Industry Insights: What would you say to Google engineers?
Dear friends in travel,
It's not every day you get to meet directly with the engineers at Google for a frank discussion about accountability and equity in Google Search...but that's exactly what I just did.
This month, I had the most special opportunity to address the Google Search and Google Travel teams directly at their offices in Cambridge, MA, to talk about some of the lessons from my book, Wander Woman.
So many of the issues about how we perceive women travelers (as young, able-bodied, skinny, happy women on mountaintops with tiny backpacks, perhaps, or as a small niche of the travel industry, maybe, or even as a group of people for whom safety always is and will be the #1 travel concern) start and end with the vicious cycle of search.
Do we fear solo travel because it's dangerous? Or do we believe it's dangerous because the search results tell us it is when we Google it?
When asked to have fewer stock photos of young skinny women in search results under 'women travelers' one of the senior engineers said, "Well that's easy; we can fix that."
Let me tell you, I have never heard such a liberating statement in all my years working at Wanderful. Apparently, all we had to do was just find the right people to tell.
There were a few other issues I brought up, and I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments of this discussion.
In this edition of Industry Insights, you can expect curated travel news you need to know, events you should attend, and creative solutions for making the travel industry better.
Warmly,
Founder and CEO, Wanderful
?? Last Call to Host WITS 2027
If you represent a destination, get your team on board to host the WITS Travel Creator Summit in 2027! We're accepting proposals and looking forward to bringing 500+ creators to highlight another locale.
WITS Host Destinations can expect:
Around $800k worth of content generated, with some destinations reporting a 10x ROI
Over $600k in local economic impact during WITS
Over $200k in sponsorship benefits through our 5-year collaboration
...and so much more
领英推荐
? Plan Ahead for Women's History Month
We're working on a big Women's History Month activation centered on the Woman-Owned Map, which is the world's first interactive map of woman-owned businesses, powered by Seeker .
In March 2025, we're launching a check-in challenge to activate more support for woman-owned businesses in cities across the US.
Get your city included in this huge campaign! Get in touch with Lauren Mae Cavallero to find out more.
Meet Us at the Travel & Adventure Show
The annual Travel & Adventure Show is one of our favorite event series as we meet thousands of travel-loving women and allies across 9 cities in 3 months. In January, we hope to see you in Atlanta (11-12 Jan) and NYC (25-26 Jan)!
Stop by the Wanderful booth to say hello and you're invited to join our Women in Travel Meetups in each city to chat and connect with local content creators and travel lovers.
Hope to see you there!
?? For Your Calendar
Spotlight on: Pamela García
Chief Travel Planner Wanderful
Want to bring 25 Wanderful travelers to experience your destination? Pam García can make it happen! Pam plans all of our group trips and Wanderful Global Meetups, which are lightly curated gatherings exclusively for Wanderful members.
We partner with woman-owned tour operators and with DMOs to create customized itineraries highlighting local women and organizations.
Check out our upcoming trips and get in touch with Pam if you're interested in partnering with Wanderful.
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