Without Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman by Alice Steinbach

From Barnes & Noble

Finding her identity increasingly tied to her settled, routine life, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Alice Steinbach sought to rediscover herself, to leave everything behind for a while. Impulsively, Steinbach decided to fly to Europe, alone, to "get back into the narrative" of her life. In her wonderful book, Without Reservations, Steinbach tells the story of her adventures as an independent woman traveler in France, England, and Italy. Capturing her trip in beautiful, insightful postcards written to herself, which are included in the book, Steinbach reaches toward an understanding of her long-lost inner self. Delving into the historical background of each place she visits and evoking literary spirits at every turn, Steinbach is a great writer and tour guide rolled into one.

From the Publisher

"In many ways, I was an independent woman," writes Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Alice Steinbach. “For years I’d made my own choices, paid my own bills, shoveled my own snow.” But somehow she had become dependent in quite another way. “I had fallen into the habit of defining myself in terms of who I was to other people and what they expected of me.” But who was she away from the people and things that defined her? In this exquisite book, Steinbach searches for the answer to this question in some of the most beautiful and exciting places in the world: Paris, where she finds a soul mate; Oxford, where she takes a course on the English village; Milan, where she befriends a young woman about to be married. Beautifully illustrated with postcards from Steinbach’s journeys, this revealing and witty book transports you into a fascinating inner and outer journey, an unforgettable voyage of discovery.

Praise for Without Reservations:

“A rich account of one woman’s journey through Europe and into the self.”
—Us Weekly

“I loved going along with Alice Steinbach as she goes off on this rare, wonderful adventure, an escape into discovering herself and some of the truly magical places in this world.” —DOMINICK DUNNE

“More than a chronicle of the writer’s search for self-discovery, Without Reservations is a lovely travelogue.”
—Chicago Tribune

“The best books, like the best vacations, contain unexpected delights, surprises that enrich the soul as well as the senses. This is a book aboutlove, and longing, and the passage of time. It’s about hope, and courage, and the resiliency of memory. This book is a feast. Bon appétit!”
—The Des Moines Register

“Beautifully written, clear, insightful, thoughtful . . . Steinbach’s book should be taken in slowly and savored all the way.”
—St. Petersburg Times

Library Journal

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steinbach took an extended leave from her newspaper job to travel around Europe in search of spontaneity. She started off in Paris, where she got romantically involved with a Japanese man and shopped; moved on to London, where she shopped some more; took a course at Oxford University; and headed to Italy, where she wandered through Milan, Venice, Rome, and the Tuscan countryside--and shopped a bit more. Chapters begin with postcards sent to Alice from Alice, each with a bit of advice or a lesson learned. Steinbach, divorced and with grown children, appears to be much at ease traveling alone, making new friends along the way. Her mental journey through the past and present and the reassessment of her life, rather than descriptions of the places visited or the people met, are at the heart of the narrative. This pleasant, slightly romantic, but unremarkable journey will find an audience in large public libraries. (Photographs not seen.) [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 1/00.]--Linda M. Kaufmann, Massachusetts Coll. of Liberal Arts Freel Lib., North Adams Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\

A good introduction for those unfamiliar with Elizabeth I that librarians owning Elizabeth Jenkins's classic Elizabeth the Great (1958) as well as the numerous more recent biographies will still want to purchase.
-- Elizabeth Mary Mellett, Brookline Public Library, MA

Product Details

• Table of Contents
• Interviews & Essays
• Reading Group Guide
• Read an Excerpt

Table of Contents

Interviews & Essays

Finding her identity increasingly tied to her settled, routine life, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Alice Steinbach sought to rediscover herself, to leave everything behind for a while. Impulsively, Steinbach decided to fly to Europe, alone, to "get back into the narrative" of her life. In her wonderful new book, Without Reservations, Steinbach tells the story of her adventures as an independent woman traveler in France, England, and Italy. Capturing her trip in beautiful, insightful postcards written to herself, which are included in the book, Steinbach reaches toward an understanding of her long-lost inner self. Delving into the historical background of each place she visits and evoking literary spirits at every turn, Steinbach is a great writer and tour guide rolled into one. In a recent interview, Steinbach discussed what she discovered about herself on the trip and offered tips for solo travelers.

