, the advice to support fellow female travelers and local sisters abroad. “Your money will almost certainly go where it is needed most.”

— The Utne Reader

“The benefits of traveling solo are well documented. Going it alone means no arguments over itineraries, directions or timetables. Solo travelers can better soak up their surroundings. They’re more approachable. They may be more open to new experiences. Moreover, solo travel builds character. [Griest’s book is]… all over the map — literally — in its brief recommendations on go-to spots from Antarctica to African game parks.”

— USA Today

“If adventure and renewal are what you crave, pick up Ms. Griest’s newest offering and get together with your favorite travel buddy. Intimate, fun and packed with intriguing ideas, an hour with this book will help you outline an ambitious world tour or a unique weekend getaway. No mere list of destinations, the compact collection is brimming with places to nurture body, mind and soul in the world at large. Whether you’re looking for new destinations or already have an itinerary planned, 100 Places will point you toward don’t-misses and must-sees that will guarantee you’ll return with your own amazing travelogue.”

— World Pulse Magazine

Stephanie Elizondo’s Griest’s first book, “Around the Bloc,” about her travels in Beijing, Moscow and Havana, garnered so much critical acclaim that she was approached by small press Travelers’ Tales to write another travel book — this time about destination recommendations for the fairer sex. The result is her latest publication “100 Places Every Woman Should Go.” In a recent interview, the Corpus Christi native said that she has traveled to about half of the places catalogued in the book. Friends and fellow travelers provided the information and insights for the other 50 places. The book is divided into sections related to history, adventure, indulgence, celebration and inspiration, among others. Although Griest recommends traveling far and wide, she also acknowledges that the one place women should travel if they cannot make the trek to the 100 places listed in her book is New York City. She asserts that by going to the Big Apple, “You can literally go everywhere.” Griest adds that in Brooklyn one can “roast in a banya with a roomful of sweaty Russian women and pop open a bottle of Soviet champagne” or “get your palms tattooed with henna and slip into a sari sewn for a princess in Jackson Heights in Queens” or “Samba with boys from Rio” in Williamsburg. Griest also offers women readers tips for everything from packing to safety to fending off the advances of overly friendly male locals. She recommends women wear “fake wedding bands” or carry photos of “hulky men they call husbands to ward off advances.” Griest herself has experienced unwanted attention from men more than once during her many travels and insists that a woman must be loud and firm in rejecting the male offenders and that “public guilt and humiliation are the best way to deal with men who molest.” This is a light and breezy book. Entries are concise but clear in the information they provide about each place Griest recommends. She also offers numerous Web sites and suggestions for further reading about these destinations. Griest provides more than just descriptions of places; readers can learn about activities to take part in as well. Travelers and adventurers can camel-race in Bahrain, whale-watch in British Columbia or pearl-dive in South Korea. Ironically, giving in to her wanderlust has given Griest a sense of roots. About traveling, she says, “It has just completely built within me this foundation.” She finds it a wholly “nurturing and incredibly informative entity,” and adds perhaps the best endorsement for getting away from it all: “When I travel is when I really, really feel alive.”

— San Antonio Express News

“100 Places offers tips for traveling women, and is chock full of useful Web sites and recommended readings. In the chapter on Lesbos, Greece, we learn that poetess and lyricist Sappho, often assumed to have been a lesbian because she came from the island of Lesbos (from where the term lesbian comes from), was, in fact, married to a man, although she dedicated much of her sensual words to women. Regardless of orientation, Sappho was the first Greek poet to write in the first person.
Ms. Elizondo Griest’s book visits the cobalt blue home of artist Frida Kahlo in Coyoacan, Mexico, (“For the Frida Kahlo look, fly to Oaxaca, Mexico, where you’ll be greeted in the street by women carrying mounds of rebozos, or shawls, slung over their shoulders) and tells how to apply for a job in Antarctica, because that is the best way to visit it. There’s even a chapter on the Museum of Menstruation, although these days it exists only on the Web, and one on lingerie shops in London, Rome, Paris and New York. In the end, if you can’t hit all these wonderful international destinations (including Beirut and New Orleans), the author recommends visiting New York City where you can experience them all, including soaking in a banya with a room full of sweaty Russian women in Brooklyn. Ms. Elizondo Griest quotes a New York cabbie: “Anything you can’t find anywhere else in the world, this city has two of ’em. And if you can find it somewhere else, we’ve got five of ’em.”

— The Princeton Packet

“Compiled by award-winning author Stephanie Elizondo Griest, the book points to places of inspiration, enlightenment, adventure and history, where heroines battled for the right to speak, vote, rule and be free.”

— Santa Cruz Sentinel

[“100 Places”] is the brain trust of an intrepid traveler who lashed on her estro-lens, filled a few passports, and is now handing over all the juicy liner notes so others can engage the world in a similarly spirited, pro-woman way.

— Holly Morris, author of Adventure Divas

An amazing feat. Reading the book is like catching the colors of a tropical sunset, a whiff of an almond tree in bloom, a hint of a melody from a late night jazz bar. My only complaint? I will never get to go to all of these alluring places!

— Elizabeth Lesser, cofounder of Omega Institute