Soul of Travel 200th Episode Celebration with Christine Winebrenner Irick

In this episode of Soul of Travel, Season 6: Women's Wisdom + Mindful Travel, presented by @journeywoman_original, Christine shares a soulful celebration with past guests.

This episode features clips from the most-listened-to episodes in every season of Soul of Travel, plus accolades from guests and Soul of Travel supporters!

Featuring:

Season 1 - Gabi Stowell, ATTA (Episode #1)

Season 2 - Beth Santos (Episode #53)

Season 3 - Nora Livingstone (Episode #86)

Season 4 - Shay Sane (Episode #131)

Season 5 - Dawn Booker (Episode #153)

With Celebratory Commentary From:

Becki Rupp, Trailblazer Wellness

Megan Ryder-Burbidge, Sororal Travel

Carla Campos, Tourism for Purpose

Iris Serbanescu, wmnsWORK

Tara Busch, Conscious Travel Collective

Vanessa Karel, Greet Her

Fernanda Villacis, Neotropic Expeditions

Jo Swann, Adventures in Borneo

To read our episode blog post, access a complete transcript, see full show notes, and find resources and links mentioned in this episode, head to the Soul of Travel Website. 

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• 21:13 (Cont.) Soul of Travel 200th Episode Celebration with Christine Winebrenner Irick

Transcript

Welcome to Soul of Travel, Women's Wisdom and Mindful Travel. I'm your host, Christine Weinbrenner Eirich. Each week, you'll hear me having soulful conversations with women who are tourism professionals, trailblazers, and community leaders around the world. They share their personal and professional journeys to inspire you, and their stories teach you how to become a more conscious traveler, live life aligned with your values, and create a positive impact.

We are thought leaders, action takers, and heart centered change makers, and this is the Soul of Travel.

Hi, Soul of Travel listeners, I am so happy to be here with you today to celebrate 200 episodes of the podcast. This is so exciting, because back when I started, I remember looking at some of the goals on my hosting platform site goals like 20 episodes 50 or even 100 and thinking, Wow, that would be something.

And reaching 10, 000 lifetime downloads? That would be cool. And here we are, taking the time to realize that this is a place few podcasters reach. Less than 3 percent of podcasts have more than 200 episodes. And we've actually received almost 37, 000 lifetime downloads in 126 countries since we started. I look at the list of guests I have connected with and feel so proud to have woven this community of world changing women in tourism together.

And I have so many thanks to give to you. For listening and sharing what these conversations have meant to you over the past four years. In this episode, I'm going to share a few outtakes from our most popular episodes that I love, as well as some messages from past guests. However, before I get too far into the episode, I wanted to let you know that while we are celebrating here on the podcast today, there is also a chance for you to join me, past guests and patrons to celebrate.

You're invited to join our 200 episode virtual gathering on November 14th from 10am to 11am mountain. You can visit souloftravelpodcast. com slash events to sign up today. I also wanted to share a little bit about the Women in Podcasting Award. I know I was sharing all over my website and during episodes to ask you to vote for Soul of Travel podcast in the travel category.

So to give you an update, we didn't win. And if I'm honest, I was pretty disappointed. I really thought we stood a great chance. However, this really still feels like a win to me because what it did was allow me to see all of the support for the podcast come to life. All of the comments from people who said they voted, who were sharing the podcast, all the people celebrating and supporting me for the nomination standing beside me and behind me, hoping to see this podcast be acknowledged.

So while we didn't win, I feel like that is honestly even more important. To just see the way that this community has continued to grow and support me and each other is really important and really is the point of the podcast. So I'll take time to acknowledge a bit of disappointment as I said, but really to celebrate the win of Coming together and supporting women in the industry whether we received an award or not.

One last thing I have to share before we begin is that I just launched a buy me a coffee account. This account makes it so that you can easily support the show. I have already had a few donations and would like to take a moment to thank those supporters. First up, I want to thank my dear friend, Erica Sheehan, for always standing beside me and supporting me and for contributing to the show.

