List of women explorers and travelers

Last updated

English writer Gertrude Bell in Iraq, 1909 BellK 218 Gertrude Bell in Iraq in 1909 age 41.jpg
English writer Gertrude Bell in Iraq, 1909
Belgian Berthe Cabra Cabra Graphic.jpg
Belgian Berthe Cabra
Japanese climber Junko Tabei Junko Tabei.jpg
Japanese climber Junko Tabei
Hungarian geographer Belane Mocsary Mocsary Belane.jpg
Hungarian geographer Béláné Mocsáry
Canadian-born Aloha Wanderwell Aloha Wanderwell publicity photo.jpg
Canadian-born Aloha Wanderwell

The women listed below are or were explorers or world travelers. They include naturalists, sailors, mountain climbers, dog sledders, swimmers, pilots, and underwater explorers. Astronauts are not included here but in the list of women astronauts.

NameNationalityBornDiedAchievement/s
Harriet Chalmers Adams American18751937Explored and photographed South America, Asia, South Pacific
Tania Aebi American1966Held the record as the youngest person and first American woman to sail solo around the world (with stops and assistance)
Alexis Alford American1998Youngest person to travel to every country in the world
Felicity Aston British1977First person to ski alone across the Antarctic land-mass using only personal muscle power, as well as the first woman to cross the Antarctic land-mass alone
Dominick Arduin French19602004Disappeared on her attempt to become the first woman to ski alone to the North Pole
Florence Augusta Merriam Bailey American18631948American ornithologist and nature writer, who conducted extensive field work in the American West
Ann Bancroft American1955First woman to travel over the ice cap to the North and South Poles
Jeanne Baré French17401807First woman (disguised as a man) to circumnavigate the world
Jean Batten New Zealander19091982First person to fly between England and New Zealand solo - broke other records
Carol Beckwith American1945Photographer, author, and filmmaker known for documenting the tribal cultures of Africa, most notably in partnership with Australian photographer Angela Fisher
Gertrude Bell British18681926Explored and mapped the region of Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Arabia
Gertrude Benham British18671938Explorer, hiker and mountaineer; Truda Peaks of Mount Rogers is named after her
Mabel Bent Anglo-Irish18471929Explored and excavated with her husband James Theodore Bent in the Eastern Mediterranean, South Africa and Southern Arabia
Laura Bingham British1992Executed expedition to cross continent of South America with no money
Isabella Bird British18311904Explorer, writer and naturalist who travelled by herself through

North America, Hawaii, Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Persia, Kurdistan, Turkey, and Morocco

