WanderlustAndLipstick.com creator, Beth Whitman.
Have you always dreamed of visiting far-off places like India, Vietnam or Cambodia? If so, we’ve got the blog for you! Beth Whitman created WanderlustAndLipstick.com to help offer inspiration and tips to women travelers looking to soak it all in. Beth is a seasoned traveler, to say the least. According to her blog, she’s “backpacked through Nepal and hiked the Himalayan foothills in Bhutan; ridden a motorcycle solo from Seattle to Panama; worked with orphans in Vietnam through various volunteer programs; driven the AlCan Highway to Alaska; and maneuvered the back roads of France’s Dijon region in a rental car.” And, if that wasn’t exciting enough, we found out even more about this Wanderluster in our Q&A:
Tell us why you started your travel blog.
I started the blog in order to share information and resources with women travelers who might not know where to begin planning an adventure and also to give them some inspiration to show that they, too, can follow their travel dreams.
What’s your favorite hotel (and why)?
My favorite hotel is the Rohet Garh Hotel in Rajasthan, India. Each room is completely unique and decked out in traditional Raj paintings and furniture. You really do feel like you have gone back in time when staying here. There’s also a beautiful pool and outdoor bar on the grounds.
What’s your favorite restaurant (and why)?
My favorite restaurant is a local Seattle vegan place called Plum Bistro. They serve up food that you’d never guess is vegan – it’s hearty and really tasty. They even serve a version of mac and cheese!
Please tell us about a “hidden gem”- a non-touristy, neighborhood restaurant, a hole-in-the-wall bar, or a great little shop – you’ve discovered on your travels.
One of my favorite restaurants in the world is Brothers in Hanoi, Vietnam. The tables are in an outdoor courtyard and it offers up a full buffet that includes vegetarian items, seafood and meat. There’s also an entire room dedicated to desserts. The cost is super reasonable and sitting outside with lights strung throughout give it a really nice ambiance.
What’s the best travel advice you could give a friend?
Always carry a rubber door stop with you to slip under your hotel room door. Many hotel rooms outside of the U.S. don’t have chain locks or deadbolts. Using the rubber door stop will prevent anyone from trying to get into your room while you’re sleeping or in the shower.
What’s the best travel advice you’ve found on TripAdvisor?
I can’t point to just one piece of advice that I’ve found helpful on TripAdvisor but I will say that I read reviews, especially on hotels, before I book. It’s super helpful to know what I’m getting into prior to booking AND prior to arrival.
Please tell us about your best and worst travel experiences.
Best travel experience? Sitting back and enjoying Garlic Waffle Fries at The Dock at the Grand Hyatt Kauai in the late afternoon. Worst travel experience? Having a hand grenade pulled on me in the middle of nowhere in Cambodia while traveling (illegally) overland in the early 90′s.
If someone was visiting your hometown, what would you recommend they do/see?
Go to the top of the Space Needle on a nice day. Take a ferry ride. See the fish being thrown at Pike Place Market. Visit the downtown Seattle Public Library. Meander through the Seattle Art Museum.
If you could go anywhere in the world on your next vacation, where would you go?
The Brazilian Amazon Rainforest. It’s HIGH on my list!
20 Comments
We are thinking about visiting Colorado in the fall. We always use Trip Advisor when we travel, but I’m not sure what part of Colorado we want to see. We are trying to avoid the crowds and aren’t interested in shopping, festivals, resorts etc. We are intersted in bank fishing and will have pets traveling with us. Also, I know there are some areas that have been severly damaged by beetles and aspens are dying as well. As we plan to do some camping, we don’t want to stay in an area that has been hit hard. Any information would be helpful so that we can start planning our trip. Thanks!
Hi Deb – I would recommend checking our our Colorado Travel Forum: http://bit.ly/TravelForums The forums offer a great place to connect with other travelers who may have insight into your questions about the beetles and interesting destinations where you can avoid the crowds. Happy Travels!
Two questions: #1 Does anyone know if it is possible to arrive from an int’l flight at JFK at 7:30pm and make it to midtown manhattan by subway by 10:30pm? #2 Can I find reasonable lodging in Sorrento, Italy without reservations?
Hi – Thanks for your comment! Take a look at our Travel Forums here: http://bit.ly/TravelForums. You can connect with other travelers in the forums who may have insight into your questions.
why take the subway?
It takes too long to get the bus to the subway. I would suggest you take a bu to the east oor west side ot a super shuttle, which might require a reservation, but you wouldn’t waste so much time.
It’s not easy to get there by subway as there isn’t a subway from the airport – although that would be wonderful! I would suggest a shuttle bus or a taxi if you can splurge a bit. If you’re going to be in Sorrento during the tourist season – say through mid-September I think the answer is likely to be “no”. It depends on what you consider to be reasonable and what you require. For example, a nice hotel, I don’t think so but a room in a private home or very small hotel without some amenities such as a/c or a private bath, maybe. But then you spend your time there looking for a place to stay and not seeing the sights. It’s really better to book in advance. The people on the forums here are very helpful and can probably give you some specific properties to check out. It’s hard to know what any one person’s definition of reasonable is!
I would like to see travel sites and blogs help travelers connect with the people who live in the tourists’ destination and learn more about the history, culture, etc… I also would like see opportunities and information posted to help the people that live in most of the popular tourist destinations.
Most people in the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, and many other “tourist” places are (on average) poor and in need of so very much. It is hard to see people go somewhere, party it up, then leave, never knowing what is actually going on around them. I am not saying not to go, enjoy the food and such, but just be aware and look for ways to help.
I had the pleasure of listening to Beth speak at the 2011 New York Times Travel Show in Manhattan. She inspired me to follow my dreams of traveling the world and sharing my adventures. Thanks for the inspiration!
Plan on going to Smugglers Cove resort in St. Lucia April 15-22,2012.
All adults in the group, any comments on the resort would be appreciated.
Hi Beth – We would recommend checking out the TripAdvisor traveler reviews on Smugglers Cove Resort & Spa here: http://bit.ly/n9f3PH Have fun on your trip!
recommend Xiamen, china
Hello Beth,
Do you have any advice or useful travel sites to use for women solo travelers ?
Seems that solo travelers always get jipped with the lodging rate due to the preferred duo lodging rates including cruises.
Thanks.
My son and I are traveling to NJ. We are flying into
LaGuardia but staying in Long Valley, NJ.
What is the best, safest way to get from point a to b?
Hi Victoria – We would recommend connecting with the travelers in our Travel Forum for insight and ideas. Here’s a link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ForumHome Happy travels!
Please come to South Africa. There is so little about us on TripAdvisor and we have so much to offer.
I love your blog and I am a woman who likes others women activities .Thank you for starting this blog.I live in Arusha Tanzania East Africa running my small African Styled lodge I will be happy if any woman who is visiting Arusha Tanzania will come to stay at CHRISTINA HOUSE,I f you stay at CH you will be helping Tanzanian women and chldren because 10 percent of the money goes to the non-governmental organization (women hope of Tanzania)
This is a nice blog for would be first time travelers… I have been on most parts of the world as a seafarer.
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