Hello books lovers and other travel junkies. Today we're back with our little improvised "Bookclub for people who can't travel due to a godamn global pandemic that will probably have a second wave and leave us wondering if the New Year's Eve joke See you next year will actually come true". All cynicism and dark humor aside, here are five other books on solo female travelling, written by some mind-blowing women, and entirely greenlighted by the Goodreads community. Another title for this article could have been "What is left of my to-read-list after seeing the comments and feedback of the Goodreads community". Anyway. These are gems apparently.

• Ireland to India with a Bicycle, by Dervla Murphy

This book is Dervla Murphy’s account of her ride, in 1963, through Europe to India, during one of the worst winters in memory. At age 31, she set out to bike from Ireland to India, inspired by memories of corresponding with a Sikh pen pal as a teenager, on a bicycle she named Rocinante (after Don Quixote’s horse) and with only a small revolver for protection. This incredible quest took her through through Europe, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan or even Tibet. She never stayed in hotels, preferring instead to accept the hospitality of locals.

• Eat, pray, love : one woman's search for everything across Italy, India and Indonesia, by Elizabeth Gilbert

An absolute classic, that could NOT not figure on this list. At 34 years old, Elizabeth Gilbert was educated and married, and had a home and a successful career as a writer. After finalizing her difficult divorce, she spent the next year traveling the world. She spent four months in Italy, eating and enjoying life ("Eat"), three months in India finding her spirituality ("Pray") and ended the year in Bali, Indonesia, looking for balance of the two and fell in love with a Brazilian businessman ("Love"). The book was such a huge success that it appeared on the New York Times Best Seller List of nonfiction in the spring of 2006, and was still #2 on the list 88 weeks later, in October 2008.

• In Search of Mary, by Bee Rowlatt

As a university student at Glasgow, Bee Rowlatt first encountered the proto-feminist Mary Wollstonecraft through her Letters from Norway (an epistolary travel narrative). Bee Rowlatt embarked in 2011 with her son on an journey in search of the life and legacy of this first celebrity feminist, going from the wild coasts of Norway to a naked re-birthing in California, via the blood-soaked streets of revolutionary Paris. On this biographical treasure hunt she encountered a witch, a porn star, a quiet Norwegian archivist and the tenants of a blighted council estate in Leedsgetting. From Norway to Paris and then San Francisco, Rowlatt follows in Wollstonecraft's footsteps and asks everyone she meets how modern feminism and motherhood can coincide.

• A Girls’ Guide to Travelling Alone: Inspiring true tales from solo women travellers, by Gemma Thompson

On her website, Gemma explains that to keep her company during her first solo trip, she had brought along the works of travel writers Michael Palin and Bill Bryson, and although she had enjoyed them, what she really wanted were more travel narratives written by women. For that reason, she asked on social media for submissions for her book. This is what you'll find in this book: witty, inspiring, challenging and sometimes uncomfortable travel stories, written by women of all ages, nationalities, backgrounds and experiences, each with a compelling tale to tell.

• Travel Junkie: A Badass Guide to Solo Female Travel, by Julia Dimon

This book is based on the experiences of travel journalist Julia Dimon, who has travelled to over 80 countries, in all seven continents. She defines herself as a family travel expert, on-camera travel TV host for National Geographic Adventure and Travel Channel International, travel blogger and hard-core travel junkie. Her work led her to experience hiking with mountain gorillas in Uganda, trekking in Chernobyl, or even polar kayaking among icebergs in Antarctica. This book offers 101 tips, such as how to pack and navigate an airport like a pro, how to get off the beaten track and connect with locals, how to volunteer abroad, or how to stay safe on the road.