Nancy Bird-Walton Australian19152009Australian aviation pioneer
Nellie Bly American18641922Pioneering journalist who travelled around the world in 72 days, the first person to do so
Alessandra Boarelli Italian18381908Italian mountaineer and the first woman to summit Monviso in the Alps in 1864
Laurence Bougault French19702018French poet and long-distance horseback adventurer in Africa, Middle East and Europe
Louise Bourbonnaud French18471915French philanthropist, explorer and writer who traveled alone through North and South America and the Far East
Louise Arner Boyd American18871972Explored Greenland and the Arctic
Beatrix Bulstrode British18691951Journalist and writer who traveled through China and Mongolia in 1911–1913
Susan Butcher American19542006 Dog musher in Alaska
Berthe Cabra Belgian18641947Belgian traveller, first European woman to travel across central Africa from East to West
Calamity Jane American18521903American frontierswoman and professional scout, known for her claim of being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok and for fighting Indigenous peoples of the Americas
Charlotte Cameron American1872 or 18731946American traveller and author
Renata Chlumska Czech and Swedish1973Climbed Mount Everest, kayaked and bicycled around lower 48 states of USA
Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz Polish19362021First woman to sail solo around the world
Kay Cottee Australian1954First woman to sail solo, non-stop around the world
Octavie Coudreau Frenchc.1870c.1910Early explorer and geographer of the Amazon region in Brazil and French Guiana
Aimée Crocker American18641941Heiress, writer spent a decade exploring the Far East in the 1890s; toured the interior of Java and Borneo
Sophia Danenberg American1972First black woman to reach summit of Mount Everest
Anne-France Dautheville Frenchc.1943First woman to motorcycle solo around the world
Alexandra David-Néel French18681969Travelled to Tibet while closed to foreigners
Robyn Davidson Australian19502,700 km (1,700 mi) camel trek from Alice Springs to the west coast of Australia
Cassandra De Pecol American1989Traveled to all sovereign nations on a trip from July 24, 2015, to February 2, 2017; she thus obtained the Guinness World Record for "Fastest Person (Female) to Travel to All Sovereign Nations" and is the first documented woman, fastest American, and youngest American to do such a trip [1]
Laura Dekker Dutch, German, and New Zealander1995Youngest person to sail around world solo
Eva Dickson Swedish19051938Swedish explorer, aviator, travel writer and rally driver; first woman to cross the Sahara by car
Lady Hay Drummond-Hay British18951946First woman to circumnavigate the world by air (by zeppelin)
Edith Durham British18631944Explored Albania and the Balkans
Amelia Earhart American18971937First woman to fly solo across Atlantic
Isabelle Eberhardt Swiss18771904Swiss explorer and writer in Algeria, who converted to Islam and traveled freely dressed as a man
Gertrude Ederle American19052003First woman to swim English Channel
Ginny Fiennes British19472004First woman to be awarded the Polar Medal, and architect of the Transglobe Expedition [2]
Enid Gordon-Gallien Britishc.18871931Explored and mapped Kalambo Falls
Barbara Hillary American19312019First African American woman to reach North Pole
Amy Johnson British19031941Pioneering aviator who set long-distance flying records
Osa Johnson American18941953Made films of and wrote books about travels in Africa, South Pacific, Borneo
Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner Austrian1970First woman to climb all fourteen eight-thousander mountains without supplementary oxygen
Alma Maximiliana Karlin Slovene18891950World traveler, writer, poet, polyglot and theosophist; second European woman to circle the world solo; in an eight-year travel, she explored North and South America, Oceania, Australia, East Asia, and India
Mary Kingsley British18621900 Ethnographer and explorer of West Africa
Belinda Kirk Britishc.1974Founder of Explorers Connect; has travelled across Africa, Nicaragua, and the Chinese Taklamakan Desert; captained the first all-female rowing team to circumnavigate Britain non-stop
Lyuba Kutincheva Bulgarian19101998Bulgarian traveler and polyglot who traveled for almost a decade (1929–1938) through the Middle East, Far East, northern Africa and Europe
Gertrude Sanford Legendre American19022000American socialite who was a noted explorer and big-game hunter; contributed rare specimens from Africa, Iran, Southeast Asia, Canada, and Alaska to natural history museums
Annie Londonderry Latvian American18701947First woman to bicycle around the world
Ella Maillart Swiss19031997Explorer and travel writer in Asia from the late 1920s through to World War II; wrote Forbidden Journey – From Peking to Kashmir