While it isn't one of our beloved in person coffees and walks, it It's a treasure just the same. I also want to thank Vanessa Carroll of GreetHer, who you'll hear from later, for her support, her continued conversations and brainstorming about the way we can lift each other up, and for her contribution to the podcast.

I also want to thank someone who I'm grateful to have in my circle through our connections in the adventure travel space, who has also been a past guest, is a friend, and an inspiration to me. Thank you, Nori Quintos, for contributing and helping me to bring this podcast to life. Every donation on Buy Me a Coffee helps to offset the production costs and keep me going.

And due to financial situations that have changed recently on my end, I truly need your support more than ever. You can visit buymeacoffee. com slash soul of travel podcast to make your donation. And if you're interested in advertising or sponsoring the podcast or making a larger donation as a patron, please just reach out.

You can use my new email soul of travel podcast at gmail. com. Okay, let's get into the celebration part of this episode. Looking back at the top episodes from each season, it is great to see how the overall content of the podcast has taken shape and built on each other. During the early days of the podcast and the early days of the pandemic, we began by focusing on what travel really means to the world.

Then season two began focusing on the voices of women in travel. In season three, we focused on shaping our future. And season four, we took a look at the ways women are influencing change in the world. And then in season five, we looked at what seemed to be the most important themes to our guests and listeners and realized we wanted to celebrate both women's wisdom and the ways we can be more mindful and intentional when we travel.

That focus on women's wisdom and mindful travel carries into this sixth season, which just began in mid October. As I mentioned, for this episode, I'm going to share some of my favorite moments from the most listened to episodes of each of the past five seasons, as well as a few fun messages from some of our past guests who wanted to be a part of this celebration.

Up first, we're going to go all the way back to Season 1 and to our first episode, which is the most listened to episode of Season 1. That conversation was with Gabby Stoll, who is currently the Vice President of Regional Development at Adventure Travel Trade Association. Again, she and I talked way back in 2020.

She was my first interview here at Soul of Travel, and as luck would have it, she was the perfect person to start with. It set the stage for what the podcast would eventually become. In this clip, she talks about using tourism as a tool for investment in local communities and supporting women in the industry.

think, uh, uh, tourism has been always a very male oriented industry, especially on decision making and big corporations, mass tourism especially too.

Like when we did all our studies, we, we could see that more jobs were generated and more jobs for women were generated because you're going through the communities, you're staying sometimes in a small boutique, you're buying handcrafts, you're learning a cooking class, um, and not only that, but also.

Women have in communities a voice and they have decision making, they have leadership in most of the communities. And, um, I've seen and I've been through like talking to ministers and you go to like tourism events. It's a bunch of suits and a bunch of guys and then you see one woman here over there. Uh, it's a very male oriented industry, even though, you know, it's a service industry.

And, you know, like naturally the women, we are so powerful and we, we can lead, we can host, we can. Like, you know, it's just so much for, for. for the industry to learn from us. So equal pay is definitely a problem in the tourism industry. Um, and so I think we need to, uh, start thinking about that and changing those things too with intention again.

And, uh, just being aware that, um, we're, we shouldn't just have like low pay income in the tourism industry. Uh, women, uh, we are equals and we can do every type. We can be ministers of tourism, we can be presidents, we can be, um, you know, director of a big hotel chain and whatever, why not? Not being looking down or getting less paid.

So there is we can be a tool for that. Um, but I again, again, and we're going to need the intention again. So, yes, let's, uh, and there are beautiful projects. There are tons of in Brazil. We have tons of beautiful community based tourism. Peru is a great example where you see the empowerment of women and how.

That has changed the economy and leadership examples and how that changed. Uh, it's proven so many studies that if you have more women in leadership in your company in any type of business, you do better. So stop being so macho macho and bring women in.

Yeah, I, I have definitely noticed that myself. I mean, I have been in different areas of the tourism industry for almost 20 years and I have definitely felt that moment, especially when I was younger and. Not as confident walking into a room of, of all men in suits and just, uh, wondering if I belong there, which is really difficult and, um, and having to overcome that, um, And I do feel really, um, blessed that I'm in the segment that we're in, where I feel like this kind of more conscious brand of tourism is much more open to supporting women in the industry.

