In honor of Pride month in June, Trade Secrets co-hosts Jamie Biesiada and Emma Weissmann are tackling some listener questions on LGBTQ+ travel with the help of Kelli Carpenter, co-founder of R Family Vacations and a travel advisor with Tzell Travel Group, and Rick Stiffler, senior vice president of global leisure sales at Preferred Hotels and Resorts. In this episode, they talk about how to market to the LGBTQ+ community the right way, how to vet a property to make sure it’s right for their LGBTQ+ travelers, trans-friendly destinations and more.

In this episode:
1:51 - Meet this week’s guests, Kelli Carpenter and Rick Stiffler
6:27 - How Kelli and Rick met
7:51 - Our first listener question: How can you best market to the LGBTQ+ community? Hint: don’t logo-slap!
17:16 - What should travel advisors look out for at a resort or property to make sure it’s an enjoyable and inclusive experience?
20:12 - What does Kelli recommend advisors ask hotels about inclusivity?
23:28 - What are the top Pride events and destinations for the summer? What are some particularly LGBTQ+ friendly destinations in general?
29:54 - Destinations that are open will undoubtedly be busy this summer. What is availability like right now?
32:40 - What destinations are particularly welcome to transgender travelers, specifically?
36:30 - There’s a lot of anti-transgender legislation cropping up in the U.S. Has that cropped up with any of Kelli’s clients yet? What’s her advice to other advisors when it comes to really thorny issues like that?
38:26 - An important reminder: Pride isn’t just for June

Further resources:

R Family Vacations

Preferred Hotels and Resorts

Preferred Pride

The forgotten T

The state of LGBTQ+ family travel today

Transgender travelers face unique challenges

What makes Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara two of Mexico’s most LGBTQ-friendly destinations?

Welcome change

Underrepresented LGBTQ community an untapped market

Ft. Lauderdale features transgender models in new ads

Need advice?

Email us: tradesecrets@travelweekly.com 

Theme song:

Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In honor of Pride month in June, Trade Secrets co-hosts Jamie Biesiada and Emma Weissmann are tackling some listener questions on LGBTQ+ travel with the help of Kelli Carpenter, co-founder of R Family Vacations and a travel advisor with Tzell Travel Group, and Rick Stiffler, senior vice president of global leisure sales at Preferred Hotels and Resorts. In this episode, they talk about how to market to the LGBTQ+ community the right way, how to vet a property to make sure it&rsquo;s right for their LGBTQ+ travelers, trans-friendly destinations and more.
<hr>
In this episode:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">1:51 - Meet this week&rsquo;s guests, Kelli Carpenter and Rick Stiffler</li>
<li aria-level="1">6:27 - How Kelli and Rick met</li>
<li aria-level="1">7:51 - Our first listener question: How can you best market to the LGBTQ+ community? Hint: don&rsquo;t logo-slap!</li>
<li aria-level="1">17:16 - What should travel advisors look out for at a resort or property to make sure it&rsquo;s an enjoyable and inclusive experience?</li>
<li aria-level="1">20:12 - What does Kelli recommend advisors ask hotels about inclusivity?</li>
<li aria-level="1">23:28 - What are the top Pride events and destinations for the summer? What are some particularly LGBTQ+ friendly destinations in general?</li>
<li aria-level="1">29:54 - Destinations that are open will undoubtedly be busy this summer. What is availability like right now?</li>
<li aria-level="1">32:40 - What destinations are particularly welcome to transgender travelers, specifically?</li>
<li aria-level="1">36:30 - There&rsquo;s a lot of anti-transgender legislation cropping up in the U.S. Has that cropped up with any of Kelli&rsquo;s clients yet? What&rsquo;s her advice to other advisors when it comes to really thorny issues like that?</li>
<li aria-level="1">38:26 - An important reminder: Pride isn&rsquo;t just for June</li>
</ul>
<hr>
Further resources:
<a href="https://www.rfamilyvacations.com/">R Family Vacations</a>
<a href="https://preferredhotels.com/">Preferred Hotels and Resorts</a>
<a href="https://preferredhotels.com/offer/preferred-pride">Preferred Pride</a>
<a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/The-forgotten-T-Transgender-travelers-still-struggle-with-inclusivity">The forgotten T</a>
<a href="https://www.travelagewest.com/Travel/Family-Travel/The-State-of-LGBTQ-Family-Travel-Today">The state of LGBTQ+ family travel today</a>
<a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Transgender-travelers-face-unique-challenges">Transgender travelers face unique challenges</a>
<a href="https://www.travelagewest.com/Travel/Mexico/Puerto-Vallarta-Guadalajara-Mexico-LGBTQ-Travel">What makes Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara two of Mexico&rsquo;s most LGBTQ-friendly destinations?</a>
<a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Welcome-change-Travel-LGBTQ-community">Welcome change</a>
<a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Underrepresented-LGBTQ-community-an-untapped-market">Underrepresented LGBTQ community an untapped market</a>
<a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/North-America-Travel/Ft-Lauderdale-features-transgender-models-in-new-ads">Ft. Lauderdale features transgender models in new ads</a>
<hr>
Need advice?
Email us: <a href="mailto:tradesecrets@travelweekly.com">tradesecrets@travelweekly.com </a>
<hr>
Theme song:
Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
&nbsp;
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Trade Secrets, a podcast from the editors of Travel Weekly and TravelAge West, where travel advisors ask -- and answer -- questions. On each podcast, our editors will ask a veteran travel advisor to join them and field listeners’ questions. Topics will range from business advice to industry trends, history and more — as long as it’s travel-related, we want to address it! Find Trade Secrets wherever you get your podcasts, or at travelweekly.com/podcasts.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS:

Jamie Biesiada is a senior editor with Travel Weekly. She is an award-winning journalist, including being named the American Society of Travel Advisors’ 2019 Travel Journalist of the Year. Her roots are in community journalism, where she was the editor of several local newspapers and a regional entertainment magazine.

Emma Weissmann is a Senior Editor of TravelAge West, a print and online magazine for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the host of the Humans of Travel podcast, where she interviews notable individuals in the travel industry about their lives — the highs and lows that make them human.


Theme song:
Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information

Welcome to Trade Secrets, a podcast from the editors of Travel Weekly and TravelAge West, where travel advisors ask -- and answer -- questions. On each podcast, our editors will ask a veteran travel advisor to join them and field listeners&rsquo; questions. Topics will range from business advice to industry trends, history and more &mdash; as long as it&rsquo;s travel-related, we want to address it! Find Trade Secrets wherever you get your podcasts, or at <a href="http://travelweekly.com/podcasts">travelweekly.com/podcasts</a>.
<hr>
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS:
Jamie Biesiada is a senior editor with Travel Weekly. She is an award-winning journalist, including being named the American Society of Travel Advisors&rsquo; 2019 Travel Journalist of the Year. Her roots are in community journalism, where she was the editor of several local newspapers and a regional entertainment magazine.
Emma Weissmann is a Senior Editor of TravelAge West, a print and online magazine for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the host of the Humans of Travel podcast, where she interviews notable individuals in the travel industry about their lives &mdash; the highs and lows that make them human.
<hr>
 Theme song: Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod Link: <a href="https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop">https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop</a> License: <a href="https://filmmusic.io/standard-license">https://filmmusic.io/standard-license</a>
<hr>
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information

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