Featured image: Travel writers are always working, even while travelling  | Photo by GabiStock via Envato

Award-winning articles focus on sustainable travel

by JourneyWoman Staff

Two JourneyWoman writers have received writing awards for articles written and published in JourneyWoman in 2024 from the Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC) and the Canadian Chapter of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW). TMAC’s annual awards program celebrates excellence in travel journalism, shining a spotlight on the outstanding work of its accredited Canadian members across 13 National Categories and six Membership and Chapter categories. The Canadian Chapter of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) Awards program represents the best of Canadian travel journalism, honouring storytelling, photography and across 8 categories. Both organizations have strict qualification criteria for membership. 

Travel writing awards for two writers 

“How Women-Led Travel B Corps are Balancing Profit with Purpose” by Claudia Laroye

Vancouver-based Claudia Laroye, who joined JourneyWoman’s editorial team in May 2024, won an Honourable Mention for “Best Travel Resource Content” travel writing award at the 2025 Travel Media of Canada (TMAC) Awards on June 7, 2025 for her September 2024 article “How Women-Led Travel B Corps Are Balancing Profit With Purpose”. Companies featured include Animal Experience International (AEI), Rebecca Adventure Travel and Travel Matters Ltd. B Corp certification is unique in measuring a business’s entire social and environmental impact. The B stands for “benefit,” and the goal for a B Corp-certified company is to make business purposeful beyond profit margins – to operate businesses as part of a holistic human system, not separate from it.

This is JourneyWoman’s third TMAC award; the first two were for travel writing and photography awards at the 2024 TMAC Awards on June 15, 2024 for Sandra Phinney’s article “Seven Decades of Travelling in Nova Scotia” and “The Joys of Being Stranded — More Than Once—in Labrador”. 

“Thinking About Train Travel? Expert Tips from the Man in Seat 61” by Carolyn Ray

JourneyWoman Editor Carolyn Ray, based in Toronto, Canada, received a Silver medal from the Society of American Travel Writers for “Best Service Story” for her article on sustainable train travel.  “Thinking About Train Travel? Expert Tips from the Man in Seat 61″ was published in May 2024 and shares her journey taking the train from London to southern Spain and interviewing Marc Smith, known as ‘the Man in Seat 61″ for his train travel tips. Final winners were announced at the SATW Awards Ceremony/Annual Chapter Meeting on May 27 in Toronto, Canada. This is Ray’s second travel writing award; in 2024 she received a Bronze Award for her article “Six Reasons You Should Use a Travel Advisor”, published in April 2022. 

“While travel writing looks glamorous, it means we as writers are always working when we travel – interviewing, researching, planning, documenting the journey and fact-checking, which takes hours upon hours, not to mention the travel itself,” says Carolyn Ray, CEO of JourneyWoman. “While we don’t seek out these awards, they are a wonderful recognition of the hard work that goes into creating inspiring and relevant content and a welcome surprise, especially after being named the “Best Travel Blog” by TBEX in July 2024.” 

To represent diverse perspectives and share first-hand experiences, JourneyWoman has expanded its editorial team of women to over 25 professional female travel writers with decades of experience. JourneyWoman writers agree to the publication’s Editorial Standards and Ethics, which include supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and include environmental sustainability, support of women and women-owned businesses and a focus on less-travelled places.  Most are accredited by professional organizations including the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), the Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC) and the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA).  Meet our writers here. 

Support our writers 

JourneyWoman does not put any content behind a paywall, nor do we have digital advertising on our website. The reason that many websites create outrageous headlines is because their business model depends on digital advertising. When you visit that website, or click on an article, the website owner is being paid, even if you don’t click on the ads. In sharp contrast, the JourneyWoman website does not have digital advertising on it. This means that we do not generate revenue when our readers click on a headline. However, it also means that we have to find alternative ways to fund our writers. 

Our approach is more labour intensive — we design our own banners to promote products we have used and recommend. We also have a different revenue model, which is based on annual memberships in our Women’s Travel Directory, brand campaigns from trusted partners (including emails and articles), and publishing books like “Never Too Late”, cybersecurity courses and our Smitten subscription newsletter.

Readers can support us by subscribing to Smitten, our curated solo travel newsletter, for a few dollars a month or make an annual donation here. 

About JourneyWoman

Founded in Toronto, Canada in 1994,​ JourneyWoman™​ is the world’s first solo female travel resource and one of the most trusted women’s travel brands in the world. With an editorial team of 25 writers, we publish ​JourneyWoman Magazine ​monthly, ​Smitten by JourneyWoman​ twice a month and HOT FLASH deals in partnership with vetted women-friendly travel companies. JourneyWoman hosts the world’s largest ​​Women’s Travel Directory​ as a free service to women, providing hundreds of curated and vetted women-friendly tours, retreats, small ships and safe places to stay while supporting small tourism businesses around the world. To bring more visibility to women 50+, JourneyWoman created the travel industry’s first ​​Women’s Speaker’s Bureau​​ and the ​JourneyWoman Awards for Women Over 50​. The award-winning ​​Soul of Travel Podcast​​ joined JourneyWoman in 2023. To learn more, visit ​​Facebook​​, ​​Instagram​​, or ​​LinkedIn​​. JourneyWoman is a registered trademark of Journeywoman Enterprises Inc.

More News from JourneyWoman