Elizabeth Gilbert On The Joys, Surprises, And Soul Of Traveling
For Elizabeth Gilbert, travel is a lifeblood. The author of “Eat, Pray, Love,” she has wandered from the deserts of Nevada to alleyway restaurants in Sicily, and her stories are as vibrant as the places she’s visited. So, here are 15 of her most unfiltered experiences.
When New York Meant Everything
At just eighteen, Elizabeth Gilbert arrived in New York City. Raised on a small New England farm, she craved the pulse of a world that moved faster than hers. The sense of anonymity on every street corner cemented her belief that New York was where things were destined to happen.
The Unexpected Heart Of Erie
While her travel assignments with SPIN magazine sent her across continents, it was Erie, Pennsylvania—a quiet, post-industrial town—that blindsided her with emotional depth. Moreover, she witnessed a camaraderie that felt intimate.
Chasing Stars In The Nevada Desert
Burning Man, in its earlier days, offered Gilbert an intoxicating encounter with unfiltered freedom. With little organization and virtually no commercial presence, the desert transformed into a temporary utopia of chaos and expression. This was a wild, uncontainable life.
The Bleakness Of A Factory-Filled China
Covering the construction of the Three Gorges Dam brought Gilbert face-to-face with a vision of progress that stripped away beauty. Far removed from the spiritual or scenic places she’d known, the view of industrial China felt soul-crushing.
The Sicilian Meal That Became A Masterpiece
Sometimes, travel magic hides in simplicity. In Taormina, Sicily, a local police officer pointed Gilbert toward a restaurant that would serve her the most unforgettable meal of her life. Down a quiet alley, she discovered a nameless spot where each dish was like poetry.
Why Paris Left Her Cold
While many writers romanticize Paris, Gilbert found herself immune to its spell. To her, the city’s charm felt surface-level, lacking the emotional grit she seeks in travel. Though she could appreciate its beauty—its architecture, its lights—it never truly resonated with her on a deeper level.
A Woman Alone In Tunis
In Tunis, Gilbert encountered a social dynamic that made her feel invisible yet conspicuous at once. Walking alone through the city at night, she was struck by the absence of women. The streets belonged to men, and their eyes followed her as if she were both spectacle and transgressor.
The Balinese Philosophy Of Joy
The Balinese people, in her eyes, have mastered the art of living. Their days are infused with ceremony and color, from flower offerings to joyous dance. But what strikes her most is that they have no need to mimic the West, and instead look upon outsiders with gentle pity.
The Sacred Art Of Middle Eastern Hospitality
Gilbert speaks of Middle Eastern hospitality with genuine awe. In places like Turkey and Lebanon, she was treated as an honored guest. She tells of shopkeepers who abandoned their work to guide her through unfamiliar streets and taxi drivers who went far beyond their routes to offer help.
Casa Aamori Is A Dream Getaway
Asked where she’d vanish for a month, Gilbert didn’t hesitate—Casa Aamori, a boutique hotel on Mexico’s Oaxacan coast. She describes it as a place where time slows down, where the ocean whispers instead of roars, and where no one needs to ask your name twice.
A Champagne Baptism In Budapest
When Gilbert was asked to christen Avalon Waterways’ new river cruise ship, Envision, she did so with flair. Swinging a rope tied to a bottle of Hungary’s finest sparkling wine, she cracked it triumphantly against the ship’s hull.
A City Of Sacred Wreckage
In reflecting on Italy, Gilbert shares her favorite self-written line: “Ruin is a gift. Ruin is the road to transformation.” For her, Rome is the ultimate metaphor for that idea. The Eternal City is not one polished facade but a patchwork of fallen empires and reconstructed dreams.
Life Lessons At A Bowling Alley
The bowling community taught her about dignity in the face of economic loss, about rituals of belonging forged through league nights and small-town gossip. It was a humbling look at American life outside urban centers, where meaning is measured in relationships, not status.
A Love Letter To Solitude
If there’s one recurring theme in Gilbert’s stories, it’s the transformative power of solitude. Whether dining alone in Sicily, wandering unfamiliar cities, or hiding out in a boutique hotel, her deepest moments came through presence. And in that quiet, she has found the most honest kind of joy.
Travel Shouldn’t Always Be Comfortable
For Gilbert, the most profound travel moments are often the most uncomfortable ones—the kind that shake loose your assumptions and pierce your emotional armor. To her, discomfort is not a failure of travel, as it’s the very point of it. It demands attention, humility, and sometimes even sorrow.
