Women Who Travel | Condé Nast Traveler

Unless you're an essential worker, chances are your work travel has slowed down a lot recently. For comedian and actress Catherine Cohen, the world on pause has meant postponing her upcoming tour in Australia and swapping her weekly show Cabernet Cabaret, at New York City's Club Cumming, for Instagram live performances streamed out of the Berkshires cabin she's currently self-isolating at. We caught up with Cohen to find out what it's like to be a performer who, well, suddenly can't perform like she used to, why solo travel isn't for her, and all the places she misses in New York City. Plus, she shouts out a few of the comedy venues around the U.S. that need our support—and the women in comedy to watch right now.And while we have you, we have some exciting news: The Women Who Travel platform is nominated for a Webby award! The People's Voice vote is now open, so head here by May 7 to vote. We'd love your support. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

We need the escape that books provide now more than ever. So this week, we're joined by the National Book Foundation's Lisa Lucas, calling in from Los Angeles, and New York Times-bestselling author and Books Are Magic owner Emma Straub, who's currently self-isolating with her family in Brooklyn. Throughout the episode, we share the books that are transporting us to the places we miss (New York City included) and the places we’ve never been (and can't wait to get to). Plus, we have tips for getting out of a reading rut, how to support local bookstores when they need it most, and more.What we're reading right now:All Adults Here by Emma StraubSurviving Autocracy by Mashe GessenSuch a Fun Age by Kiley ReidHeartburn by Nora EphronThe Most of Nora Ephron by Nora EphronOryx and Crake by Margaret AtwoodHarry Potter series by J.K. RowlingThe Interestings by Meg WolitzerThe House of Mirth by Edith WhartonArbitrary Stupid Goal by Tamara ShopsinUnorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots by Deborah FeldmanThe Neapolitan Novels by Elena FerranteThe Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante]A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer EaganWhite Teeth by Zadie SmithEverything I Know About Love by Dolly AldertonWomen Talking by Miriam ToewsThe Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (Preorder, out June 2)Middlemarch by George Elliot (a.k.a Mary Ann Evans)Saga by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona StaplesWriters & Lovers by Lily KingMy Autobiography of Carson McCulle… Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Earlier this month, we put a call out on our Instagram and asked you to share what travel stories you were interested in hearing more of during this time of uncertainty. There were so many great ideas, some of which we'll be tackling over the coming weeks. One that stuck with us was a request to hear how our personal travel plans were being affected—so that listeners could feel a little less alone in grieving their own postponed trips. So, this week we've tapped Traveler associate editor Megan Spurrell, who had a sister's bachelorette coming up and a big trip to Turkey and Lebanon on the horizon, and travel writer Julia Buckley, who had to cut a months-long trip to South America short, to talk through it all. Along the way, we cover how it's okay to feel sad about your canceled trip, how our priorities for future trips are changing, and where we want to go next—because we're already thinking of the next trip, whenever that may be.Read a full transcription of this week's episode and more here: https://www.cntraveler.com/story/all-the-complicated-things-were-feeling-about-travel-right-now-women-who-travel-podcastFollow Meredith: @ohheytheremereFollow Lale: @lalehannahFollow Women Who Travel: @womenwhotravel Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

At the beginning of this year, Sarah Khan decided to settle down—well, at least get an apartment of her own to call a home base after eight years of traveling and subletting full time, thanks to her job as a travel writer. She didn't plan to take a trip until March, a travel hiatus that's now been extended indefinitely due to coronavirus. As she stays put for the longest time in almost a decade, we caught up with the Condé Nast Traveler contributor to see how she got her start in travel writing, chat about her most memorable assignments, learn how she's managing her time at home, and discover who's inspiring her virtual wanderlust right now. Find a full transcription of the episode (and that photo of Mostar we mention) here: https://www.cntraveler.com/story/how-i-became-a-travel-writer-sarah-khan-on-life-on-the-road-podcast Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