Barnes & Noble.com: Would you describe your book as a travel book or a memoir? Or both?
Alice Steinbach: I would describe Without Reservations as a combination of both, a sort of travel memoir, if you will. But I really think of it this way: It's the true story of a woman who decides to take a break from the routines of her daily life in order to see more clearly who she is when separated from all the labels -- mother, journalist, ex-wife, single woman -- that have come to define her. And she decides to do it by traveling alone in foreign countries where, operating as an independent woman, she might learn something about who she's become over the last 30 years. That woman, of course, is me.

Barnes & Noble.com: What were you hoping to learn from such an undertaking?
AS: I think it was more that I was hoping to relearn certain things that were a part of me when I was younger. I wanted to relearn how to be spontaneous again, to have more fun, to live in the moment, and to take chances. It's easy to lose this sense of yourself as you become more obligated to family, work, and the demands of routines and responsibilities.

Barnes & Noble.com: And were you successful in achieving such goals?
AS: Yes, I was. Traveling -- particularly traveling alone -- forces you to be spontaneous and take chances. If you don't, you'll be lonely and bored. But I think the most valuable lesson I learned during my travels was this: Once all the old baggage and labels were discarded, I was able to respond more honestly to the world around me. It's a rare person, I think, who knows what really pleases her in life and what does not. But traveling alone -- if you're willing to be open -- can teach you what is essential to your true nature. Sometimes, you are surprised to find out what interests you. Who would have guessed, for instance, that I should find the architectural history of the Paris Metro stops so fascinating? It's become an ongoing interest of mine.

Barnes & Noble.com: Did you ever get homesick or lonely?
AS: Absolutely. Once, while walking alone on a cold, foggy night along a narrow street in Oxford, England, the sight of a woman's ginger-colored cat greeting her at the front door -- I'm a cat lover and had two of my own at the time -- made me dissolve into tears. But I felt many things during my travels: challenged, homesick, exhilarated, lonely, happy, uncertain, self-confident. And I learned it's quite natural to feel all those things; I just gave myself permission to have a bad day now and then, knowing it would pass. Not a bad lesson to bring home from such a trip!

Barnes & Noble.com: Do you have any strategies for combating loneliness? How did you handle eating alone in restaurants, for instance?
AS: Eating alone in restaurants, particularly at dinnertime, is one of the universal problems for the solo traveler. Breakfast and lunch are no problem. I usually take breakfast at the hotel where I'm staying. I hate starting the day by searching for a place to eat and find it relaxing to have a leisurely breakfast at the hotel. It's also a good time to meet other hotel guests, who are often more relaxed at that time of day. Unless I have plans to meet someone for dinner, I usually make lunch my main meal of the day. This is the time to try the restaurant you've heard about but don't feel comfortable going in the evening and asking for a "table for one." Lunch at a fine restaurant is cheaper for one thing; the same dinner at the same restaurant would cost twice as much. Often, after such a lunch I don't really need to eat a large meal at dinnertime. A salad and yogurt from the market -- eaten in my room -- is quite enough.

But there are also places where a woman alone can feel comfortable for lunch or dinner. Museums frequently have cafés or full-service restaurants; many are open at night. One of the most important decisions for me when planning a trip is to pick my hotel carefully. I try to find one located in a lively, friendly neighborhood, one that has cafés and food markets, sandwich shops, and small, family-run restaurants. I'm willing to spend a little more on such a hotel; it can make all the difference in the world to a solo traveler to feel at home in the neighborhood. In Paris, for instance, there are several small hotels on the Left Bank near St.-Germain-des-Pres, which have become my home-away-from-home.

Barnes & Noble.com: What's the best thing about traveling alone?
AS: One of the best things is that it's easier to meet people. Part of that has to do with the need to reach out more when you're a solo traveler -- otherwise, you'll be spending most of your time alone. And part of it has to do with the willingness of locals and those not traveling alone to reach out to you. Sometimes they'll reach out because they're interested in what you're doing alone in some small hill town in Italy, and sometimes it's out of pity. Also, people traveling as couples or in groups sometimes get bored with one another and like to meet outsiders who bring a breath of fresh air to their travels.

