Flâneuse [flanne-euhze], noun, from the French. Feminine form of flâneur [flanne-euhr], an idler, a dawdling observer, usually found in cities.

-Lauren Elkin

I think I was in my twenties when I first came across the word flaneur, and it was a perfect encapsulation of how I like to spend my leisure time. Aimlessly meandering cities, often without a plan, where the wandering and people watching and ruminating are the purpose. Imagine my delight when Lauren Elkin released a book all about the act of the flaneur, but claimed and presented through a female lens.

Wandering can feel like a radical act in our culture. I am traveling light, metaphorically and literally. No mortgage, husband, kids, and now pet. I am open to what I find out here on the road.