But I also remember, um, and I think you and I talked about this the 1st time that I went to the adventure travel summit and, um. And there was two women that got up and spoke. And it was the first time that I actually could envision myself as a leader in the industry and, and really hadn't seen anyone that I could look up to in, in that way.

And I just, it finally gave me permission to even dream it. Um, so I think I've had experiences where I wasn't being heard, you know, because, um, they were asking my colleague, which was a guy and the guy actually to his credit. And, uh, was like, no, you should ask her. She's, she knows more than this element than I do.

And the, the, you know, the people are like, okay. And like, listen to me for a second. I went back to the guy, uh, you know, and I've seen that happen. And, uh, I think I, it's an invitation for the guys out there to like, to be aware and what my colleague did to me and. actually empowered me in front of these other people, you should be doing too.

And, and just noticing those things because it's so like, uh, in, inside our cultures now that, you know, especially in some regions of the world, which is more, uh, that it's normal, right? You don't have Don't let the women have a voice. So don't pay the same or, uh, just don't, don't treat them as equals. And, um, again, the intention word, I think that that's the word of our talk today for how to summarize, and I hope guys out there have the intention to keep an eye and looking around if your colleagues, your female colleagues are being treated right with respect and being listened to and not main explained and all those things, just like really.

Giving them the voice. And I think, um, I see that more in a community based and last master is, but we all should learn and we all. Go back and forth and we all make mistakes, you know, but uh intention just have that in the back of your head saying all right, I'll keep a look. 

 Beth Santos has been a returning guest here on the podcast. Something extra special about celebrating Beth is celebrating who she is for women in travel. She is a friend, a mentor, Colleague and inspiration, not only to me, but many other guests here on soul of travel podcast. I began asking each guest who is one woman they would like to recognize and shine a light on from the tourism industry in their episode.

And Beth is one of the most acknowledged women. Here is a clip from her most listened to conversation of episode two, talking about the idea of women's travel being. A niche and how that conversation has evolved since the time she launched wonderful.

there were a few years ago I was on a radio show in Chicago and, um, and the host, you know, it was actually, it was a great show.

It was on public radio. It was all about, you know, the worldly things. And, um, and he brought me on and he went. Uh, yeah. Women in travel. Like that's a really interesting niche, you know, why'd you pick that? And I was just, and I was very like, you know, I just kind of went off, but then I kind of thought about it later and I went niche, we're like the majority of the market.

Did you know that? You know? And, and yeah, to your point, I mean, 80%. Some say 85 now of travel decisions are made by women. Like let that sink in for a minute. And even think about, you know, the context in which that's the case. It's not just that women are the only ones traveling. It's that women are a lot of the times still the decision makers in households.

There's still the decision makers in terms of travel booking, you know, we still have a lot of people who are assistants or receptionists, or, you know, um, kind of in that role of like booking a corporate flight. Um, and so it is women who are pushing the purchase button and deciding where to go and what to do.

And, um, and in cheekily will say. You should only focus on women. In fact, there's no reason to target any other demographic, but just women, because we are the majority of the decisions. Um, but you know, to your point, it was, there has, and still, I think there is definitely a disconnect between how big of a space we occupy and how small we're perceived to be.

I think women in travel is still very much considered. This sort of niche conversation of, you know, so here's travel. And then like, here's like women's travel, which is bikinis and safety tips. And that's about it. And there are so many things that are extremely important and relevant. To women's experiences, um, around the world, whether that's related to biology that some women have, whether it's related to cultural norms and gender expectations, whether it's related to, uh, dressing appropriately, um, In different places.

And those things are not talked about enough. Um, there have though, as you said, been a rise in women's focused travel, whether that's group trips, whether that's focused on solo travel. I think there's some crazy number that I cannot remember that they were saying about Google search results. I think between 2019 and 2020, Google search results for solo female travel increased like 250%.

Some, some really wild number like that. And, um, and I think that's happening for a number of reasons. I think things like, you know, when wild came out and eat, pray, love came out. I think a lot of women were kind of inspired by that and felt like, okay, it's time to do that. I think women are more economically independent.

