Episode 264 - Soulful Trailblazer Honoree: Grace Philip of Discover Queer Travel
Grace Philip, Founder and CEO of Discover Queer Travel, joins Christine as the Soulful Trailblazer honoree for this week’s soulful conversation, produced in collaboration with Strictly Jane Austen Tours.
We continue our special Soul of Travel series celebrating three extraordinary women who are being recognized as Soulful Trailblazers—women who are creating positive change through travel while opening doors and creating opportunities for others. We are excited to share that we are partnering with friend and colleague Becki Rupp, Founder of Trailblazer Wellness, to honor these trailblazers.
Words of Wisdom
“Did I connect with people? Did I connect with the stories of this place? What am I taking away that is going to influence how I approach problems and people in the future?”
- Grace Philipp
Grace Philipp is the founder and CEO of Discover Queer Travel, which designs bespoke travel experiences around the unique needs of queer women, trans, non-binary and non-cis travelers. Grace's path to Discover Queer Travel winds through a travel agency in Seville, public health and economic development work across Colombia, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, India, and her hometown of NYC, and a decade building social responsibility initiatives across NYC government and corporate America. Wherever she travels, she looks for the same thing: queer spaces where community thrives. Discover Queer Travel aims to turn tourism dollars into economic power for LGBTQ+ organizers and businesses that make destinations welcoming.
While travel has been a part of Grace’s life from a young age – her father’s family is from Chile, and her mother’s family from Italy, with conversations often turning to other places and relatives around the world – her career took her through New York City government, international public health work in Colombia, India, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, and seven years at a large financial institution working in philanthropy and public policy. Throughout, she kept returning to the same question of how to make connection personal while also working at scale. Before her professional career, Grace had taken a gap year that included time in a small village in southwest Costa Rica and time in Seville, Spain, where she worked at a travel agency selling and leading trips for American study abroad students. That blend of hospitality, care, and helping people connect to a place continues with Grace in her work today. She believes travel is at its best when it moves beyond the checklist: "Did I connect with people? Did I connect with the stories of this place?"
Grace and Christine met through wmnsWORK Tourism Business Accelerator for women and non-binary early-stage entrepreneurs in travel.
The Gap in the Travel Industry for Serving Queer Travelers
When Grace left corporate finance, she was looking for work that connected to her heart, her skills, and a sustainable business; focusing on the market gap for LGBTQ travel fit all three. As she researched the industry, a pattern became clear. "There is a decent amount of resources for LGBTQ cis men, and then it kinda just drops off," she explains. She found group trips from some operators and content creators, but none of the major industry players she researched offered products designed for queer women, trans, non-cis, and non-binary travelers. When she asked companies whether they had a queer woman or a trans expert she could speak with about a trip, the answer was, nearly always, no.
Her own experience as a queer woman shaped what she saw; the questions she would ask before a trip were different from the ones most LGBTQ travel products were built to answer. She also sees how much stress queer people carry right now, from legislation to everyday harassment, and how travel thoughtfully designed around their needs can help to alleviate that stress. In her words, "queer people deserve excellent travel." Planning a trip should not require hours of research. "When you need a vacation, do you wanna open up 50,000 tabs to say, 'Oh, what destination am I allowed to be in?'" Grace's goal is to take that weight off her clients so they can truly enjoy their travel, feel safe at every moment, and feel seen and heard from the moment they book.
Grace shares that annual global LGBTQ travel spending is around $320 billion and is projected to reach $630 billion by 2033. As a cis, white, queer woman, her experience walking into a hotel will differ from that of a Black gay couple or a trans traveler, and Grace remains clear about the limits of her own perspective and the requirement to consistently reach out for others’ experiences and reflections. Her approach is to keep listening and learning from her clients and from other advisors in the field.
Education, Advocacy, and Inclusive Spaces
Grace shares a story from a recent “fam” (familiarization) trip to Thailand. Over dinner at a riverside hotel in Bangkok, she told the general manager that she works almost exclusively with LGBTQ clients. The manager responded warmly and explained that the hotel avoids misgendering guests by using Khun, a Thai honorific that works for any gender. When Grace asked what else the hotel did, the reply was along the lines of, "Well, what else is there?"
For Grace, there is much more to consider: gender-neutral bathrooms, staff training, and how servers greet two people of the same gender sitting down to dinner, for a start. "There's so many ways for people to feel a little bit othered in a hotel space," she notes. She followed up with an email detailing ideas for the manager, and the conversation shaped how she approaches the hotels and operators she works with. "I'm a resource," she says, for any partner who wants to do more.
