One Suitcase 1000 Stories

Name: One Suitcase 1000 Stories
ISBN: 978-9925836154

Travel Tales, Wild Adventures and the Art of saying YES to Life

by Elisabeth Villiger Toufexis

Publisher

Elisabeth Villiger Toufexis

Publication

Jun 15, 2026

Format

Paperback/Softback

Illustrated

Price

$17.30

Dimensions

5.5 x 8.5 x 0.55 in

ISBN

978-9925836154

ASIN

9925836158

Pages

232

Age

Adult 18+

Rights Sold

🌍 World Wide Rights Available

Description

From the beaches of Greece and Cyprus to the chaos of New York, from African safaris to unexpected life lessons across more than 100 countries, Elisabeth Villiger Toufexis takes you on a journey filled with adventure, humor, heartbreak, courage, and unforgettable human encounters. With only one suitcase but a thousand stories, this book is more than a travel memoir. It is a celebration of saying yes to life, embracing the unknown, reinventing yourself, and collecting moments instead of possessions.

Through fascinating cultures, hilarious mishaps, chance encounters, and deeply personal reflections, Elisabeth reminds us that the world is not only meant to be seen, but to be felt. Warm, inspiring, witty, and brutally honest at times, these pages will make you laugh, reflect, dream bigger, and perhaps even book a ticket somewhere far away. Because in the end, the greatest journeys are not only around the world… but within ourselves.

Awards & Endorsements

Article in the most read English Speaking Newspaper in Cyprus

One single phone call led to a series of life changing steps for one local woman. She tells her tale in One Suitcase, 1000 Stories

Cyprus, for more than four decades, has been home to Elisabeth Villiger Toufexis. But long before settling on the island, she had embarked on a journey that would eventually take her to more than 100 countries.

Now, the Swiss-born author shares her experiences in the form of One Suitcase, 1000 Stories, a book based on lessons, encounters and adventures inspired by decades spent exploring the globe. For years, she was encouraged by her friends and family to record those experiences in writing; however, she always felt that it was something she would do “one day”.

But as the years passed, she realised she had collected not just memories, but also thousands of stories and valuable lessons from around the world. “I didn’t want those memories to remain only in my head,” she says. “This felt like the right time to share them and hopefully inspire others to say yes to adventure and to life itself”.

Villiger Toufexis’ love for travelling began long before her decision to write a book. At 16, she took her first flight, with her aunt, an experience she still remembers vividly.

“It opened a door to a much bigger world and ignited my curiosity,” she says. “At the time, I never imagined those journeys would become a book. I was simply living my adventures one day at a time. Looking back now, I realise I was unknowingly collecting chapters”.

That curiosity eventually led her to pursue work as a tour guide. At 19, when she could not apply to any of the Swiss tour companies since she was below the minimum age requirement, she placed a two line advertisement in a Swiss women’s magazine. The advertisement received just one response: a call from the owner of a travel agency in Rhodes. Soon, she found herself heading to the Greek island, beginning what would become a very different chapter of her life.

Elisabeth and her new book

“I had one phone call with the owner of the agency and travelled there without really knowing what I was getting myself into,” she says.

That simple decision, she says, changed the course of her life. At the time, she had little idea that a simple advertisement and a single phone call would lead to decades of travel, countless stories and eventually a book inspired by those experiences.

After decades of travelling, Villiger Toufexis says the greatest lessons she learnt had little to do with geography and everything to do with people. “Travel has taught me humility,” she says. “The more of the world I saw, the more I realised how small a role I play in it.”

Having encountered people from a wide variety of cultures during her travels, ...

Review

Lisa mou Ingleza mou,
Your book is a bible! A punch to fuel energy, self confidence and encourage many leaps of faith!

Although it’s a travel story telling text, to me it is more than that: between the lines it’s a guide and self help to dare, to try, to expand, to uplift self esteem, to cultivate determination and to grab life like no tomorrow!
THANK YOU
Even more proud of you than never before! You honour this shitty country more than the natives ever will!

Author(s)

Elisabeth Villiger Toufexis

Elizabeth Villiger Toufexis is a Swiss-born author, podcaster, motivational speaker, life coach, hypnotherapist and world traveller who has visited more than 100 countries and speaks six languages. For over four decades, she has explored the world as an international tour guide, conference interpreter, and curious adventurer, collecting unforgettable stories, cultural insights, and life lessons from every corner of the globe. A passionate believer that life begins at the end of our comfort zone, Elizabeth inspires others to embrace curiosity, courage, and the transformative power of travel. Elizabeth lives in Cyprus with her husband, Hector, and believe that the greatest souvenirs are not things, but the stories we collect along the way.

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One Suitcase 1000 Stories

Travel Tales, Wild Adventures and the Art of saying YES to Life

by Elisabeth Villiger Toufexis

Reviews, Awards & Endorsements

Article in the most read English Speaking Newspaper in Cyprus

One single phone call led to a series of life changing steps for one local woman. She tells her tale in One Suitcase, 1000 Stories

Villiger Toufexis’ love for travelling began long before her decision to write a book. At 16, she took her first flight, with her aunt, an experience she still remembers vividly.

Elisabeth and her new book

“I had one phone call with the owner of the agency and travelled there without really knowing what I was getting myself into,” she says.

Having encountered people from a wide variety of cultures during her travels, ...

Review

Author

Elisabeth Villiger Toufexis

Current Licenses

🌍 World Wide Rights Available