About Ethan
Since the late 1980s, Ethan Gelber has patrolled many corners of the travel industry -- as a bicycle tour operator, non-profit manager, PR rep, destination marketer, digital marketer, communications consultant, editor, journalist and more. His most regular recent endeavors are as a freelance writer, editor, communications strategist, content marketer and translator focused on travel and culture. Ethan specializes in responsible and sustainable travel, DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) in travel, family travel, nonprofit advocacy, keeping things local, and quality and relevance in publishing and destination marketing.
Ethan's written work has appeared (credited and uncredited) in dozens of print and digital outlets, such as National Geographic Travel, BBC Travel, Lonely Planet magazine, Parents, The Independent, TravelAge West and more. "Adventures Less Ordinary: How to Travel and Do Good," an anthology he commissioned and edited about volunteer and philanthropic travel, was released in 2015 by Horizon Travel Press. It was followed in 2018 by Horizon's "Family Travel: Inspiration for Adventurous Families," which he wrote.
Other recent entrepreneurial undertakings include his work as:
* the first travel editor of Green Matters, a sustainable lifestyle media company
* the founding editorial director of the Family Travel Association, which inspires more families to travel
* co-founder of Outbounding, a community-powered platform for identifying, celebrating and distributing excellent travel content
* co-organizer for six years of the New York Travel Festival, an immersive event that for seven years served a new generation of travelers
* editor of The Travel Word, a website he founded in 2009 (currently in hiatus for redesign) that showcases responsible, sustainable and local travel.
He is also secretary of the Board of Directors of Travel Unity, which works to increase diversity in the world of travel, is an active member of SATW (serving on its DEI and Professional Development committees) and is or has been a media team member of numerous groups working to further awareness of responsible and sustainable travel within the industry, such as the Impact Travel Alliance.
In the past, Ethan has been:
* 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) and the now-defunct Travelllll.com (for which he focused on responsible travel issues)
* publications manager of the French government tourist office (Atout France) in NYC
* Chief Communications Officer of the WHL Group, at the time 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 and the Responsible Travel & Tourism Collective, two content marketing platforms designed to support eco-conscious brands
* co-instigator of the Local Travel Movement, a platform for people passionate about local travel
* an independent contractor (in editorial) for HomeExchange.com, the worldwide leader of home exchanges
* a strategic advisor to both I&I Travel Media, a travel content marketing business, and the Red Trunk Project, a cultural initiative to spark global dialogue through experiential learning.
Beyond travel, Ethan has worked as a high school teacher (in NYC), curriculum development specialist, product developer, expedition leader, non-profit fundraiser, event manager, project manager, sustainable development consultant, university professor (in translation) and a great deal more.
Ethan has a BA from Yale University and MIA (Master of International Affairs) from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. He is based in his New York City, a city he happily returned to (in fall 2017) after a year of world travel with his wife and two young sons.
