Category: Podcast

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  

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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In this episode of The Trip Doctor Podcast, I talk with University of Hawaii at Manoa professor Mary Mostafanezhad about the do’s and don’ts of volunteer tourism. Hint: there are plenty of great ways you can help out in all sorts of travel destinations, but taking pictures with impoverished children in less developed countries doesn’t really help anyone.

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From Napa and Sonoma to Bordeaux, Champagne, and Chianti, the wine tasting experience is pretty similar. You go to the tasting room, see their decorations, taste their wines, and maybe see some of the vineyards out the window. Many of us have had this experience before. But the winemaking process is about so much more than just the final product. How many of us have talked to the family who owns the winery? The farmer who grew the grapes? The winemaker who decided on the blend? How many of us have held the soil in our hands? My guest today is Dr. Byron Marlowe from Washington State University Tri-Cities. He has recently worked toward understanding and creating tourism experiences that go beyond what is in the wine glass to get to know the story behind the wine. All of the elements of the terroir, he argues, will tell you a lot more about how what is in your glass came to be, and create a more authentic and memorable experience.

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You may have seen them on the roads. They’re the ones in converted busses, refurbished vans, and sometimes regular old RVs. They’re the ones living on the cheap in Southeast Asia or working in the rapidly expanding network of co-working spaces across the globe. They’re the ones who have sold their houses and most of their possessions in exchange for the freedom to roam wherever the road may take them. They’re the ones who are working in the ‘gig economy,’ coding the websites that you browse, creating the apps you use, designing the graphics you see, and writing the stories you read. They’re the ones with little stability, but vast amounts of freedom to be where they want to be, when they want to be there. They are digital nomads. Have you ever thought about ditching your 9-5, selling your possessions, and joining the ranks of the digital nomad movement? Tune in and listen to my interview with Sam Matthew, legal counsel for from Remote Year, about being a digital nomad himself, some of the legal fine print to think about, and how he is helping to write new immigration laws to bring regulation up to speed with how work gets done in the 21^st century.

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The Trip Doctor Podcast is ringing in 2019 with a lineup of great new guests and a shorter format for an easier listening experience. Listen in for a sneak preview of the first three episodes – all about being a digital nomad, wine (and terroir!), and volunteer tourism.

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