I think women are. You know, in the solo travel space, more likely to travel, um, before or after having a family. So kind of before, or, you know, when they're empty nesters. But I also think that now we're seeing a lot more families that are getting out there. And I think the way that the world is evolving.

And even, especially in the last year with remote work being an option that wasn't an option before, I think more and more families are taking the opportunity to say, okay, rather than staying at home, why don't we just make home everywhere and just travel, you know, or, or relocate. Um, so I do think that there is definitely an increase in resources and support for women.

I also still think that the industry as a whole is still very far behind. Um, decisions in the travel industry are still predominantly made by white men. And when we talk about women at Wonderful, we also talk about different intersectionalities under womanhood. So, you know, whether you are, um, uh, non binary or gender nonconforming, whether you're a trans woman, whether you are a black woman, whether you are an Asian woman, I mean, any sort of like combination of that, I think is also forgotten.

Sometimes we think about women's travel and we, you know, Typically talk about white women's travel and there's so much more that can be talked about there. Um, and I think more that can be focused on. And so the, one of the hopes that I have is to really make travel more integrated and more inclusive by first looking at who is making those travel decisions in the industry.

And who is representing the industry. And that's actually why we do a lot of work with content creators and influencers, because in my world, they are the grassroots voices of the traveler. You know, they're able to speak to and represent the traveler better than a lot of other people can. Um, I would put actually tour small tour operators in that category as well.

You know, who have that influence. Um, and, and I think the more we can get those voices lifted and the more we can make sure that on the board, I can't tell you how many travel companies still have extremely homogenous boards, extremely homogenous. You know, C suites, we have to start promoting more women, getting more diversity into these spaces, because right now there are a lot of people who don't feel that travel is for them.

And there are a lot of things that we need to do to make travel better for everyone. And it starts with the industry in a lot of ways. And when I say industry, I mean, all of us, because even our, even I think in, I know I'm like getting on a tangent and then I don't stop. Beautiful tangent. Travelers are investors in the industry more than many other industries.

There are few places where one individual consumer is going to spend thousands of dollars at one time. And the travel industry is one. So I think when we talk about changing the industry, it also means changing how we talk to our consumers and about our consumers and what our consumers are taking as their responsibility.

Because every time you book a trip, you are voting for how travel should be run. And What types of companies should be out there? What kinds of regulations there should be? What kinds of, um, environments should be created for people who work in hospitality? You're voting. And so we have to be very thoughtful as travelers and we're not used to doing that.

We're used to thinking of travel as an essential And being like, I'm not going to worry about the issues of the world. I'm going to go on vacation and have somebody else take care of it for me. But leaning in means being responsible and doing as much as you can research about where you're spending your money, because that's what the, what travel is going to be in the future and what the world is going to be in the future.

It's the biggest industry in the world. 

 I am so grateful for the amazing community of women who have joined me on this journey, not only as guests, but as listeners, fans, and patrons of the podcast. This is an incredibly inspiring group of women who truly show up for me and others and continue to work to create an impact in the world. Here are a few of their acknowledgments and well wishes for achieving 200 episodes.

Hello, everyone. My name is Megan Ryder Burbidge, and I'm the CEO and founder of Sororal, a femme focused travel and advocacy brand offering mindful, meaningful, and memorable experiences for the modern female traveler. Before you dive into this episode, I wanted to give a huge shout out to my incredible friend, Christine, for hitting the massive milestone of 200 episodes on Soul of Travel podcast.

Christine, you are the absolute definition of women supporting women, and your work is a testament to how powerful we are when we amplify each other's voices. Congratulations, girl, and here's to many more episodes of breaking barriers and redefining what it means to travel on our own terms.

My name is Vanessa Garel. I'm the founder of GreetHer and I'm based in San Francisco. GreetHer is a travel marketplace that helps women travel safer and with more confidence by connecting them with verified local women around the world.

