Published by Cornell University Library / Legare Street Press, first published in 1904, 326 pages

Alone in Cracow (in what was then Austria) and bored and lonely, Swiss pioneer traveler Lina Boegli decided to see if a woman could work her way around the world. Her journey began in 1892 and lasted 10 years. This book is a collection of her letters to her best friend, Elizabeth.

Friends were appalled at the idea but their warnings about rape, shipwreck, slave traders and murder only made her more determined. She had enough money to book a passage to Australia. As for the rest, she had a teacher’s certificate and could teach French or German or work as a housemaid. Boegli’s trip would eventually take her to Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Hawaii (which was on the brink of being annexed to the United States), and the US. 

Boegli is an observant and adventurous traveler with an unshakeable faith in people. She also has a dry sense of humor, which I enjoyed. In West Maitland, New South Wales, a lady warned her about murderous cab drivers. She disagreed: the cab driver who had driven her was charming. When she saw him again, “It was almost like meeting an old friend; after the stories of my hostess, I am so much obliged to him for not having murdered me.” 

In many ways, she was progressive—she believed in women being able to vote. When she heard about the theosopher Annie Besant who had the clergy up in arms, her reaction was, “She must be interesting if she is so dangerous”. Theosophists believe in reincarnation, a concept that intrigued her. She also thought of another trip around the world: how would she travel, by balloon or electricity? Like other Europeans of her time, she saw white people as generally superior, although she did admire the Maoris, as well as the Samoans for their focus on education. Her prejudice was one element that jarred in the book.

I would recommend reading Forward—it is an interesting historical look at what the conditions were like for single women in the late 1800s, and it is heartening to know that, even over a century ago, women were adventurous enough to take a leap into the unknown.

This review first appeared on Women on the Road.