Alma M. Karlin – world traveller and "influencer" of her time

The story of Alma Karlin as a traveller's inspiration

If the world traveller and all-rounder Alma Maximiliana Karlin were alive today, she would surely be considered one of the most popular travel influencers. Although her life's path was not always strewn with flowers, her adventures remain an inspiration for generations of travellers today. In her lifetime, she travelled to more than 60 countries. She put all her experiences on paper and assembled a rich collection of objects from all over the world. Her extraordinary energy has inspired our virtual traveller Alma, who will be happy to help you explore Slovenia. But first, let's find out more about who Alma M. Karlin was.

This is Alma

Like her life story, Alma M. Karlin's "statistics" are remarkable. Here are some of the most interesting figures from her life.

Now I'm just a citizen of the world. All my actions and inactions must serve humanity.

Alma M. Karlin

A fearless citizen of the world

A legend of world travel and a consummate master of travel literature. A pioneer of the work and travel model, who made a living from intellectual work on her journey around the world at the beginning of the 20th century, although she was not afraid of physical work either. A polyglot who spoke ten languages to people all over the world. An influencer of her time, she enthralled the masses with her travel achievements and travelogues. Some even said that she deserved the Nobel Prize for her courage and indomitable will.

She was a citizen of the world in her outlook. A nomad not only of geographical latitudes but also of spiritual depths, fed by the theosophical conviction that all roads lead to the top of the same mountain. An amateur painter with a specially trained eye for plants, an anthropologist who avidly collected preserved myths and legends, superstitions and stories about spells from all corners of the world. And a woman with an indomitable backbone, who was never afraid to say no to wars, violence, and totalitarian regimes, in word or deed. This is Alma M. Karlin and her story, more adventurous than any film.

The world belongs to the bold, that's what I've always stuck to. Whoever does not try to go beyond the narrow limits of the horizon originally given to him, whoever never descends into the depths of life and never leaves the earth to dwell in the spirit in higher and purer spheres, has indeed lived, but only as a silkworm in its cocoon. Life is the exploration of the unknown.

Alma M. Karlin

The Adventures of Miss Alma M. Karlin

When she was born in 1889, during the dual monarchy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it was predicted that she would not live long or that she would be mentally impaired. But she survived due to the rebellious spirit that she showed throughout her life. In multicultural London, she passed exams in eight foreign languages, demonstrating an early thirst for knowledge, independence and freedom.

At a time when a woman could be deprived of her civil rights if she read, wrote or travelled, at the end of 1919, with modest means, Alma M. Karlin set off on her eight-year journey around the world. She wanted to know everything, to understand everything, to experience everything. She boldly believed that the path she had chosen for herself would offer her much more than the typical life of a woman in narrow-minded and provincial Celje. Her only companions on her journey around the world were her suitcase, in which she packed her handwritten dictionary of ten languages, and her portable typewriter, Erika, who became her best friend.

Alma ambitiously pursued her dream of becoming the second Columbus of world travellers and explorers and the second Robert Louis Stevenson of adventure fiction writers. During her voyage around the world, she visited more than 60 countries, supporting herself throughout the time with intellectual or physical work, writing travel sketches for numerous European and international newspapers, designing literary works, painting plants, collecting ethnological objects, superstitions and spells. Hardly anyone could match her in her travelling and creative restlessness, even today.

A body of letters

Even though Alma was aware that the life of a writer was strewn with thorns and anything but easy, she persevered in this vocation and developed her own distinctive style. In the 1930s, her travelogues "The Lonely Journey", "The Spell of the South Sea" and "The Experienced World" propelled her to the very top of the world's travel literature. Hundreds of newspapers around the world reported on them, and according to the Wilhelm Köhler publishing house, these pieces by themselves would have been enough to make a thick book. Alma's travel works bear great value as they consist of unique and comprehensive descriptions of the countries she visited.

The most adventurous travel diary of our time. Alma M. Karlin did not discover new worlds, but the adventures of everyday life she experienced on her round-the-world journey are more thrilling and exciting than the accounts of many an exploratory expedition.

Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft

Compared to what Alma M. Karlin experienced, the journeys of our great explorers were comfortable strolls.

Das Echo, Berlin

Alma's work also impressed individuals, and there were even proposals that she should receive a Nobel Prize.