We're in over a hundred countries. We love supporting women. And that is why I love. This podcast, solo travel podcast is a great community in which you get inspiration every second you're listening to. Plus, we all know Christine's voice is amazing to listen to. But what I love the most about it is that you get to hear about everybody's beautiful and different journeys and how they're making a great impact in travel.

Thank you so much. I love to keep listening to you.

 Going back to past seasons is always so fun for me. I have had so many great conversations, I sometimes forget all that I have heard along the way. Our most listened to conversation of season three features Nora Livingstone, CEO and co founder of Animal Experience International. This was such a brilliant conversation.

I loved how Nora jumped in, no holding back, and allowed for such value to come through. In this clip, she talks about consent based tourism.

So we made up a term called consent based tourism. And, um, it is really, it is just that. We don't always have language. We don't really understand. But, uh, thankfully, we're all learning, um, more and more about consent. And we're all, um, understanding consent more and more. And so it, um, it came through the pandemic.

I was, I was giving a lot of talks to universities and colleges. And one day I kind of just said like, Oh, you know, like consent. And I was like, wait, and it was that thing that just like, Oh, it's so easy. Of course, consent should be a pillar of everything we do, but we had just never talked about it in that way, and consensus sort of thought in this other way, but, you know, when I hear you speak, I just think even more about this thing I invented, but when we, so when we talk about, uh, consent based tourism, it's sort of like a triangle, there's three actors, and the first I say is, like, the local community, are they Is it a full body yes?

Do they actually want you there? During the pandemic, there were a number of countries that were saying, uh, tourists could come and they wanted tourists to come. And then I would call our local communities and our partners and say, do you want tourists? And they would say, no. We cannot keep people safe.

Please do not. We need tourism, but we cannot have it right now. Yeah, for sure. Absolutely. I'll listen. And then because we work with animals, the other side of the triangle is the animals. And this is something that I, in part, try to impart to everyone that I talk to. Is the experience, the interaction that you're having with the animal, you can tell it's consensual because they can leave.

They're not in a cage, they're not on a tether, they're not on a, um, a leash if they're a domestic animal, it's a little bit different. Um, but for wildlife, if you are walking down the beach and someone has parrots in a cage and you get to like touch it or take a picture of it, Is that a consensual interaction?

Of course, it's not if a parrot is on a tree and you're talking to it and it, you know, kind of squawks back and you take a picture that's consensual. It can leave at any time. And so it's a really easy way again, if you're not traveling with a, you're just traveling, you're not sure if something like, looks really good with animals, you know, if it is.

If it has chains, not consensual, it's going to make you feel gross later. And then the third corner is yourself, you know, you keep on saying you had this feeling and you weren't sure and like, that's your self, that is your true self, not consenting to the experience and saying, I don't know what it is, I don't have the language, I haven't spent 10 or 20 years thinking about the ethics of society and philosophy.

So I don't have the language, but my heart knows that I shouldn't be here and later, I should ask questions because if I ask a question now, maybe I'll feel bad, but I will feel bad no matter what the truth will come out. And if I ask it now, maybe there can be a remedy now. Maybe something can happen that, um, that there can be reconciliation.

Down the road, I may not ever go to that country, see those people, have those individual humans with me again, and so it is about in all your interactions in life, all of them should be consensual, and when you're traveling, it doesn't mean You're on a tour bus. Someone else is driving. Every single interaction can also be consensual and And it can seem really weighty and it can seem really heavy.

But when you get a full body Yes from from another human from a community from an animal It's amazing and you don't have that asterisk of feeling not great. You go. This is what travel feels like Should be, because this is us communing together and, and, you know, just being humans and, and truly sharing.

Um, and I think that is, is what I get really excited about when I talk about consent based tourism or ethics or anything, when people have those stories of an animal went up to me and nuzzled and then ran away. And for the rest of your life, You will have that magical feeling, not the, I swam with a dolphin.

It felt kind of weird. I don't tell people about it. You don't have shame when everyone is consenting. 

 If you're loving hearing these past episodes, In our hearing from some of these guests for the first time, I'll be sure to link their episodes in the show notes so you can go back and hear all of their full episodes. Now here's a few more messages from our community.

