Inspiring Women Who Transformed Traveling
The fact that we can travel the world independently and equally today was not always a given. We present four inspiring women who have significantly changed the travel industry.
March 8, 2023
When it came to innovations in technology or outstanding achievements, it was predominantly men who made a name for themselves until the beginning of the 20th century. The female sex, on the other hand, was simply denied many things. We therefore present inspiring women who have triggered major changes in the travel industry with their courage and revolutionary streak.
The first woman to drive a car
Name: Bertha Benz †95 (1849 - 1944)
Nationality: German
© Mercedes-Benz Group Media
Going on vacation or to the airport by car? Just under 150 years ago, that would have been unthinkable. And without Bertha Benz, the automobile industry would probably never be where it is today. As Carl Benz's wife, she came into contact with the world's first patented motor vehicle at an early age. Unlike the couple, however, the press and the public were not at all interested in the "horseless carriage" with patent number "No. 37435". That's why corageous Bertha Benz took matters into her own hands in 1888, showing everyone how practical a car was. Without her husband's knowledge, she was the first woman in the world to set off on a long-distance overland journey of 100 kilometers (Mannheim - Pforzheim) - and with success. "No. 37435" withstood the 13-hour tour, and the triumphant advance of automobiles picked up speed shortly afterwards - literally.
By the way, Bertha didn't have a driver's license at the time; after all, it didn't exist in that form yet. The first woman in the world to pass a driving test was Duchess Anne d'Uzès.
The first female pilot of a scheduled flight
Name: Rita Maiburg †25 (1952 - 1977)
Nationality: German
© Unsplash
"On behalf of Captain Maiburg, I welcome you on board" - this was the announcement that rang out from the loudspeakers on a flight of the former DLT line in 1976 and changed the aviation world forever. It was surprising that the announcement was formulated in a gender-neutral way, since it was the first time a woman had ever sat at the controls of a scheduled flight. But there were reasons for this; the passengers were not to be unsettled. At that time, women were generally not considered capable of piloting an airplane. But Rita Maiburg (no photo available) proved the opposite.
Several women had already revolutionized aviation at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1910, for example, the Frenchwoman Élise Deroche was the very first woman ever to pass the pilot examination. The first German woman to hold an airline pilot's license was Milla Beese, and the first one in the USA was Harriet Quimby. Hélène Dutrieu was the first female pilot ever who did not fly alone but carried a passenger. In 1935, the American Amelia Earhart also became the very first person to fly from Hawaii to California. The first ever circumnavigation of the earth is credited to pilot Geraldine Mock.
The first woman with a Michelin star
Name: Eugénie Brazier †81 (1895 - 1977)
Nationality: French
Check out this post on Instagram
The world's best chefs, whether male or female, are defined by one thing above all: the number of Michelin stars they have. This was already the case in the past. The first woman in the world to be awarded three Michelin stars was Eugénie Brazier. The French woman had achieved this special feat in 1933. And it didn't end there. In the course of her life, she opened two restaurants and received three stars for each of them at the same time - back then, no other woman had managed to do that either.
To this day, women in the male-dominated industry take a cue from Eugénie Brazier when it comes to fulfilling their career aspirations.
Reading tip: Four female chefs who revolutionized the restaurant scene.
The first woman on Mount Everest
Name: Junko Tabei †77 (1939 - 2016)
Nationality: Japanese
© Courtesy Tabei Family
Climbing a mountain requires strength, a lot of strength and just as much as stamina and courage. For many people, this type of extreme sport was therefore long considered a sport only for men. Junko Tabei hasn't let this put her off. The Japanese woman was fascinated early on by mountain ranges and the snowy peaks high above. She climbed her first mountain in her home country at the age of ten. An experience that changed her life forever. Twenty years later, she founded her own mountaineering club, thanks to which she became the first woman in the world to climb to the summit of Mount Everest on May 16, 1975 - a full 22 years after the first man. The highest mountain in the world was not to remain her only record. Junko Tabei was also the first woman in the world to climb all Seven Summits, the highest peaks on earth.