Barnes & Noble.com: Can you really form friendships on the road? In your chapter "The Sloane Street Club," you manage to meet three Englishwomen who become your "gang" in London. Tell us about that.
AS: Well, it happened at lunch one day. I knew from previous visits to London that a wonderful shop on Sloane Street -- the General Trading Company -- had a small lunchroom in its basement. I'd eaten there, and the food was quite good. But the thing that drew me there was I knew that they often placed singles -- who were agreeable -- at a table together. It was there that I met an Englishwoman down from Scotland to visit her daughter. We really clicked, and through her, I met two other women, one from London, the other from Kent. Over the course of my month in London we did many things together and, I believe, formed a bond. Now, I don't know if this could happen if one were in a city for two days or a week, but on the other hand, anyone who's traveled -- particularly alone -- knows that friendships formed on the road can be quite intense. Whether they last beyond the trip is another matter.

Barnes & Noble.com: Were there any moments when you wished you weren't a woman traveling alone?
AS: Yes, a few. But I'm not sure a man traveling alone for a long period of time wouldn't feel the same way. It's part of the human condition to want companionship and security in situations that are uncertain. Still, I write in the book about having dinner in Siena, Italy, with three other women -- a wonderful, lively dinner in my opinion. Afterward, one of the women looked longingly at the next table where a young man and woman sat, holding hands and whispering intimately, oblivious to anything but each other. "Tell me the truth," she asked me. "Wouldn't you give anything to be like them? To be in love and part of a couple?" The truth was, it had never occurred to me. I was having a wonderful time. But traveling alone -- whether a woman or a man -- requires an attitude, one that allows you to look at each day with a sense of adventure.

Barnes & Noble.com: What advice would you give to someone who sets out to travel alone with more than just tourism in mind?
AS: First of all, I would advise anyone who wants to experience something more than just the tourist's view of a city to stay in one place -- or each place visited -- for as long as possible. Try to settle in for a while, even if it's only for a week. There is a saying among mountain climbers that you can learn more from climbing one mountain 100 times than 100 mountains one time. It's equally true of travel, I think. Given a choice, I'd always opt to go to fewer rather than more destinations. And, as I said, find a hotel or apartment in a neighborhood that feels like a real neighborhood. It's very comforting to recognize the man at the newsstand or the clerk at the bookstore or the woman at the market. They may not become your friends, but they do become familiar faces. Second, I would say you should set out each day with an agenda. You don't have to follow it, but you should have a plan in mind. It's very easy to just wander around without setting some goals for yourself. Often I only headed in the direction of the museum or market on my list, then found something along the way that changed everything. Spontaneity is important, but so is some planning.

Barnes & Noble.com: What was the most important thing you learned about yourself on the trip described in Without Reservations?
AS: So many things, it's hard to pin down the most important. Probably, though -- in addition to learning to listen more and talk less -- I learned that to be a truly independent person, you must first allow yourself to be dependent. If you're going to travel alone you have to allow other people to help you. This has always been hard for me. I like to think of myself as an "independent" woman, someone who can get the job done without help. But when you don't speak the language or get sick while traveling, you don't have your usual fail-safe system to fall back on. You have to trust that other people will want to help you. And they usually do! When I was ill in London, my new friends took care of me in a way that I would never have allowed at home. But I had no choice. It was a very important lesson -- and a very belated one -- in my development. And, I am happy to say, it has lasted beyond the trip.

Reading Group Guide

1. While relaxing at a café in Paris, Steinbach reflects, “what adds up to a life is nothing more than the accumulation of small daily moments.” What does she mean by this? Do you think it is possible to gain a greater understanding of the whole by looking, individually, at its parts? What factors in Steinbach’s life, and perhaps your own, caused her to overlook such minute, beautiful moments?

2. Over the course of the book, Steinbach often personifies the cities, towns, and villages she visits. “Rome and I are not lovers. We are not even friends, ” she writes, when reflecting on her unpleasant experience on the Spanish Steps. When describing three towns along the Amalfi coast she comments, “If Amalfi were a man…he’d be dressed by Calvin Klein and reading Tom Clancy. Positano would wear Armani and carry a book by John Le Carré. But if Ravello were a man…he would be in chinos and a fresh white oxford shirt with no tie, buried in a book by Graham Greene.” Why do you think she chooses to describe the places she encounters in human terms? What effect does this technique have on you, the reader?