Congratulations to Christine and the Soul of Travel podcast for hitting your 200th episode. This milestone, I think really shows how much these conversations mean to people, how needed it is, how many voices out there long to be heard. And the way that Christine conducts these interviews takes people into places that are very intimate, very real, very soulful, and, um, you know, Really helps create the space that for listeners, you know, we can go and be inspired or have our curiosity just totally take off in an unexpected direction with new information, new perspective, new insights, and voices from people that are in the industry or representing communities or taking on these endeavors, large and small.

That really do beautiful work. Um, that gives so much food for thought for folks in the industry and for travelers. Um, which, you know, if you're in the industry, you're a traveler. So, uh, it's a beautiful community. I'm so happy to see the success. And I know that there's going to be much more ahead, um, and here celebrating and cheering you on.

So cheers.

Hi, it's Christine. Jumping in here for just a moment to invite you, my community of listeners, to join me to celebrate a milestone coming up here at Soul of Travel Podcast. This fall, we will hit 200 episodes. And to honor this, I'm hosting a virtual gathering on November 14th from 10 a. m. to 11 a. m.

Mountain Time. For past guests. listeners, patrons, and sponsors. I cannot wait to have you all together to be a part of this accomplishment. I wouldn't be here without all of you. To get your invitation, please visit www. souloftravelpodcast. com slash events. Again, that's souloftravelpodcast. com slash events.

Transcripts provided by Transcription Outsourcing, LLC.

Hi, I am Fernanda Villacis, based in Quito, and managing partner at Neotropic Expeditions, a living DMC in Ecuador that specializes in adventure travel and that owns and manages a group of charming hotels in the Galapagos Islands. I love how the Soul of Travel podcast amplifies the voices of remarkable women in our industry, sharing the stories that go beyond inspiration.

It's about their soul, values, and the essence of bold women from every corner of the world. It's amazing to see how many powerful connections and common threads we all share. It's hard to mention the favorite episode. That a very special one for me was Kirsten Gardner episode about immersive travel, human connections, and listening her sharing a very personal, honest, and emotional story.

Congratulations! Felicitaciones, Christine, for this milestone and for all the others to come. It's exciting to learn that Ecuador is one of the top five countries with the most downloads of the podcast. And Quito is the city with the most downloads. It's wonderful to see how the stories shared on Soul of Travel resonate so strongly in my hometown.

 This next clip comes from not only the top episode of season four, but it is the most downloaded episode of the podcast. There is so much goodness in my conversation with Shea Sane, so be sure to go back to episode 131. In this clip, she and I talk about creating out of the box businesses and her business Black Girls on the Go.

Similar to so many of my guests, she shares her journey to create a business that is values aligned, that is unique, the challenges she's faced, and what it feels like as a solo entrepreneur. 

when I started, it was hard, um, because there was nothing like what I wanted, you know, as you're kind of alluded to, so it's almost like. I'm creating a niche, you know, before I jumped into travel, you know, I became a travel agent because I wanted to understand how to book group travel.

And I remember being in some of the training courses, you got to pick a niche, you got to do this, you got to do that, but there's no niche. For this, like transformational travel was just starting. I remember seeing, um, the transformational travel council, you know, that they were just up and running and this is like, like I said 2014.

So it wasn't as big as it is now, like now. I think maybe around 2018 is when I started really started to see people use transformational travel, but there was nobody really doing transformational travel, but now after COVID, it seems to be bigger and a popular word. You understand what I'm saying? Yeah, absolutely.

It's like, you're creating a trend. And for me being that I'm a black entrepreneur, I'm in a travel space, you know, and of course I made, I made the name of the group. Black girl travel movement, I kind of was, I kind of lumped myself into that community, but in reality, I wasn't a part of the black travel community.

Not that I wasn't, but the type of travel I was doing would not, was not just for social travel. It wasn't about taking glamorous pictures for Instagram or social media. It was about mental health and healing. So I never, became a part of that community or that clique or any of that. Like, there have been many articles written about amazing Black travel groups, but you don't see Black girls on the go on that list.