We're back—albeit this time from a closet in Dallas and a Brooklyn living room, rather than the podcast studio. This week, we're joined by comedian and actor Jenny Slate, who, despite growing up thinking the only way to have a relaxing vacation was at the beach, has traveled everywhere from Norway's Lofoten archipelago above the Arctic Circle to Chilean Patagonia. Along the way, she's come to terms with the fact that she may be the world's worst packer—and that feeling lonely on a solo trip doesn't have to be a bad thing. In our latest episode, we talk to her from her Massachusetts home about how she's learned to lean into adventure trips, what she treats herself to when she's on vacation, and how she's coping with social distancing and self-isolation. Find a full transcription and links to book Jenny mentioned here: https://www.cntraveler.com/story/jenny-slate-women-who-travel-podcastFollow Meredith: @ohheytheremereFollow Lale: @lalehannahFollow Women Who Travel: @womenwhotravel Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

We sat down with Samin Nosrat just after the premiere of her Netflix show, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, to talk about how she managed to transform a cookbook into a piece of television in such a short amount of time, how growing up eating Iranian food informed her own cooking, and why, in her opinion, a PB&J counts as a legitimate dinner option. Most importantly, though, she explains why she chose to eschew restaurants in favor of focusing on home cooks and artisans—the majority of whom are women—on the show.This week's episode is a rerun from December 2018. We'll be back with new episodes (recorded from home) next week. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

This week's episode is a rerun from October 2019. We'll be back with new episodes (recorded from home) soon.As we all spend more time taking solitary walks—and relishing in Facetime and Zoom-based friendships—it made sense to share this episode where two best friends practice the French art of flaneuring, or wandering without intention. Since most of us have been forced to slow down, here’s an episode all about doing just that. We were joined by Erika Owen, author of "The Art of Flaneuring: How to Wander with Intention and Discover a Better Life," and sex and wellness writer Laura Delarato to talk about how we all need to just slow down a bit when we’re traveling. The key takeaways? It's fine to give yourself permission to do less,Find a full transcription of this episode and the show notes here: https://www.cntraveler.com/story/why-we-all-need-to-slow-down-when-we-travel-women-who-travel-podcast Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

As we mention in the intro to this week's episode, we recorded this installment of Women Who Travel well before the coronavirus has changed the landscape of our day-to-day lives. But in a world where we still dream of our next trip, we wanted to continue to share our tips on where to go next for you to squirrel away for when the time is right. So, this week, we're back with a Frequently Asked Questions episode, to answer your burning questions, pulled from our Facebook group. In it, we zip from where to vacation in Greece, what to do with a teenager and five weeks of vacation, and how to bring yourself out of a solo travel-induced funk. Find more about this episode and a full transcription here: https://www.cntraveler.com/story/we-answer-your-frequently-asked-travel-questions-part-5-women-who-travel-podcast Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

At 19, Jen Gotch had a panic attack in the airport, just ahead of boarding a flight back to college. "I, on a cellular level, felt like I was going to die if I got on that airplane," says the Ban.do founder and author of the soon-to-be-released Upside of Being Down: How Mental Health Struggles Led to My Greatest Successes in Work and Life. Now, years later and hundreds of flights under her belt, that anxiety has shifted, evolved, and—most recently—waned, as she's found strategies to stay calm on the road. (One life-changing tool? TSA PreCheck.) This week, we sat down with Jen to talk through how she continues to tackle her travel anxiety, why vacations (even if they're just on our own couches) are good for our mental health, and why she stopped working on her days off. Find a link to preorder Jen's book, out March 24, and a full transcription of the episode here: https://www.cntraveler.com/story/bando-founder-jen-gotch-on-anxiety-and-the-power-of-mini-vacations Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In the third installment of our "How I Became" series, we're focusing less about traveling around the world—and more about traveling up the corporate ladder. In conversation with Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, Celebrity Cruises' president and CEO and the first woman to hold that title in industry history, we look back at how she started her career and rose to the top with no female mentors or advocates in sight. Along the way, we chat about handling rejection—both 35 years ago, when first trying to get into the cruise industry, and five years ago, when she was told "no" three times before finally getting her spot in the C-suite. Read a full transcription of the episode and find links here: https://www.cntraveler.com/story/how-i-became-the-first-female-ceo-of-a-major-cruise-line-women-who-travel-podcastFollow Meredith at @ohheytheremereFollow Lale at @lalehannahFollow Women Who Travel at @womenwhotravelFollow Lisa at @lisalutoffperlo Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices