Hi! Beth Whitman here.
With 30 years of travel under my belt, I’ve made a bit of a name for myself as a women’s travel expert.
Much of my early travels were on my own. But I realized that not all women had the confidence or know-how to travel independently, so I wrote Wanderlust and Lipstick: The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo to encourage more women to travel, well, solo.
Funny thing is, they still wanted guidance and I often got asked if I led tours. Resistant at first, because I wanted these women to have the experience of traveling on their own, I soon realized that not everyone has the time, energy or interest to arrange their own travel. So I launched WanderTours in 2008 and began leading trips to off-the-beaten-path destinations as well as culinary tours to popular cities in North America.
As part of our international tours, we visit and donate to charity organizations at each of our destinations. These usually (but not always) support disadvantaged women and children.
In order to reach a wider audience, I launched the She’s Bold Podcast, to inspire and empower a larger audience of women (and men) into action by covering topics including travel, adventure, athletics, spirituality, nutrition, entrepreneurship and more.
I regularly speak at events throughout North America and the world. My goal is to inspire would-be travelers into action through what I believe to be engaging talks not only about travel but about living a life that helps you become a better version of yourself.
Today I consider myself a contemporary Wanderer. I’ve been fortunate to have combined my love for travel with volunteer work, philanthropy, adventure trips, fitness, travel writing and business.
How I got here
I’ve traveled a lot and have had what many would consider some pretty adventurous trips.
I’ve completed (twice) the 25-day, 220-mile Snowman Trek in Bhutan (one of the most difficult treks in the world), climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and reached the top at 19,341 feet, finished marathons in Hawaii, Tokyo, Portland and Seattle. I ran my first marathon at 50, ran five marathons that year (including two back-to-back marathons where one was an ultra at 31 miles), ran the Seattle Quadzilla (four marathons in four days) and have qualified for the Boston Marathon twice. I went on to run a 50-miler in late 2019 and shortly afterward ran Epic5 Ultra Run Hawaii (five 50K’s in 5 days on 5 Hawaiian islands). I’m now the co-redirector of that event!
I’ve ridden a motorcycle solo from Seattle to Panama and driven the AlCan Highway to Alaska on two occasions.
I now lead tours and get to travel regularly to India, Papua New Guinea, Bhutan, Vietnam & 
Cambodia, Burma, Thailand & Laos, Bali & Java, Tanzania, Morocco and Ireland. And on my culinary tours, I get to eat my way through New Orleans, Santa Fe and Seattle (my hometown)!
I’m currently working on my next book, Be Bold: Discover Your Best Self Through Travel and Adventure.
I’ve also written a guide For Women Traveling to India.
What now?
I’m currently in full-on training mode to run a series of races with Racing the Planet. In 2020, I was scheduled to run the 4 Deserts which consists of running 155 miles over six days in four deserts–the Gobi (Mongolia), the Namib (Namibia), the Atacama (Chilé) and Antarctica. While Covid sidetracked that goal, I’m now planning on running those events starting in 2021. The first of these events is a non-desert race in the country of Georgia. I’m headed there in August, 2021. Whoooo Hoooo! Once I have these stage-races behind me, I’ll then be working on my skills to compete in triathlons! ?