And it's okay because I knew that I was, I have a unique niche. So it's like always in the oddball at school, and it was okay because I love those people. I've had conversations with a lot of those amazing people that are just spearheading that. But it was, it's lonely when you're, you're creating something of your own, or something that's unique but I believed in who I am.

And I know what I do is needed. And the time just shines 

 This next note was emailed to me by Becky Rupp, who is the founder of Trailblazer Wellness. She's also been a great support to me and the podcast, as well as someone who I've partnered with in creating unique experiences at Lotus Sojourns.

She shares, Wow, Christine, 200 episodes is such an amazing accomplishment. It takes tenacity, courage, and commitment to reach this milestone. And the world is a better place because of the ideas, attitudes, and philosophies that you and your guests have shared. You have a gift for drawing out what is meaningful to people and helping them express it in a way that makes an impact.

Every episode I've listened to has inspired me and made me think about how I can be a better traveler and better human. You clearly put your heart, and of course, your soul, into the soul of travel, and the ripple effect of impact reaches farther than you know. Here's to more incredible episodes in the future.

Thank you so much, Becky, for both your kind words and continued support. Our last clip is our most listened to episode from Season 5, where I spoke with Dawn Booker. In our conversation, we discussed the importance of travel values. Here, Dawn shares why equity is so important as she creates her trips for Packlight Global.

Um, for me, it's equity. Um, it's really important because I've been in spaces where I've felt more than and I've been in spaces where I felt less than. And actually neither space was comfortable. Um, so equity is very important to me. Um, as far as the local and indigenous people, I'm interested in economic impact.

So we actually do not do voluntourism at all. Um, we feel like if I'm using a local, uh, local transportation company, if I'm using a local DMC, if I'm using a DMC, and they, so in Tanzania, we use a Tanzanian company in Ghana, in December, we use the Ghanaian company. Um, so we. My values are values that pack light are really around, um, a respect for and, um, a clear understanding of our ability to, um, economically impact the communities in which we visit.

Um, absolutely. Um, respect, um, respect for one another, but also, you know, I'm very clear that, you know, because some people have a different, um, definition of luxury. And so very, in our very first meeting, I, um, distinguish between opulence and luxury and that, you know, opulence is what you see. It's, you know, this expectation that people are going to serve you all day long and, you know, but being in a luxury space for PAC Light is just really being taken care of and being in a space where you feel welcome.

And we've had so many experiences that have felt that way for us. So many, more than, I mean, one or two that have not, but maybe just one really because it's, it's, we've just been, we bring a spirit of joy and happiness and, um, connection and we're, you know, we bring, um, uh, just a, a lightness that, um, allows us to, again, be our full selves but also to be in a space, um, where people see us and the, the colorful, um, if you've seen our website, the colorful photo shoots that we do.

So I initially said that Pack Light was for women of color because it was a play on the words. It's, it's actually created for Black women. But in every city, we do these very public, um, Um, very colorful photo shoots and the people remember that they saw us. Um, recently when I was launching my 2024 trips, um, I did a poll and have a, have a, uh, Google, excuse me.

I have a Facebook group. Um, and I did a poll, and very many wanted to go to Greece. They wanted to do a similar, um, island hopping trip in Greece. Well, at the very same time that I sent out that poll, they were having multiple, there were multiple instances of immigrants that had perished in the waters around, um, around, in and around Greek islands.

And, um, once I put Greece there and I had said that, you know, Greece was one of the places that we were high, you know, was high on our list, one of my travelers said, it doesn't, why would we, as Black women, You know, choose to be in, um, a space that, you know, is having, you know, has all the, has all this, um, these remnants of people who have perished, um, in the waters.

And immediately, I, you know, removed it from consideration, and then I expressed, um, and we made to Greece, you know. I just, I've been to Greece. I'm not, it's nothing against traveling in Greece, but as Black and brown women, you know, for us to know, and it was literally the week of the major, um, which was not, you know, perfect, good timing for me, but it made me feel proud.

that the women that travel with me understand my values. And then I, you know, wrote, um, a pretty long post about why, but it was, you know, on the poll, it was, it ranked the very highest, um, as, as a destination folks wanted to do for 2024. But, um, I was very clear that it did not align with our values and, you know, we couldn't feel comfortable and confident You know, conducting a an island hopping tour and those waters at that time.