Charlotte Mansfield British18811936Wrote Via Rhodesia (1911) about her travels in Southern Africa
Beryl Markham British19021986British-born Kenyan aviator (one of the first bush pilots), adventurer, racehorse trainer and author; first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west
Sarah Marquis Swiss1972Swiss adventurer and explorer who walked 16,000 km (10,000 mi) across Asia, Siberia and Australia
Nicole Maxwell American19061998Traveled the Amazon jungle gathering plants for natural remedies and medical use, reportedly amassing over 600 plants; wrote Witch Doctor's Apprentice: Hunting for Medicinal Plants in the Amazon
Elizabeth Sarah Mazuchelli British18321914Reportedly first western woman to see Mount Everest; wrote The Indian Alps and How We Crossed Them
Annette Meakin British18671959First Englishwoman[ citation needed ] to cross the Trans-Siberian Railway; wrote about this in The Ribbon of Iron; travelled in Russian Turkestan and other parts of Russia
Ynes Mexia Mexican-American18701938Mexican botanist and explorer who started her career at age 55; discovered one new genus (Mexianthus) and many new species of plants
Béláné Mocsáry Hungarian18451917Hungarian geographer and travel writer who journeyed solo to four continents in the early 1900s
Dervla Murphy Irish19312022Irish travel writer known for cycling alone through Europe, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan to India
Marianne North British18301890Prolific English Victorian biologist and botanical artist
Vanessa O'Brien American and British1964First woman to reach Earth's highest (Mt. Everest 8,848m) and lowest points (Challenger Deep 10,925m)
Ida Pfeiffer Austrian17971858Travelled alone around the world in 1847, published books of her numerous travels
Dorothy Pine American19202011Possibly first woman to visit all 193 UN-recognised countries
Anésia Pinheiro Machado Brazilian19041999Second Brazilian licensed female pilot in Brazil
Odette du Puigaudeau French18941991made three trips to northern Africa to conduct field research among the nomads of the western Sahara region and eventually moved to Morocco
Teresa Remiszewska Polish19282002first Polish woman to make a solo sailing voyage around the Baltic Sea, using the yacht Zenit, taking a 690-mile route
Kate Rice Canadian18821963First woman prospector in Northern Canada, writer, and trapper well known for her dog sled abilities
Wanda Rutkiewicz Polish19431992Polish mountain climber, first woman to successfully summit K2
Vefa de Saint-Pierre French18721967Global voyager and hunter traveling across North and South America and Australia, writing about her adventures
Kira Salak American1971Travelled in Mali and Papua New Guinea
Annemarie Schwarzenbach Swiss19081942Journalist and photographer, travelled to Iran, Afghanistan, Africa
Eliza Scidmore American18561928Journalist and travel writer on Alaska and Far East; introduced idea of Japanese cherry trees to Washington, D.C.
Beryl Smeeton British19051979Mountaineer, cruising sailor, overland traveller
Annie Smith Peck American18501935First person to climb Mount Nevado Huascarán in the Andes
Stephanie Solomonides Cypriot1982First Cypriot person to reach North and South Poles
Hester Stanhope British17761839Conducted first modern archaeology in Holy Land; travelled dressed as a man (unveiled)
Freya Stark British and Italian (French born)18931993Travelled within and wrote about the Middle East, including the Arabian deserts, Afghanistan
Matilda Coxe Stevenson American18491915Ethnologist and geologist who explored the Rocky Mountain region and the Southwest U.S.
Clärenore Stinnes German19011990First woman to circumnavigate the world by automobile
Rosie Swale-Pope Swiss, Irish, and British1946Has run, walked and sailed around the world
Junko Tabei Japanese19392016First woman to reach summit of Mount Everest
Annie Edson Taylor American18381921First person to survive a trip over the Niagara Falls in a barrel
Gudrid Thorbjarnardóttir Icelandic9801019With her husband, led an expedition to North America
Alexine Tinne Dutch18351869Dutch explorer in Africa and the first European woman to attempt to cross the Sahara
Adeline Van Buren American18891949Along with her sister Augusta Van Buren, the first women to ride solo motorcycles across the continental US
Augusta Van Buren American18841959Along with her sister Adeline Van Buren, the first women to ride solo motorcycles across the continental US
Gabrielle Maud Vassal British18801959Naturalist in Vietnam, Congo, Gabon
Aloha Wanderwell American19061996First woman to drive around the world
Jessica Watson Australian and New Zealander1993Youngest person to sail non-stop and unassisted around the world (but did not fulfil WSSRC criteria)
Fanny Bullock Workman American18591925American cartographer, explored glaciers in Himalayas

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astronaut</span> Commander, pilot, or crew member of a spacecraft

An astronaut is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally reserved for professional space travelers, the term is sometimes applied to anyone who travels into space, including scientists, politicians, journalists, and tourists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space exploration</span> Exploration of space, planets, and moons

Space exploration is the use of astronomy and space technology to explore outer space. While the exploration of space is currently carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes, its physical exploration is conducted both by uncrewed robotic space probes and human spaceflight. Space exploration, like its classical form astronomy, is one of the main sources for space science.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sally Ride</span> American physicist and astronaut (1951–2012)

Sally Kristen Ride was an American astronaut and physicist. Born in Los Angeles, she joined NASA in 1978, and in 1983 became the first American woman and the third woman to fly in space, after cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova in 1963 and Svetlana Savitskaya in 1982. She was the youngest American astronaut to have flown in space, having done so at the age of 32.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathryn D. Sullivan</span> American astronaut (born 1951)

Kathryn Dwyer Sullivan is an American geologist, oceanographer, and former NASA astronaut and US Navy officer. She was a crew member on three Space Shuttle missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranulph Fiennes</span> British explorer (born 1944)

Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 3rd Baronet, commonly known as Sir Ranulph Fiennes and sometimes as Ran Fiennes, is a British explorer, writer and poet, who holds several endurance records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coalition for Deep Space Exploration</span> US space advocacy organisation

The Coalition for Deep Space Exploration is a United States space advocacy organization for space industry businesses and non-profit groups supporting continued government investment in space exploration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of space exploration</span> Overview of and topical guide to space exploration

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to space exploration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hero Fiennes Tiffin</span> British actor, model and producer (born 1997)

Hero Beauregard Faulkner Fiennes Tiffin is an English actor, model and film producer. He is most known for his starring roles as Hardin Scott in the After film series and for his portrayal of a young Lord Voldemort, in the film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeanette Epps</span> American aerospace engineer and NASA astronaut born 1970

Jeanette Jo Epps is an American aerospace engineer and NASA astronaut. Epps received both her M. S. and Ph.D. degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland, where she was part of the rotor-craft research group and was a NASA GSRP Fellow. She was chosen for the 20th class of NASA astronauts in 2009, graduating in 2011. Epps currently serves as a member of the ISS Operations Branch and has completed analog astronaut missions, including NEEMO 18 and CAVES 19. She is the second woman and first African-American woman to have participated in CAVES. She is currently in space for a long duration mission on the ISS, after launch in 4 March 2024, as part of the SpaceX Crew-8 crew.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Explorers Club</span> International multidisciplinary professional society

The Explorers Club is an American-based international multidisciplinary professional society with the goal of promoting scientific exploration and field study. The club was founded in New York City in 1904 and has served as a meeting point for explorers and scientists worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NASA Astronaut Group 21</span> Group of 8 selected in June 2013

In 2011 NASA opened applications for Astronaut Group 21. The team was announced in June 2013 after a year and a half long search. With four men and four women, the class of 2013 had the highest percentage of female finalists. According to NASA astronaut Kathleen Rubins, "it's… a reflection of how many really talented women are in science and engineering these days." NASA received a total of over 6,300 applications, which made it the second highest number received at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in space</span> Women who travel to space

Women have flown and worked in outer space since almost the beginning of human spaceflight. A considerable number of women from a range of countries have worked in space, though overall women are still significantly less often chosen to go to space than men, and by June, 2020 constitute only 12% of all astronauts who have been to space. Yet, the proportion of women among space travelers is increasing substantially over time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicole Aunapu Mann</span> American astronaut

Nicole Victoria "Duke" Aunapu Mann is an American test pilot and NASA astronaut. She is an F/A-18 Hornet pilot and a graduate of the US Naval Academy, Stanford University, and the US Naval Test Pilot School. She has over 2,500 flight hours in 25 types of aircraft and 200 carrier landings, and has flown 47 combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mann completed astronaut training in 2015 and was assigned in August 2018 to Boe-CFT, the first crewed test flight of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner, but subsequently reassigned to the SpaceX Crew-5, becoming the first female commander of a NASA Commercial Crew Program launch.

The Exploration Museum is dedicated to the history of human exploration, from the early explorers to the exploration of space. The museum is located in the center of Húsavík in North Iceland, 50 kilometres (30 mi) from the Arctic Circle. The museum was founded in 2011 and formally opened in 2014 by the President of Iceland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in Antarctica</span>

There may have been women in Antarctica, exploring the regions around Antarctica for many centuries. The most celebrated "first" for women was in 1935 when Caroline Mikkelsen became the first woman to set foot on one of Antarctica's islands. Early male explorers, such as Richard Byrd, named areas of Antarctica after wives and female heads of state. As Antarctica moved from a place of exploration and conquest to a scientific frontier, women worked to be included in the sciences. The first countries to have female scientists working in Antarctica were the Soviet Union, South Africa and Argentina.

References

  1. McNulty, Rose. "How Cassandra De Pecol became the first woman to travel every country on the planet—and stayed insanely fit". Mensfitness.com. Retrieved 2017-02-14.
  2. "Lady Virginia Fiennes Wife of explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes and first woman to receive the Polar Medal". The Herald (Glasgow) . 25 February 2004. Retrieved 21 May 2024.