'Only Pack What You Can Carry' Offers Help for Travelers

The first time traveling solo can be the hardest, says Janice Holly Booth, author of the wildly popular travel memoir "Only Pack What You Can Carry" (National Geographic). But it can also be the most transformative, she says and she should know: Booth has spent more than a decade travelling alone, her preferred method of exploring the world.

"Solo travel helped me figure out what kind of life I wanted for myself," she says, "It helped me become braver in my choices." Booth believes that solo travel is the perfect time to engage in solitude and introspection, two aspects of self-examination unlikely to be applied during our daily, working lives. "Solo travel allows you to spend quality time alone with yourself which leads to the kind of introspection that can be life-changing," she says. "It also allows you to push yourself past boundaries and shake yourself up a little - it's the only way to grow."

"Only Pack What You Can Carry" is Booth's account of her solo travels, focusing on what she calls the "four key essentials to life's journey" - solitude, introspection, courage and commitment. The book relates her adventures - and misadventures - in the context of those four keys, and gives readers practical advice on how to apply them to their own lives, whether they're risk takers or not. An international best-seller, "Only Pack What You Can Carry" is available in hardcover, large print and as an e-book.

About Janice Holly Booth: Born in British Columbia, Janice Holly Booth spent more than 20 years as a non-profit CEO before becoming a full time writer and speaker. She has travelled all over the United States, Canada and elsewhere in search of unusual and inspiring adventures. Her most recent book is "A Voice out of Nowhere: Inside the mind of a mass murderer," a true crime book that is an Amazon's #1 best-seller. She currently lives near Charlotte, North Carolina.