Ireland with Rachel Friedman: friendship, travel writing, and conquering the quarter-life crisis

If ever you’ve found yourself directionless and uncertain of the future, you will relate to this week’s episode. Author Rachel Friedman shares the story of an impromptu trip to Ireland during her college years: an identity quest which changed her self-perception, brought an influential relationship into her life, and ultimately inspired her travel memoir, The Good Girl’s Guide to Getting Lost. After arriving in Ireland with very few plans and feeling overwhelmed by the city of Dublin, Rachel headed to the smaller city of Galway (Incidentally 2020’s European Capital of Culture). It was there she befriended a girl named Carly, cultivating a friendship that trumped romance stories. Rachel discusses the beautiful way women look after one another, the importance of being a hometown traveler, and her top tips for aspiring travel writers. If you haven’t already, be sure to read Rachel’s first book, The Good Girl’s Guide to Getting Lost, and her just-released second, And Then We Grew Up: On Creativity, Potential, and the Imperfect Art of Adulthood.