So that was an example of when it was kind of spoken back to me what I have been very clear that my values are around local indigenous people, brown people. Because very often when we travel, we're being treated, um, with privilege, with great privilege, um, by people who look just like us. And so, um, I think it's important for us to be, um, stewards of this privilege in a way that, you know, we're remembering, you know, and we are extending, you know, kindness, generosity, not pity, not, um, you know, uh, subordinate, creating a subordinate type experience, but really, um, Creating allyship and creating opportunities to learn about local and indigenous people as opposed to, you know, treating them the way that many other travelers do as servants and not service.

 I hope you enjoyed listening to these outtakes and seeing how our conversations have evolved over the years, as well as gain an understanding of how relevant even the older conversations are to us today. Before we end, I'm going to share just a few more notes of congratulations.

Hi Soul of Travel, this is Karla Campos, Principal of Tourism for Purpose, and I'm based out of San Juan, Puerto Rico. I loved getting open and honest with Christine in episode 133. We did a deep dive on what I do at Tourism for Purpose, but also what I've done over the past 15 years, working as what I could best describe as being a fixer and problem solver.

Who supports our industry and navigating complex development challenges while keeping people planet and profit at the heart of day to day decision making. Christine, congratulations. And thank you for holding space for us. You've created a safe space where over 200 women have been able to share both their power, but also our vulnerabilities in a way that enriches the community that you've created.

but also each and every one of us who has been privileged with getting to know you. Congratulations and here's to the next 200.

My name is Iris Herbanescu, and I'm the founder of Women's Work Tourism Accelerator, the tourism industry's award winning business accelerator program for early stage women and non binary entrepreneurs. I split my time between Barcelona and Toronto. What I love about Soul of Travel is the richness of the conversations.

Conversations that you don't hear anywhere else in the tourism industry. I love the way Christine creates a safe space to allow her guests to share the best and most vulnerable stories. It's a skill that most podcast hosts have yet to master, but Christine does it so, so well. I'm delighted to support Soul of Travel podcast as a podcast ally and support Soul of Travel on its mission to amplify the voices of women in tourism, and I'm so grateful that a space like this exists for all of us.

 Thank you so much for sharing this with me today. And don't forget that you can join me on November 14th for a live virtual gathering. We already have listeners and guests signed up, and it will be the first time bringing together these groups in our community, and I'm really looking forward to that connection.

Be sure to visit the website at souloftravelpodcast. com slash events. And reserve your space before we go. I wanted to remind you that my soulful book sojourn for November and December begins soon, and we will be reading on our best behavior by Elise Lunen. I've been listening to it on Audible because I love listening to her and it's just perfect in her voice.

I am so excited and cannot stop talking about it to anyone who will listen. This is such a perfect book to be reading for the time we are in as well as for understanding and examining where women have lost our voice and power and become conditioned to be good. Many of our past discussions in the book Sojourn have landed on the question of it wasn't always like this How did we get here?

Speaking in terms of gender inequality But also class race and sex my ever learning brain is loving all of the research Elise And yes, I'm going to assume a first name relationship with her has put into the book. I cannot wait to share deep, thoughtful, and probably a few uncomfortable conversations with you.

It's the perfect place for connection, conversation, and growth. And if you'd love to be a part of this Women's Soulful Book Club, it meets November 14th. December 5th and 19th and until November 3rd, you can use the discount. Best 10 to get $10 off the two month journey. Just visit Soul of Travel podcast.com/events.

You'll be directed to my Lotus Sojourns page, and you can use the code Best 10 to get $10 off the two month journey. Thank you again for being here and for being a part of the conversations that elevate women in the tourism industry. I am so proud of this community and how these women show us that we can truly unite, create change and lift one another up.

I hope to see you soon at the virtual celebration and in the Soulful Book Sojourn. Until then, enjoy your journey.