When she plans trips, Grace looks for queer-owned boutique hotels and for larger hotel brands with accreditation for inclusive practices. She highlights two programs that go further than a sticker at the front desk: Booking.com’s Travel Proud program and the accreditation offered by IGLTA, the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association. Much of the best information comes from relationships. She works with tourism boards and trusted local contacts who know queer life in each destination and can recommend businesses that reflect her clients' values.
Grace's education work now extends to other travel advisors, after finding herself having frequent side conversations with advisors who have queer clients and want to serve them well. She now offers itinerary reviews, co-created itineraries, and trainings for advisors who are allies to the queer community. Her five-year vision is that "more people feel better equipped to be able to serve their queer clients better," and that more queer travelers feel welcome on their trips.
Going Well Beyond Surface-Level Inclusion
Christine reflects on the value of having unfamiliar conversations without needing every answer first. A willingness to get things wrong is part of how learning happens, and it is often the only way a hard conversation begins at all. Grace sees surface-level gestures, such as a rainbow sticker in a window or a Pride Month campaign, as a starting point in signaling that the business does want queer clientele. "It's important. It's, it's visibility. It's a step in the right direction," she says. From there, she shares, it’s essential to continue looking for what more can be done.
She also sees how much travelers want their spending to reflect their values. "They want to put their dollar where their heart is, and they want to affect positive change," she observes. The trailblazers already working in this space have welcomed her openly. "Please, Grace, get into the pool. The water is warm," she recalls them saying, as they shared resources and contacts.
Moving forward without perfection is something Grace practices daily. As a self-described recovering corporate professional, she was used to polished, team-reviewed communications. Two phrases guide her now: "don't let perfect be enemy of the good" and "I learned better, so now I do better." She is in good company; Christine adds that she streamed the first Soul of Travel episode live so she could not overanalyze it. Grace has even taken up a pottery wheel class to practice being a beginner. Her goal was a single mug, and she has made many small bowls instead.
That patience shapes Grace’s long-term view; in fifty years, she hopes inclusion in travel will be “a fully integrated process across all hotels and all operators” in the industry. Christine closes the conversation by thanking Grace for nominating herself as a Soulful Trailblazer, a reminder that women can invite themselves into the rooms they want to be part of. Grace stepped into this space by asking the questions others had not, and her work now makes room for the queer travelers and allied advisors who follow.
Soul of Travel Episode 264 At a Glance
In this conversation, Christine and Grace discuss:
· The gap in the travel industry for serving queer travelers
· The need for education and advocacy, with the need for resources for inclusive spaces where queer travelers feel seen, safe, and welcome
· Going beyond surface level gestures of inclusivity toward deeper conversations and setting aside fears of 'getting it wrong' along the way in order to push progress forward
Join Christine and Grace Philipp now for this soulful conversation.
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Related UN Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable Development Goal #4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Sustainable Development Goal #9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.
Sustainable Development Goal #10: Reduce inequality within and among countries.
Sustainable Development Goal #11 Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
Sustainable Development Goal #12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
Resources
Learn more about Discover Queer Travel here.
Connect with Grace: Instagram / Facebook / LinkedIn
Learn more about IGLTA (International LGBTQ+ Travel Association) and the annual travel convention here.
Special thanks to Strictly Jane Austen Tours for your partnership in the production of Season 7 of Soul of Travel Podcast!
About the Soul Of Travel Podcast
Soul of Travel honors the passion and dedication of people making a positive impact in the tourism industry. In each episode, you’ll hear the stories of women who are industry professionals, seasoned travelers, and community leaders. Our expert guests represent social impact organizations, adventure-based community organizations, travel photography and videography, and entrepreneurs who know that travel is an opportunity for personal awareness and a vehicle for global change.
Join us to become a more educated and intentional traveler as you learn about new destinations, sustainable and regenerative travel, and community-based tourism. Industry professionals and those curious about a career in travel will also find value and purpose in our conversations.
We are thought leaders, action-takers, and heart-centered change-makers who inspire and create community. Join host Christine Winebrenner Irick for these soulful conversations with our global community of travelers exploring the heart, the mind, and the globe.
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Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor). Grace Philipp (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing, production, and content writing by Carly Oduardo.
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