In 2008, Beth Santos was traveling in São Tomé and Príncipe off the coast of Africa following her Wellesley graduation.

“It was the time when I came to understand what it means to be a woman who travels and what it means to be treated as a woman in a different place,” she remembered. “It made me think about how safety and your biology affects things when you travel.”

She started a blog called Wanderful, documenting her experiences abroad, and upon her return home, opened the editorial operation to outside contributors. By 2010, she had 30 freelance women-identifying writers who had responded to a Craigslist post. Santos didn’t have a budget, but she built a following, while working two internships and waiting tables.

Continue on to The Boston Globe to read the entire article.