You deserve a Nobel Prize for your literary achievements. I have read many travelogues, but none, not even one, as beautifully written, with as much heart-blood, as yours.

Colonel-General M. from E.

From the Cabinet of Wonders

Alma M. Karlin collected, bought or was given as a gift many ethnological and artistic objects during her journey around the world. Today, her collection, which is kept in the Celje Regional Museum, is a kind of cabinet of wonders. It contains a mysterious statue of Li Tieguai, which is said to have special magical powers. There is Chinese ceremonial money to be burnt at funerals, numerous fans and a kimono (yukata), Alma's favourite garment.

Source: Celje Regional Museum

They are accompanied by lovely shells, beetles of enormous size and huge seeds from many Pacific islands, wedding and funeral dresses and spears from Papua New Guinea, a silver embroidered handbag from Pakistan and other valuables. A wonderful opportunity to relive Alma's unique journey around the world with a visit to the incredible Cabinet of Wonders!

Take a walk through Alma's Cabinet of Wonders

Source: National and University Library

On foot through home places

The surprising discovery of the 1934-36 "Travel Diaries" revealed that Alma had not only travelled all over the world, but that as an enthusiastic hiker and a great lover of nature, she had also walked almost the whole of Slovenia. For her, a five-hour hike was a short walk, a seven-hour walk was a real hike, and a ten-hour hike was a great hiking achievement. And this with modest food, clothing and footwear, even in impossible weather conditions. The reward was always unspoilt nature, in the midst of which many a creative thought would occur to her.

On foot, she discovered her home town of Celje and its surroundings, Laško, Braslovče and Žovnek Castle, all the important places of the Upper Savinja Valley, including the Logar Valley, Jurklošter, the mysterious Gračnice Valley, and everywhere from Celje to Rogaška Slatina, Krško and Trška Gora, Kozjansko, Gorenjska Region and other parts of Slovenia.

Alma’s Celje

Even though Alma had seen almost the whole world, she still became emotional when she saw the view from her home Miklavž Hill or from the Celje Old Castle, once home to the famous Counts of Celje. We get off the train at Celje's main railway station, where Alma set off on her round-the-world journey and her wanderings around Slovenia, stop by her statue in Krek Square and follow her footsteps on adventures into the city centre.

Explore

Laško – Alma's favourite hiking destination

Where did Alma's favourite trails in Slovenia lead her? To Laško! Hikers can climb from Laško Castle to Hum, a destination to which Alma loved to walk. At the botanical board, you can see the plants she sketched on her way to the top of the seven-peaked ridge. Today, Alma's popular hike still follows the Three Churches Trail to St. Christoph, St. Michael and St. Catherine in Kuretno. The trail can be concluded at the Hotel Špica, where Alma once enjoyed delicious goulash and beer from a first-class local brewery, a place that in the past and still today is famous all over the world.

Explore

In the company of exceptional Slovenian women

Alma M. Karlin's exceptional and insightful nature has earned her a place among Slovenia's outstanding women. There’s plenty of them. They can be found in various fields, i.e. in art, culture, sport, science, politics, economics and humanitarian work. Discover some of the names that keep Alma company and have inspired interesting experiences.

Explore

Feel Slovenia the Podcast: Remarkable Slovenian Women on International Women's Day

Travel, explore, experience Alma's Slovenia

Did reading Alma M. Karlin's life story awaken your wanderlust? Don't wait, set off on a journey through picturesque, green Slovenia and discover more of the remarkable individuals and places that are taking the name of the country at the heart of Europe to the world.

Slovenia, a treasure trove of literature

Discover Slovenia's literary, cultural and other artistic treasures.

Slovenia, a treasure trove of literature

More

Top 10 sights

Must-see attractions in green Slovenia!

Top 10 sights

More

10 evergreen reasons to visit Slovenia in 2025

10 best reasons to visit Slovenia in 2025.

10 evergreen reasons to visit Slovenia in 2025

More

UNESCO World Heritage

Slovenian treasure troves of world heritage

UNESCO World Heritage

More

Plečnik's Slovenia

Learn about the masterpieces of Jože Plečnik, the greatest Slovenian architect!

Plečnik's Slovenia

More

Extraordinary city experiences

Learn about Slovenian towns and cities through different eyes. Join the most unusual guided tours through their streets.

Extraordinary city experiences

More