2023 Best Book Awards Finalist in Travel: Guides & Essays
2023 American Book Awards Finalist

"What I love most about Karen's writing is the magic she discovers in the unexpected and the unplanned, bringing us back to why we travel in the first place-to step into the unknown and become our best selves. She's a wonderful storyteller, and her keen observations about people, culture and behaviour always make me laugh--and inspire me to discover these quirky, off-the-beaten-path places right this very moment!"

--Carolyn Ray, CEO + Editor, JourneyWoman

"You've heard of going around the world in 80 days? You can do that in less time with Karen Gershowitz's new book, Wanderlust. From Marrakesh to Malaysia to Montana, Gershowitz mines her memories, notebooks, and photos to take you places you'll want to visit and introduce you to food you may or may not want to eat. Oh, and she'll explain why accepting a cup of tea from an Istanbul carpet salesman isn't always a good idea."

--Rudy Maxa, travel journalist & broadcaster

"For someone who's been stubbornly holding out for teleportation before undertaking any extensive travel (that would be me), Wanderlust is a Godsend. Karen Gershowitz offers what amounts to a virtual reality tour, including the smells, tastes, and personalities she's experienced on her many trips to the plethora of countries and cities she's visited over the years. Great book for the armchair traveler and by the time you're finished reading, I wouldn't be surprised if your first call (maybe even mine) isn't to your travel agent."

--Charles Salzberg, award-winning author of the Henry Swann series and Second Story Man

"With an eye for the unique and a penchant for trying everything, Gershowitz is the best kind of traveler. A master of sharing the essence of place, she makes us laugh, nod our heads, want to try new things. She inspires us to travel and learn about the world."

--Jessie Voigts, PhD, Publisher Wandering Educators

"Wanderlust is more than a travel memoir; it is an experience. Karen Gershowitz takes readers on vivid journeys that are so skillfully described that it makes you feel like you are part of her travels and misadventures. Karen's stories will make you gasp, laugh out loud and excite your own wanderlust."

--Tonya Fitzpatrick, Co-Founder, World Footprints. Lowell Thomas Award Winner and Black Travel Journalist of the Year

"In Wanderlust, Karen Gershowitz once again transports us across the globe, and this time her whirlwind digest includes, well, digestion! From sipping lulada in Colombia to nibbling ugali in Tanzania, her tongue remains intrepid, her curiosity unquenchable, her storytelling delectable. 'All artists are driven by a need to try something new, push the medium a bit further, ' she writes, and these pages prove that with a cherry on top. All puns aside, Gershowitz reminds us that travel's truest feast comes from the connections we make across the tablecloth, across perceived borders of state, and taste, and fear. This is a guidebook to breaking bread."

--Marc Nieson, author of Schoolhouse: Lessons on Love & Landscape

"Karen's globetrotting tale celebrates a truly inspiring lifetime worth of journey. Her voyage demonstrates that adventure and transformation begin with you--and how you can make it happen for yourself. An exhilarating story that is a must-read."

--Shebs Alom, Travel Professional, founder of Shebs The Wanderer & member of the British Guild o