A Trip Of One'S Own : Hope, heartbreak and why travelling solo could change your life

Are you dreaming of leaving behind the 9 to 5 and floating off into the sunset, but not sure where to start? Constantly searching for dream holidays but never getting anywhere near them?

If Joan Didion was right, and we do tell ourselves stories in order to live, then a travel story is the best story of them all. And I had form for escaping in stories...

Kate Wills wasn't expecting to be divorced after less than a year of marriage. She hadn't anticipated restarting a life that had, for the last 12 years with her partner, seemed so stable. Luckily, her job as a travel journalist offered her the perfect opportunity to escape from it all. But this time, her jet-setting felt different. Kate felt more alone, particularly against a backdrop of never-ending hen dos, weddings and baby showers.

So she began to search history for female travellers to inspire her. From a 4th-century nun to a globe-girdling cyclist, Kate discovers that throughout history, there have been astonishing women who've broken free from more burdensome expectations, clearing the path for us to do the same.

A Trip of One's Own is a funny and heartfelt invitation to take that trip: to Paris, to Whitstable, and maybe down that street you've always wondered about.

About the Author

Kate Wills is a freelance travel and features writer for Vogue, The Times, The Guardian, ES Magazine, Grazia, The Telegraph, Elle and many more. She has a weekly column in Fabulous and regularly appears as a commentator on Sky News, National Geographic Channel and BBC radio. Kate is also the host of her podcast Ticket for One.

Dimensions (cm): 1.5 x 12.9  x 19.7