Equality Travel CRAIG AMMON
Each year, after the summer heat subsides, the air turns cool, and the Halloween decorations come out, it seems that life moves in ‘fast forward’ all the way through the New Year. Many of us love to get away over the holidays, whether it’s to spend time with family, just unwind in a peaceful location, or set out on an adventure in an unfamiliar part of the world. But putting together a wonderful vacation requires time and resources many of us lack. The good news is that, no matter what your idea of the perfect vacation involves, the folks at Equality Travel are ready to help. Owner Nick Gold says they are already busy planning holiday vacations for their regular clients, but there is still time to book a winter getaway that’s perfectly suited to you. Equality Travel is a member of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA), an organization of LGBTQ+ friendly accommodations, destinations, service providers, travel agents, and tour operators in over 80 countries. They are also a member of the Luxury Gay Travel Network, and the LGBT Business Council – Greater Lehigh Valley. And, of course, Equality Travel is a proud member of the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
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Many Chamber member companies are owned and operated by individuals who identify as LGBT, but not Equality Travel. Gold is an ally that saw an excellent business opportunity to serve the LGBT community, because he knows we travel more frequently, plan longer stays and spend more money per day than the general population. In fact, estimates from Community Marketing, Inc. Annual LGBTQ Tourism and Hospitality Survey indicate that LGBT travelers out-spend the general population by a margin of 2-to1. So doing business with the LGBT community is just good business. Gold started working at his father’s travel agency in London as a child, so he’s been in the travel industry all his life. His first venture focusing on a specific demographic was with Entertainment Travel, which he started 34 years ago. Entertainment Travel handles all the bookings for bands and other entertainment groups on their tours. Gold says that over the years they have served over 700 different bands and entertainment acts! Gold first thought to expand his niche travel offerings to focus on the LGBT community years ago. He’d been talking to LGBT friends who expressed frustrations planning their travel. They said it was dif-
OCTOBER 2019
ficult to determine which destination cities and resorts were truly welcoming, versus those that merely tolerated LGBT guests to earn their travel dollars. Of course, those resort and travel websites wouldn’t differentiate between the two, and travel agents that weren’t focused on the LGBT community couldn’t say either. “You can’t just slap a rainbow on your logo and claim to be LGBT-friendly,” Gold says. So, Gold started Equality Travel in 2013 to apply the same care and expert guidance that he’s provided travelers in the entertainment industry to the LGBT community. At first, Gold wasn’t sure LGBT travelers would put their trust in travel agents from outside the LGBT community to find the perfect travel experience that carefully addressed their needs. But he quickly learned that his clients would return to Equality Travel if he did the research and gained the expertise necessary to provide them great service. Gold sympathizes with the caution that many LGBT travelers have when considering their next destinations. He says anti-Semitism was all too common in London when he was growing up, so he understands the need to be aware of one’s surroundings. But Equality Travel goes beyond securing safe and com-
