5 Female Explorers You’ve Never Heard Of

When I was in high school, my history teachers taught us stories about the famous male explorers: Christopher Columbus, Marco Polo, and Lewis and Clark.

But what about the women? Despite what the history textbooks said, women have explored for hundreds of years.

Unfortunately, the only female adventurer I remember learning about was Sacagawea. She brought her invaluable translation and navigation skills to Lewis and Clark’s expedition while caring for her newborn baby — She was fierce. But there were so many female explorers and travel writers whose names I never had to memorize to pass an exam.

Women have traveled and documented their journey for hundreds of years. They didn’t have Instagram or blogs to share their experiences. But many of them decided to break societal norms and step out of their husband’s shadows to explore the world. And they wrote books and journals cataloging their adventures.

These women paved the way for the female digital nomads and adventurers of today. We should recognize and celebrate these badass women!

Gertrude Bell (1868–1926)

Notable Explorations: The Middle East

Gertrude Bell was an Oxford graduate who traveled across Europe and the Middle East. The Atlantic once named her The Woman Who Made Iraq. She broke the societal norms by traveling on her own and never married. She often worked with other contemporary explorers and archeologists, including Lawrence of Arabia, who had considered Bell a peer instead of a spectator.

Bell published a few books inspired by her explorations. In 1894, she released the book Persian Pictures, which described one of her first trips to the Middle East. She later published more books (filled with her photographs) about her time in the Middle East.

She later attended The Cairo Conference of 1921 where her input helped create the modern nation of Iraq. She also helped establish the Baghdad Archaeological Museum because she believed that artifacts should remain in their country of origin. The museum she created has preserved many important Mesopotamian relics in Iraq to date.

Elizabeth Jane Cochrane/Nellie Bly (1864–1922)

Notable Explorations: Circumnavigated the Globe

Elizabeth Jane Cochrane was an American journalist and explorer. Inspired by the novel Around the World in 80 Days, she decided to go on the journey herself. In 1889, a year after pitching the idea to her editor, Cochrane set off on a round-the-world trip.

After 72 days, Cochrane successfully completed the journey. At that time, she set a world record for this trip. This was mostly a solo trip that took Cochrane through Europe, Asia, and America. Her travel stories turned into a book titled Around the World in 72 Days using the pen name Nellie Bly.

Besides her globe-trotting journey, Cochrane had lived in Mexico for six months reporting on the country’s cultures and traditions. After openly criticizing the Mexican dictatorship, she fled from Latin America.

Isabella Bird (1831–1904)

Notable Explorations: Australia, Hawaii, the American Rockies and Asia

As a teenager, Isabella Bird required surgery to remove a tumor on her spine. After the surgery, she experienced challenging side effects like depression and insomnia. Her doctor recommended travel as a treatment. After Bird took her prescribed sea voyage to the US in 1854, she didn’t take another big trip until she was 41 years old.

In 1872, Bird left home again to explore Australia and Hawaii before moving on to Colorado, the newest US state at the time. She became an avid mountain climber during her time in the Rocky Mountains. Instead of the traditional feminine clothing, she wore climbing gear during her expeditions. Most ladies of her time were riding sidesaddle, but she rode horses astride in the manner of a man.

Bird’s letters written in the Rockies comprised her best-known work, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains. She later traveled to India, Morocco, and China. After years of writing and exploring, she became the first female member of the Royal Geographical Society.

Ida Pfeiffer (1797–1858)

Notable Explorations: South America and Iceland

Ida Pfeiffer started traveling at a young age with her father. However, she didn’t venture into solo travel until her own children were grown. Once her children could support themselves, Pfeiffer set off on many globetrotting adventures.

In 1846, she traveled to South America, Asia, and parts of Europe. She documented her adventures in her book, A Woman’s Journey Round the World. She later explored Africa, America, and Australia and kept writing.

Not only was Pfeiffer one of the first solo-female explorers, she was also a budget traveler. She used economic transportation methods like cargo ships and pony carts. Once her books became popular, she was able to fund future travels with the profits of her writings.

Mary Kingsley (1862–1900)

Notable Explorations: West Africa

In the late 1800s, European women only visited Africa as missionary wives. Mary Kingsley was a British explorer who broke customs by visiting Western Africa on her own.

Kingsley had no intention of converting the natives in Africa but only with the desire to learn about the region’s traditions. In fact, she criticized Christian missionaries for trying to destroy the native cultures. Without a formal education, she conducted important scientific research on the trip such as collecting samples of previously undiscovered insects.

She published numerous books about her observations in Africa, introducing African cultures to Europeans. Her works educated the public about African native customs that were previously misunderstood. After her death, activists started fighting to improve the living conditions of the natives in British colonies.

This article was originally published on The Only Social.