Without Reservations: The Travels of an Indepedent Woman

Alice Steinbach's Without Reservations will appeal to many women, or men, who desire a break from their everyday routines. It is also for those who feel they have lost touch with their true selves. This is not, however, a "roughing it" type story, since Steinbach has enough money to take a leave from work for many months and stay in average to above average accommodations.

Steinbach travels to France, England, and Italy. She writes so well that I often felt I was traveling right along with her. Steinbach has interested me enough to pick up her other book, Educating Alice: Adventures of a Curious Woman, in the future. She has also made Freya Stark, an earlier woman traveler, an intriguing figure. Steinbach discovers Stark while on her travels and refers to her often throughout this combination memoir and travel book.

Without Reservations also reads like a spiritual journey, especially due to the solitary nature of Steinbach's travels. I recommend it!