The Trip Doctor Podcast The Trip Doctor

In many western societies, there are a lot of things that are sometimes thought of as strange when they are done by yourself. Going out to a restaurant, seeing a movie, and taking a trip all fit that bill. For women, there is sometimes a stigma around traveling alone in particular. There are a huge number of barriers to solo female travel, from societal norms to safety concerns to cultures that don’t quite approve of women doing things alone. My guest today is Dr. Keri Schwab. Keri is a professor at Cal Poly San Louis Obispo. Keri has recently conducted a series of studies about solo female travelers on social media networks, and she has found that although many more women  

The tourism workplace is fast paced and always on. During holiday periods when most people are taking their vacations, people who work in the tourism industry are at their busiest. There has recently been a movement toward understanding and promoting equality in the workplace, and tourism is no different. Researchers are constantly trying to understand how the tourism workplace can be more equitable for people of all genders, races, and sexualities, just to name a few. My guest today is Dr. Inês Carvalho. Inês is an Assistant Professor at Universidade Europeia in Lisbon, Portugal. Her research interests include areas such as tourism and gender, languages and tourism, and literary tourism. She has recently devoted her time to understanding gender in hospitality and tourism management and has found that hidden discrimination toward women in the workplace is largely connected to societal norms that linger from the past.

A variety of places in the world have recently moved towards

equality for LGBTQI+ people – from the legalization of gay marriage to the

focus on equality from many major corporate entities, things seem to be slowly

getting better. But what about the travel world? Has social progress led to better

travel conditions for LGBTQI+ travelers? My guests today are Dr. Clifford Lewis

from Charles Sturt University and Dr. Faith Ong from the University of

Queensland. Clifford and Faith have been studying LGBTQI+ travel in Australia

and Singapore for the past several years. I caught up with them at the TTRA international

conference in Melbourne this summer to talk about the issues that LGBTQI+

travelers face, including being lumped together as if they are one homogeneous

group. They also discuss what you can do as a traveler to be an ally on the

road.

One of the main motivations for travel is to experience the unknown. Some people travel to learn about new cultures, others travel to eat new food, still others travel to meet new people. You might think that people who have a dislike or prejudice against people from other places, also known as xenophobes, then wouldn’t be interested in traveling to other countries. However, my guest on the podcast today, Dr. Florian Kock from the Copenhagen Business School, has done a series of studies that says otherwise. He says historically that xenophobia is rooted in evolutionary biology, and that in the past, a fear of the ‘other’ was actually a healthy response because people who were different could potentially be a threat. These days having a little bit of xenophobia is normal, but being aware of how you feel and reflecting on it can help you overcome your fears, and there are certain types of travel, like group tours, that can help you experience different cultures in a less risky way.

With the incredible popularity of online travel booking websites like Expedia, AirBnB, and Kayak, you’d be justified in thinking that travel agents are a thing of the past. While the traditional travel agent who simply books your tickets for you has essentially disappeared, many have changed gears to provide products or services that go above and beyond what you could get if you booked a trip by yourself. From credit at the spa to upgraded rooms or seats to private wine tastings in some of the most exclusive cellars in the world, travel advisors are creating customized itineraries that fit you and your travel party like a glove. My guest today is Caitlin Hoffmann, Owner and operator of Wandering Eye Co and Travel Advisor. She’s been creating specialized itineraries for her clients over the last several years, and is here to shed light on how travel advisors can bring you experiences and value above and beyond what you’d normally expect on a trip. For her, the process all starts with getting to know your traveler personality better.

Nudist travel is about pushing back against the societal norms which those of us in the textiled world face every day. Norms that tell us about our social status and gender. Norms that tell us what is cool and what isn't. Norms that tell us we need to look a certain way or be uncomfortable with the way our bodies look. My guest on this podcast episode is Dr. Carlos Monterrubio, a professor at the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico. He's been conducting research on the nudist travel movement over the past several years, and has discovered that it is about so much more than just getting naked on the beach.