International Women's Day - 5 books about women who traveled far

Today is International Women's Day, a day that: "celebrates the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future", to quote the event's official Facebook page. That makes it a very good day to recommend some books to read about women explorers, pioneers and travelers.

Here are 5 such books that are well-worth reading:


Touching the Earth
This book by Canadian astronaut Roberta Bondar includes some absolutely stunning photographs, and also this amazing woman's thoughts on space and Earth, the environment and humanity. Highly recommended reading.


Jane Goodall: 50 Years at Gombe 
Jane Goodall is such an amazing woman and scientist, and her book about how she first journeyed to Africa, and about her years in Gombe, doing research on the wild chimpanzees there is a must-read. 


History for Kids: The Illustrated Life of Amelia Earhart 
This Kindle-book is for kids ages 7-9. It has lots of pictures and easy-to-read information about Amelia Earhart, her life, her flights, and her disappearance.


Unsuitable for Ladies: An Anthology of Women Travellers
This anthology includes travel stories from all over the world, and spans centuries of travel writing.


Women of Discovery: A Celebration of Intrepid Women Who Explored the World
This is another anthology, including stories of: "the valiant tenth-century Viking adventurer Unn the Deep Minded and seventeenth-century Spanish conquistadora Catalina de Erauso."

If you want to read more about some fantastic women around the world and through the ages, you can check out my IWD posts from previous years:

• 5 inventions by women that make travel (and life) better
• 10 women who inspire my travels