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Ethan Gelber
Man of Many Hats, Freelance / The Travel Word / Outbounding / Travel Unity
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Member for 9 Years
Joined April 2015
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About me

I am a freelance writer, editor, communications strategist, content marketer and translator of more than 20 years and scores of projects focused on travel, culture and education. I specialize in family travel, responsible and sustainable travel practices, keeping things local, and quality and relevance in publishing and destination marketing.

My written work, including as a Lonely Planet author, AFAR Ambassador and Huffington Post blogger, has appeared (credited and uncredited) in dozens of print and digital outlets. "Adventures Less Ordinary: How to Travel and Do Good," an anthology I commissioned and edited about volunteer and philanthropic travel, was released by Horizon Travel Press in January 2015. Horizon also published my "Family Travel: Inspiration for Adventurous Families" in 2018.

The most recent of my many entrepreneurial endeavors include:
* first travel editor of Green Matters, a sustainable lifestyles media company
* founding editorial director of the Family Travel Association, which inspires families to travel and advocates for travel as an essential part of every child’s education;
* co-founder of Outbounding (outbounding.org), a community-powered platform for identifying, celebrating and distributing excellent travel content;
* co-organizer of the New York Travel Festival (www.nytravfest.com), an immersive event (now in its third year) for a new generation of travelers;
* editor of The Travel Word (www.thetravelword.com), a website I founded that showcases responsible, sustainable and local travel.

I am also on the Board of Travel Unity, which works to increase diversity in the world of travel, and a media team member of two groups working to further awareness of responsible and sustainable travel within the industry - the Impact Travel Alliance and Green Travel Media.

Since the mid-1980s, I have patrolled all corners of the travel industry, as:
* co-director of a Paris-based bicycle tour operator;
* founder and president of a non-profit focused on "educational internet adventures";
* staff writer/editor/producer for GORP.com, one of the Internet's earliest outdoor lifestyle websites, as well as the now-defunct Travelllll.com, for which I focused on responsible travel issues;
* publications manager of the French Government tourist office (Atout France) in NYC;
* Chief Communications Officer of the WHL Group (www.whl-group.com), the largest local-travel company in the world;
* co-founder of Destination Accelerator, which managed education and networking opportunities for destination marketers;
* co-conspirator behind EcoAdventure Media, a content-marketing platform designed to support eco-conscious brands;
* co-instigator of the Local Travel Movement, a platform for people passionate about local travel.

Why did you join the community?

I am freelance writer/editor (20-years ) focused on travel, culture and education. I specialize in responsible and sustainable travel practices.