As part of my new Mighty Women Series, I’m welcoming Kirsty from World For A Girl to tell us about the woman who has inspired her the most. Inspiring in her own right, Kirsty has travelled to over 100 countries! Here’s who Kirsty credits for her love of travel.

Robyn Davidson

Out of the many women who have inspired me throughout my life, Robyn Davidson, an Australian explorer stands out. When I was 19, I went to Australia on a study-abroad university programme. I was young, naive and had a huge restlessness inside of me that I couldn’t put my finger on. I took a course on Central Australian Cultures and Landscapes. As part of the course, I read Tracks by Robyn Davidson. You may have seen the 2013 movie ‘Tracks’ based on her experiences. Tracks tells the story of how as a 27-year-old, Robyn walked across the Australian desert (over 3000 km) with only a dog and some camels for company. She survived and flourished alone in one of the most inhospitable environments on the planet. From the very first page, I was captivated by this courageous and fiercely independent heroine.

Another part of the course was a field trip to the very heart of Australia. Within weeks of reading Tracks, I was in a battered car driving across the Australian outback with 4 friends. Sleeping under stars, driving for days along red, dusty desert roads. Not bad for my first holiday without my parents ever. A combination of reading Robyn’s book and this adventure kick-started my passion for travel. I suddenly understood that this restlessness inside me was wanderlust.

Since that first trip to Australia, I’ve travelled to over 100 countries and had epic adventures in places as diverse as the jungles of Laos and deserts in Chile. Now I have children of my own and I’m trying to inspire them to be bold, adventurous and curious about the world. I write a family travel blog that celebrates inspirational female explorers – and I even managed to incorporate a likeness of Robyn Davidson into my logo. Robyn is in her 60s now and is still an inspirational woman that I follow avidly. She has written many, more books and continues to speak publicly at cultural and geographical events. She is really is a fantastic lesson to all young women that you can accomplish anything you dream of if you persevere and draw on your inner-strengths.

Amazing! For more inspiring posts, check out Kirsty’s blog. You can also follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

If you’d like to guest post for the Mighty Women series, please get in touch.