Last updated on March 29th, 2024
Reflections on Two Years as JourneyWoman’s New CEO
by Carolyn Ray
Today is a special day for me. It marks two years since Evelyn’s daughter, Erica Ehm, and I shared that I would be continuing JourneyWoman. While the past 24 months have not been at all what I expected, I’m grateful for the many opportunities we’ve had to connect and inspire each other. This has been an unexpected journey for all of us, in ways we never dreamed of, but I know we’ll come out of this time stronger and more connected than before.
Carolyn and Erica with Evelyn’s iconic red boots and an original JourneyWoman newsletter from 1995.
What’s Next for JourneyWoman?
My ambition to sustain Evelyn’s legacy and expand our community in service to women travellers everywhere is unlimited. This year, I asked our talented Editor, Amanda Burgess, to put me in the interview hot seat to share some of my most memorable moments and my vision for the future. Amanda asks me what gets me up every morning, and honestly, it’s you.
JourneyWoman’s 30th anniversary will be in 2024 and I’ve got big dreams for us. Soon, I’ll be announcing a major acquisition that will make JourneyWoman the world’s largest travel resource just for women. This will also help us support small, women-owned businesses that have been severely impacted by the pandemic. More on this soon!
Other upcoming developments include our private Community Forum, and a JourneyWoman store with practical, ethically made travel items. This fall, in addition to our existing Travel Vision workshops, we’ll be rolling out a series of brand new courses, including Solo Travel Safety, Travel Photography, Transformational Travel and Travel Writing, all of which will be run by women from our community.
In August 2020, I convened our JourneyWoman Women’s Travel Advisory Council, a group of women dedicated to helping you prepare for the future of travel. I would like to thank these women for their ongoing advice to me, and for sharing their expertise and knowledge so generously with all of us, in service to women everywhere. The women’s tour operators featured in our Women’s Travel Directory are also an important part of our community and I’m thrilled that we’ve been able to help cultivate friendships and collaboration among them during the pandemic. Last but not least, I would also like to thank my incredible team for their unwavering passion and commitment, working throughout the pandemic to keep us moving forward: Amanda, Melissa, Stephanie, Nadine and Tom – you are family to me.
Thank you all for making the past two years such an unforgettable journey for me. And thank you to Evelyn’s daughters, Erica and Leslie, for choosing me to carry on your mother’s legacy. As we look to the future, I believe this will be. our time as women to create positive change in the world, on our own terms. As always, I welcome your ideas, feedback and suggestions – you can email me or post a comment on this page.
Take care and be safe,
Carolyn ([email protected])
Some of my Favourite Articles
Carolyn Ray
In 2023, Carolyn was named one of the most influential women in travel by TravelPulse for her work advocating for women over 50 in travel. She has been featured in the New York Times, Toronto Star and Conde Naste as a solo travel expert, and speaks at women's travel conferences around the world. She leads JourneyWoman's team of writers and chairs the JourneyWoman Women's Advisory Council, JourneyWoman Awards for Women 50+ and the Women's Speaker's Bureau. She is the chair of the Canadian chapter of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), board member for the Cultural Heritage Economic Alliance (CHEA) in support of Black and Brown businesses, a member of Women's Travel Leaders and a Herald for the Transformational Travel Council (TTC). Sometimes she sleeps. A bit.
CONGRATULATIONS on your successful 2 years leading JW into an exciting future! Evelyn is beaming with pride! I’m thrilled to be a part of your journey!