New York City-based Conde Nast Traveler editors and co-creators of the “ Women Who Travel ” podcast
PAJOR PAWEL / SHUTTERSTOCK . COM ; INSET : COURTESY OF CHELSEA KYLE
How many years have you been in the industry ? Arikoglu : I ’ ve worked for Conde Nast Traveler since 2016 , and in the media industry for about eight years . Carey : It ’ s five years at Conde Nast Traveler , but before that I worked at Southwest Airlines ’ in-flight magazine .
Tell me how you started “ Women Who Travel .” Arikoglu : We started “ Women Who Travel ” in late 2016 , after we decided to put together a collection of stories for the magazine about women doing amazing things . Men have just had the freedom to move around the world in a very different way than women have , but this felt like an opportunity to provide a platform for women .
More and more women are now filling leadership positions in the travel industry . What do you make of this change ? Carey : I think it really comes down to championing each other . I think that , as more women executives have been hired , we ’ ve seen them bring other women up in the industry . I ’ m thinking of Celebrity Cruises , for example , having the first female CEO and president and her bringing a lot of other women not just into the boardroom but also onto the bridge and into engineering spaces .
What wisdom can you offer to other women in travel ? Carey : One thing I ’ ve learned over time is that nothing is perfect . No trip is perfect . No career is ever perfect . No life is perfect . Nothing works out exactly as you planned . You have to learn how to be flexible and make the best of things .
Do you have any predictions for the future of travel ? Carey : In the near future , when it ’ s safe for us to get entire families together or big groups of friends together in one space , I think big vacation rentals and villas will benefit greatly , especially those in more remote areas where there ’ s room for everyone to join and plenty of outdoor activity to keep us entertained . I think even when we can all cram inside , we ’ ll have an even stronger appreciation for the outdoors . On the flip side , I think we may see a whole new rise in solo travelers , especially among those who have been together with their partners , spouses , kids or roommates
nonstop for the last year . I think taking a break and connecting with yourself after this difficult time will be really appealing for most of us , whether you ’ re heading off to a cabin in the woods or to the bustle of a big city . Arikoglu : If the past year has taught me anything , it ’ s to not try and second guess what ’ s going to happen next . That said , once the initial excitement of being back in the world subsides , whenever that may be , I like to think we ’ re all going to become more intentional with our travels — spending less time trying to tick off the “ must-dos ” and instead really working to get to know and understand a place . The pandemic has reminded all of us that the ability to travel is a privilege that we shouldn ’ t take for granted .
Secondly , the hospitality industry has been crippled by the pandemic — small businesses and Black-owned businesses in particular — and the onus will be on travelers and their spending power to help rehabilitate it once things open back up . It ’ s my hope that we ’ ll not only be more conscious about how we spend our money , but where we spend it too .
Where are you traveling next ? Arikoglu : The first place on my list is London for obvious reasons : It ’ s home , and like many people , I haven ’ t seen my family in over a year . After that , Vietnam is high on my list ( I ’ ve talked endlessly about how much I want to visit on the podcast ), as is Oaxaca , a part of Mexico I still haven ’ t managed to reach and am desperate to . But I ’ m also just looking forward to making the most of living in New York once it fully reopens . The city has given so much to me over the years , and I want to show it as much love as I can — it needs it right now . Carey : These days , I ’ m planning small , long weekend cabin trips in the Northeast where I can work remotely from a rental and get plenty of outdoor time I can ’ t get in my Brooklyn apartment . But when it comes to my first big trip back out there , I ’ m thinking of either blissing out on the beach , ideally in the British Virgin Islands , with a strong cocktail in hand or strike something big ( and a little more expensive ) off my bucket list , like a multi-week tour of Argentina or a long-haul flight to Australia . If I ’ ve learned anything recently , it ’ s that you don ’ t need an excuse to plan that once-in-alifetime adventure .
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