About Marybeth, National Geographic Author, Writer

Curious Explorer. Award-winning author.

Gutsy Traveler: A woman, like travel expert Marybeth Bond, stands among purple flowers, raising her arms and smiling in front of a wooden building in bright sunlight.
Polar bear tracking and snorkeling with beluga whales in the northern Canadian Arctic.

Marybeth knows travel. She has hiked, biked, dived, danced and trekked across all seven continents – from the depths of the Flores Sea near Komodo Island to the summit of Kilimanjaro.

More recently, she tracked polar bears and snorkeled with beluga whales in the Canadian Arctic, then kayaked among icebergs in Antarctica.

Somewhere in between, four years of studying in Paris earned her two degrees – and a taste for good wine and strong cheeses.

Twelve books (three with National Geographic), countless travel articles, and numerous TV and radio appearances have built her devoted fanbase. She won the esteemed Lowell Thomas, Gold Award for the Best Travel Book of the Year from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation.

Woman on cliff in front of a monastery in Bhutan
Yesterday’s Video below. A decade or more later. Is Marybeth still GUTSY? Here in Bhutan.
Marybeth in Antarctica with penguins, snowy mountains, and water—just the kind of moment travel expert Marybeth Bond would capture in a travel video.
Kayaking and camping near penguins in Antarctica.

Yesterday….

Women are stepping out with girlfriends, zooming along roads, paths and waterways with style, humor and courage. Through my own experiences and those of women I interviewed for the National Geographic book 50 Best Girlfriends Getaways, I learned that travel is one of the most powerful ways to reconnect with our deepest female soul mates–our girlfriends. 

Why travel with girlfriends?

Activities like biking or hiking makes memories. Rent a bike for an hour and ride around Chambord Castle in the Loire Valley, France. 

We find ourselves laughing more than we have laughed in years. We experience a camaraderie that’s sometimes missing from their daily lives. We  talk, eat or drink too much and  return to our  their day-to-day lives with more strength, self-confidence and self-worth.

While researching two National Geographic books, I compiled women travel statistics. Here’s my short list of best and worst.

Best Girlfriends Getaways

SOPHISTICATED FUN: My favorites cities are New York, Chicago, San Francisco. Give yourselves time to explore every nook and cranny of the big city or drive to shop ‘til you drop in a retail mecca. Find the highest female-rated hotels, restaurants and attractions here.

RELAX : be pampered at a spa. My favorites are: Rancho La Puerta across the border from San Diego, Lake Austin, Texas, Red Mountain, Utah.

ACTIVE: Do you love to walk? Lace up your boots, toss a water bottle in the day pack and burn some calories on invigorating hikes. I recommend Yosemite, the Colorado Rockies (Estes Park, Aspen, Telluride).

If you don’t want to plan it all yourself and are looking for a vacation that’s as easy to plan as tapping a computer key? Then check out organized walking trips in the Rockies, New England, Arizona, Alaska, Montana  with Adventures in Good Company, Adventure Associates,  AdventureWomen.

 EUROPE: If you’re gaze is firmly fixed on a European vacation, but if you don’t want to rub shoulders with the tourist crowds at the Eiffel Tower or in the Roman trattorias, then read on. The Dolomites in the Italian Alps have lured mountain lovers for centuries.You can ramble through alpine meadows and trek over mountain passes in the picture-postcard Alps on hiking trips. 

Worst Girlfriends Getaways

A long car trip with one person who gets car sick.

A trip where one mom surprises everyone at the last minute and “has to” bring along a child”.

A big city trip where too many activities are planned each day and not everyone has the same budget or interests.

 

** Excerpt from National Geographic book: 50 Best Girlfriends Getaways in North America. 

 

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Marybeth Bond