We're celebrating International Women's Day with incredible female adventurers, from Amelia Earhart to Jeanne Baret, who has transformed the world of travel with record-breaking achievements
Amelia Earhart
Nowadays, going abroad is nothing more than a flight or train trip – but there are some incredible pioneers who paved the way for us to get there.
To mark International Women's Day, we are celebrating inspiring female explorers who have overcome obstacles and achieved some incredible feats, from record-breaking flights to space travel and even embarking on an epic journey around the world.
There are some famous names like Amelia Earhart or Dian Fossey, as well as inspirational women who may not have appeared on your radar before, such as Nellie Bly or Lady Grace Drummond Hay.
These women encountered a lot of obstacles along the way – but that didn't stop them from breaking records and achieving some impressive feats.
Let's take a look at 10 incredible female adventurers who need to be on your radar...
1. Bessie Coleman
It's not hard to see why Bessie Coleman remains a huge source of inspiration for many women around the world.
As the first African-American woman to fly into the sky, she has struggled with discrimination all her life and continues to stand up for her faith.
In the 1910s, she lived in the United States and applied to fly school to become a pilot, but was often rejected because she was both African-American and female.
When she learned she could fly in France, she started taking French classes so she could apply — which worked because she was admitted to a French flight school and got her license in 1921.
After that, her career soared. Known for her bold skills, she has earned titles such as Brave Betsy and Queen Beth, while she uses her tour and performances to encourage other women to fly.
She refused to perform or speak in any place that was racially segregated or discriminated against African Americans — for example, she infamously refused to perform at a two-entrance stadium in Texas until eventually the manager gave in and agreed to offer a gate to the crowd.
2. Amelia Earhart
You may know Amelia Earhart, a famous pilot who disappeared while flying over the Pacific – but the pioneer had many more.
First, she was the first female pilot to fly across the Atlantic Ocean alone.
Then there's the variety of speed and altitude records she's continued to break throughout her career — including breaking her own.
When she wasn't flying, she received more accolades, including serving as an aviation editor for Metropolis magazine and founding Ninety-Nine, a women's aviation club, and she was elected president.
Oh, and if you're a fan of inspirational quotes, she gave a speech — including announcing that "the most effective way is to do it."
3. Valentina Tereshkova
The Russian adventurer was the first woman to travel to space.
On June 16, 1963, she completed a solo mission in 6 hours at Vostok. At the age of 26, this also makes her the youngest woman to accomplish this amazing feat.
During the mission, she spent nearly three days in space, orbiting the Earth 48 times.
Even more impressive, Valentina wasn't a pilot — but it was her vast experience of skydiving that made her ideal for the job (in fact, as part of the landing sequence, she actually had to land on Earth after being ejected from the capsule).
4. Nellie Bly
Elizabeth Jane Cochran, who used the pen name Nellie Bly, was an American journalist in the 1880s who worked for one of the major newspapers of the time.
She is known for her investigative journalism, from exposing New York shelters to covering the women's suffrage movement.
However, one of her most notorious achievements was when she read Jules Verne's novel Around the World in 80 Days – and decided to travel around the world to recreate the trip.
She completed the adventure in 72 days, setting a world record that she held for months.
5. Jenny Barrett
Jeanne Baret was the first woman to circumnavigate the globe – but she had to disguise herself as a man. Oh, and she wasn't even going to accomplish this tricky feat.
In fact, as a botanist in the 1700s, she wanted to travel to explore the world's plants. At the time, her lover was given a place on a ship that could travel the world – he could bring an assistant.
Unfortunately, women were not allowed on Royal Navy ships, so the two concocted a plan to disguise Jenny as a man and pretend to be his assistant.
It worked, and she inadvertently became the first woman to circumnavigate the globe at the same time!
6. Junko Ta kita
Junko Kita was the first woman to climb to the summit of Mount Everest, although she later admitted that she "did not intend to be the first woman to climb Mount Everest".
Still, she led a team of 15 climbers and 6 Sherpas on a grueling expedition that included their camp being buried by an avalanche. After three days of recovery, she continued her climb and reached the summit on May 16, 1975, accompanied only by Ang Tshering, a Sherpas.
This is not the only impressive achievement of Japanese mountaineers. She was also the first woman to climb all seven peaks by climbing the highest peaks on all continents.
Her passion for rock climbing also led her to find a women's climbing club in the 1960s with the mantra: "Let's go on an overseas adventure on our own."
7. Ann Bacroft
Ann Barcroft has received some impressive accolades for arctic exploration.
First, not only was she the first woman to reach the North Pole on foot and by sleigh (as part of a team of six), but in 1992 she became the first woman to cross the polar ice sheet to reach the North and South Poles.
But that's not all.
The polar explorer also led an Antarctic expedition of four women, the first all-female expedition of its kind, and in 2001 she teamed up with Liv Arnesen to become the first woman to cross Antarctica.
8. Mrs. Grace Drummond Hay
Although Mrs. Drummond Hay was not a pilot, she became the first woman to travel the world in a Zeppelin.
The British journalist is often hailed as contributing to the charm of the aviation industry, especially her in-depth knowledge of the aviation industry and aircraft.
In 1928, she boarded the first transatlantic flight of a civilian passenger Zeppelin, the first circumnavigation of the world. She was the only female passenger out of 20 passengers.
9. Freya Stark
Freya Stark is a British travel writer who has written dozens of books about her adventures – and continues to inspire explorers today.
She traveled to remote areas such as Turkey and the Middle East, where few Europeans had visited at the time.
In the 1930s, she completed a series of perilous treks into the wilderness of western Iran and found the mysterious Valley of assassins, which inspired her first book. The expedition also earned her a back prize from the Royal Geographical Society.
10. Isabella Bird
Isabella Bird was a 19th-century British explorer who visited impressive destinations around the world purely out of passion.
Her love of travel was sparked after a partial success in surgery to remove a tumor, which led her to depression. The doctor advised her to travel, so her father gave her money to do it.
She initially traveled to North America, traveled through Canada and the United States, and then wrote her first book, The English Woman in America, based on a letter she sent to her sister.