Author Stephanie Elizondo Griest hit the literary scene in 2004 with her critically acclaimed coming-of-age travel memoir, Around the Bloc: My Life in Moscow, Beijing, and Havana. Her newest book, 100 Places Every Woman Should Go, is a fresh and insightful look at destinations for the female journey.

Here are eight of her favorite picks for women wanderers:

1. For inspiration and enlightenment: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
2. For indulgence: Lingerie shopping in Paris
3. For purification and beautification: The banyas of Moscow and St. Petersburg
4. To celebrate powerful women and their places in history: Frida Kahlo's Mexico
5. To celebrate struggle and renewal: Arts and voodoo festivals in Benin
6. For womanly affirmation: Belly dancing in San Francisco, New York, or Austin
7. For all-around wonder: Mongolia
8. Just for the fun of it: The Bahamian island of Eleuthera

For more detail on each destination, visit Rolf Pott's blog Traveling Light

Gillian Parrillo
SacWomen