Men’s World? We’re Trying to Change That
Challenging Gender Imbalance While Building a Woman-Centered Travel Experience
A Woman's Perspective in a Male-Dominated Travel Industry
Please allow me to share a personal observation based on my lived experience.
I am part of a distinct minority of female travel reviewers and concierges. I am not a travel agent-there are already more of those than there are Walmarts in the United States. Instead of booking your flight to and from your destination, leaving you hanging in most remote locations, I, along with my team, serve as travel concierges. We specialize in the art of planning, designing, and creating personalized travel experiences, with curated hotel stays, air travel and one-on-one research into your preferred locale and hotels in the area.
Our team is intentionally diverse and multiethnic, yet I remain the only woman.
Let me be clear: I am not complaining. Rather, I am reflecting on what I have observed in a field that, from my perspective, continues to have a strong male presence, particularly in public-facing roles.
Spend a little time on YouTube, for example, and you'll find well-known travel creators such as Ryan Walker, Sam Chui, The Luxury Travel Expert, The Vicarious Voyager, Trek Trendy, Noel Philips, Patrick Shea, and many others-all hosted by men. I genuinely enjoy many of these channels, and several are among my personal favorites. My observation is not a criticism of these creators. Instead, it reflects how social media platforms often amplify existing patterns of visibility and representation.
The travel industry is one of many professional spaces where men have historically held a significant share of public visibility and influence.
A Career Spent Proving Myself
I encountered similar dynamics throughout my academic career. I studied history, a discipline that often felt male-dominated despite women earning university degrees in greater numbers overall. During graduate school, I experienced the theft of research I had prepared for my thesis by someone within my cohort. In law school, where competition was expected and openly encouraged, I perceived subtle forms of sexism that were, at times, reinforced by some professors.
I genuinely loved my years in higher education. Yet I often felt that the culture favored men in ways that were not always obvious but were nonetheless discouraging.
When I graduated with my master's degree-the first person in my family to do so-I expected that my education, résumé, and references would open doors. Instead, I often felt that I had to work harder than many of my male peers to prove myself professionally.
While I cannot prove that gender was the deciding factor in every hiring decision, my perception was that it sometimes influenced how I was evaluated and viewed.
That realization pushed me to continue proving myself across different fields.
Martial Arts and Writing
I spent 24 years studying traditional martial arts, ultimately earning the rank of Shodan (first-degree black belt) in Okinawan Goju-Ryu karate-do. Along the way, I also trained for eight years in Shotokan karate-do, four years in Kempo karate-do, and five years in iaido; the Japanese art of drawing the sword.
Eventually, I was hired as a freelance writer for Black Belt magazine. I also competed throughout the Pacific Northwest tournament circuit for eight years before injuries forced me to retire from competition.
When I later entered university full time, I chose to step away from writing for Black Belt because my focus had shifted from martial arts to academics.
Research and Defense Studies
Following college, graduate school, and law school, I again found work as a freelance researcher, this time with the Washington, D.C.-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Like many organizations in defense and military studies, it was another field where men were highly represented, although I found ISW to be more collaborative than many environments I had previously experienced.
My research included analyses of post-World War II naval doctrine, the causes of the Korean War, U.S. involvement in Vietnam, the Chechen Wars, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
As the war in Ukraine continued, my writing increasingly reflected my personal support for Ukraine. Looking back, I recognize that my work became more advocacy-oriented than the detached objectivity journalists ideally strive to maintain.
My time with ISW eventually came to an end. Like many professional transitions, there were numerous organizational factors involved. While I have my own perspective on those events, I also recognize that I cannot know every reason behind the decision.
Those experiences reinforced something I had already learned throughout my career: in many traditionally male-dominated fields-including military history, defense studies, contact sports, and even travel-women may feel they must work harder to establish credibility.
Women Experience Travel Differently
Returning to travel, I believe women often experience travel differently than men, and that observation shapes the services my business provides.
Women frequently consider safety, personal security, cultural expectations, clothing requirements, health needs, and logistical planning in ways that may not always be part of men's travel considerations. Packing, preparing, and navigating unfamiliar destinations often involve additional layers of planning.
These are conversations I believe deserve far more attention within the travel industry.
That belief is one of the reasons Brooke In The Air Travel exists.
Our goal is not simply to review hotels or destinations. We want to create thoughtful, sophisticated travel resources that help women travel with greater confidence, preparation, and peace of mind.
Will we change the entire travel industry?
Probably not.
But perhaps we can help reshape one small part of it.
If we help even one woman travel more safely, feel more confident, or experience the world with greater peace of mind, then Brooke In The Air Travel will have accomplished exactly what we set out to do.
Thank you for reading.
We hope you'll join us at Brooke In The Air Travel for future travel inspiration and concierge services.
Simply visit us at brookeintheairtravel.net.