3. In her travels, Steinbach meets people from all walks of life. In one observation, she provides a fresh take on the old maxim, “don’t judge a book by its cover, ” when she writes, “Paris guards her inner beauty from the casual observer. To find it one must look beyond the façades. It is true of people also, I think: their spirits exist behind their façades, beyond their words.” Who does she meet along her journey that helps to reaffirm this belief? What do these encountersteach her about herself and the world around her?

4. Steinbach constantly reflects on her own sense of adventure or lack thereof. She tries to nurture it and let it grow at its own rate, a rate that is both comfortable and exciting for her. Reminiscing about her youth she notes, “I made dangerous choices in those years, thinking myself bold and adventurous. Later I would come to understand I hadn’t been daring at all, just driven by confusion and hormones. The person capable of true daring, I knew now, possessed two admirable qualities: curiosity and courage.” Do you agree with that definition of a “daring” individual? Thinking back to all of Steinbach’s European adventures (and misadventures), do you think she fits her own bill of what it means to be “daring”?

5. Remembering an interview she once conducted with French actress Jeanne Moreau, Steinbach realizes that “Moreau’s declaration of independence from ‘looking into the mirror that others hold up to me’ was a deft description of what I was after on this trip.” Searching for the approval or acceptance of others seems to be a recurring theme in Steinbach’s book and, more importantly, a recurring theme in her daily life in America. To what extent was she able to overcome these insecurities during her travels? Do you think you would react similarly? Why or why not?

6. What role does Steinbach’s grandmother, or more correctly, the memory of her grandmother, play in her road to self-awareness? Are there people or events in your past that continue to help you understand the present, and perhaps, address the future?

7. Steinbach asks herself, “Is it possible to change your outer geography without disrupting the inner geography? The travels within yourself? Today I traveled back to my past and forward to a future shaping itself somewhere at the edge of my thoughts. But I also traveled to a place less often visited: the childlike purity of the ticking moment.” If Steinbach’s grandmother is a symbol of her past, are there characters that embody Steinbach’s immediate present? To what extent does Steinbach’s unexpected relationship with Naohiro serve as reminder of the beauty of the present? If Steinbach’s grandmother acts as a constant connection to the past, Naohiro a reminder of the present, which character, if any, is the embodiment of the future?

8. When in Venice, Steinbach imagines herself, if only for a brief moment, to be Katharine Hepburn in the film, Summertime. Observing a lounge singer in a Paris café, she asks, “Who did she imagine herself to be? Marlene Dietrich? Edith Piaf? Was that the image that sustained her when she examined the realities of her life?” At what other moments in her travels does Steinbach seem to slip into the safe world of fantasy, and at what moments does she seem to awaken herself to reality? At what times in your own life does fantasy plays an important role for you?

9. Steinbach often views the people and places she visits through the lens of literature. For instance, at the prospect of reuniting with Naohiro in Venice, she compares herself to Penelope awaiting Ulysses’ return from Troy, and often she draws parallels between her own experiences and those of a young Jane Eyre. What other literary figures does Steinbach evoke? Have you ever used the world of literature to better understand your own feelings? How do you think our interactions with literature help to shape our responses to the world around us?

10. In a postcard to herself referring to her frightening experience in Rome, Steinbach notes that Albert Camus once wrote, “what gives value to travel is fear.” Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? Steinbach goes on to write: “a little dash of fear gives value to more than just travel. For one thing, it can teach us to be brave.” Do you think travelling alone would instill in you a sense of bravery you might otherwise not have possessed? Some might argue that it is not brave, but rather foolish to travel alone. Have ever you subscribed to this line of reasoning? If so, did Steinbach’s book convince you otherwise?

11. Without Reservations is rich with one woman’s observations, reflections, and personal philosophy. By the end of her travels, Steinbach discovers in herself a woman she thought had been lost in time or worn down by age. Her time alone, time spent encountering both old memories and new ideas, helps her re-ignite her independent spirit and reawaken her sense of fierce individuality. Did reading Steinbach’s story inspire you in the way that Freya Stark’s memoir inspired her? If you were to take such a journey, where would you go? What would you want to do? What aspects of such a journey appeal to you the most?

Read an Excerpt