Boston University graduate Nicole Trilivas’s debut novel “Girls Who Travel” provides readers with the ability to feel like adventurous explorers while lounging on the couch in pajamas. The novel follows the story of a “free-spirited backpacker” named Kika Shores.
“She’s one of those itchy-footed girls who is constantly asked where she’s going next and when she’ll finally settle down,” Trilivas said.
Although a good deal of the novel follows Shores’ adventures around the world in the form of flashbacks, it also focuses on her self-growth as she navigates careers and romance. Trying to avoid getting sucked into the supposed monotony of the corporate working world, Shores steers toward finding a way to keep traveling and ends up falling in love with an Irishman along the way.
“The journey she takes isn’t exactly linear,” Trilivas said. “She’s a little bit irresponsible and she doesn’t want the one-size-fits-all lifestyle. She’s really ambitious and is trying to make herself have the life that she wants. [Shores] is really trying to carve out this path for herself that wasn’t already defined for her.”
Trilivas said she empathized with Shores’ “flighty” struggle. After graduating from BU, Trilivas said she realized that the working world wasn’t quite as exciting as being a fresh, young student in the middle of Boston.
To get her travel fix, Trilivas began following different travelers on social media, including one friend who became an au pair in Europe.
“I thought to myself, ‘In addition to feeling jealousy and admiration for her, that would make a really good, cute book,’” Trilivas said.
Having traveled to almost 40 different countries herself, Trilivas said she was proud when she had to add more pages to her passport because every page had been filled with stamps.
“They always say you should write about something that you’re passionate about because you’re going to have to sit with it for so long, and that’s one of the reasons why I picked travel as the backdrop for this book,” she said. “I could talk about travel until the cows come home.”
However, Trilivas promised that a person does not need to even be in possession of a passport to enjoy “Girls Who Travel,” as the desire to “armchair travel” serves as plenty of motivation.
“Anyone who has a wandering or adventurous spirit is going to like the book,” Trilivas said. “It’s a really light-hearted, fun, fast-paced read, designed to make you smile.”
Although the novel is about travel, Trilivas remained in one location while writing. She claimed she owes it all to the “bagels, caffeine and good music” at Irving Farm, her favorite café on the Upper West Side of New York City, where she looked at travel blogs for inspiration.
To stay motivated and fight writer’s block over the weeks it took to complete the book, Trilivas hatched a trick that kept her excited for what would happen next.
“Before I would go to sleep, I would think of the next scene,” Trilivas said. “My one rule was to always end the scene on some kind of cliffhanger or question. That way, for the next scene, I had a question to answer.”
The energy, wit and dedication that shone through the conversation with Trilivas reflected her devotion to her writing. She encouraged other aspiring writers and students at BU to consider going down the same path.
“BU has world-class teachers, so I would definitely say that if you’re interested in writing even if you don’t see it as a career path, take a few classes,” Trilivas said. “Find the topic that you’re passionate about. It doesn’t matter if there’s an audience for it or not, because if you write passionately and develop your voice, it doesn’t matter what you’re writing about. If you’re writing passionately, you’ll find an audience for it.”
Regardless of whether or not you’re a world-traveler or literary enthusiast, “Girls Who Travel” is for anyone who wants a refreshing, bold story to enjoy, Trilivas said.
“I wrote the book because I wanted to take a book like that backpacking around Europe with me when I was 21,” she said. “This is the book I was looking for.”
