Every book is a cooperative effort, but an anthology takes this premise to the next level. I literally couldn’t have done it alone. First and foremost, thanks to the several hundred women who submitted stories this year—you are truly the reason this book exists. My heartfelt gratitude goes to the Travelers’ Tales’ dream team: James O’Reilly, Larry Habegger, and Sean O’Reilly, for steadfast encouragement, guidance, perspicacity, and good humor. Natalie Baszile: you are uncommonly patient, infinitely supportive, and utterly marvelous, and I feel privileged to know you and work with you. For generous amounts of feedback and support, my love and gratitude go to Dan Prothero, Dolly Spalding, Erica Hilton, Lynn Bruni, Kimberley Lovato, Jen Castle, Elizabeth Barrett, and Anthony Weller. Thank you also to Stephanie Elizondo Griest, Don George, Phil Cousineau, Jim Benning, Rolf Potts, Jeffrey Tayler, Laura Deutsch, Lucy McCauley, and Jaime Clarke for spreading the word and recommending travel stories. Finally, thanks to all you readers out there. You mean the world to us.
“Lost and Liberated” by Kimberley Lovato first appeared on Gadling.com, May 27, 2011. Published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2011 by Kimberley Lovato.
“The Runaway” by Ann Hood first appeared in MORE Magazine August 2011. Published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2011 by Ann Hood.
“Bridge on the Border” by Molly Beer published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2012 by Molly Beer.
“Twenty Years and Counting” by Marcia DeSanctis first appeared in Town & Country Fall/Winter 2011. Published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2011 by Marcia DeSanctis.
“Learning to Pray” by Angie Chuang published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2012 by Angie Chuang.
“Beneath the Surface” by Lucy McCauley published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2012 by Lucy McCauley.
“Storming the Castles” by Susan Orlean first published in Bicycling magazine November, 2011. Published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2011 by Susan Orlean.
“Riverdance” by Laurie Weed published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2012 by Laurie Weed.
“What We Do After Gunfire” by Jocelyn Edelstein published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2012 by Jocelyn Edelstein.
“Sidecar Sally” by Carrie Visintainer published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2012 by Carrie Visintainer.
“Taking the Oars” by Bridget Crocker published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2012 by Bridget Crocker.
“Root-Bound” by Marcy Gordon published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2012 by Marcy Gordon.
“Of Monarchs and Men in in Michoacán” by Meera Subramanian published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2012 by Meera Subramanian.
“A Thousand Simple Steps” by Amber Kelly-Anderson published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2012 by Amber Kelly-Anderson.
“The Kiwi Hunt” by Jennifer Rose Smith published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2012 by Jennifer Rose Smith.
“The Threadbare Rope” by Carol Reichert published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2012 by Carol Reichert.
“Climbing Vaea” by Catherine Watson first appeared on World Hum, October 6, 2010. Published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2010 by Catherine Watson.
“The International Expiration Date” by Sarah Katin published with permission from the author. Copyright 2012 by Sarah Katin.
“Our Own Apocalypse Now” by Haley Sweetland Edwards first appeared on Wrold Hun, March 7, 2011. Published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2011 by Haley Sweetland Edwards.
“I Think I Must Be Beautiful” by Blair Braverman published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2012 by Blair Braverman.
“Passion and Pizza” from the forthcoming title Driving Hungry, by Layne Mosler. Used by permission of Vintage Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
“Bones Surfacing in the Dirt” by Lauren Quinn first appeared on Matador.com, August 2, 2011. Published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2012 by Lauren Quinn.
“Mare’s Milk, Mountain Bikes, Meteors & Mammaries” by Kirsten Koza published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2012 by Kirsten Koza.
“Letting Go on the Ganges” by Kristin Zibell published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2012 by Kristin Zibell.
“Birthright” by Emily Matchar first appeared in Perceptive Travel, February 2011. Published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2011 by Emily Matchar.
“Spiral-Bound” by Kate McCahill first appeared on Numero Cinq 2010. Published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2010 by Kate McCahill.
“Meat and Greet” by Abbie Kozolchyk published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2012 by Abbie Kozolchyk.
“Death and Love in Kenya” by Anena Hansen published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2012 by Anena Hansen.
“Dance of the Spider Women,” by Laura Fraser first appeared in AFAR Magazine July/August 2011. Published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2011 by Laura Fraser
“On the Macal” by Mary Jo McConahay published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2012 by Mary Jo McConahay.
“Holiday Camp” by Martha Ezell published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2012 by Martha Ezell.
“Tongues and Arrows” by Jessica Wilson published with permission from the author. Copyright © 2012 by Jessica Wilson.