MEDIA KIT

WELCOME TO OUR MEDIA KIT.

Northstar Travel Group is the parent company of TravelAge West. For over 55 years, TravelAge West has been providing the modern travel advisor with in-depth destination coverage, trusted reviews, first-hand immersive storytelling, industry research, and professional development resources.

TravelAge West is at the center of the travel advisor community, providing today’s modern advisors with tools to make their business better. TravelAge West produces the annual WAVE Awards Gala, Future Leaders in Travel, the Napa Valley Leadership Forum and the Trendsetter Awards. We also host the Humans of Travel and Trade Secrets podcasts.

Meet our audience.

With more than 55 years serving travel advisors in the West, TravelAge West has the largest circulation of any trade publication in the West.

What do you need to know about this dynamic region? 
#1 California residents travel the most of any state in the U.S. 
#1 Colorado residents are the best at using their annual paid time off.
#5 California alone is the fifth-largest economy in the world.
Residents of California (#1) and Texas (#2) lead ALL states by a wide margin
in the number of passports issued

Aggregate Audience

Audience

Reaching travel professionals with the greatest influence

Our audience comprises travel professionals all over North America and throughout the globe. Our travel advisor audience is at the top of their game, up-to-date with industry trends and insights, and constantly seeking new opportunities for their many clients. Check out our audience breakdown above.

Media

Content and connections are what we do and who we are.

As the travel industry leader in digital, events, and print, we are committed to connecting buyers and sellers of travel by delivering news, analysis, perspective, opinions, research, thought leadership, firsthand reviews and education to our audience of travel professionals.

Visit our Website

Our Menu of Products

2025 Editorial Calendar

Events

Networking, professional development, and sales opportunities with travel advisors.

TravelAge West’s events bring together vetted North American travel advisors and global travel suppliers for the purposes of doing business and building relationships. Each event caters to a particular advisor demographic and facilitates connections in a unique way.

Future Leaders in Travel

CruiseWorld

Global Travel Marketplace

PODCASTS AND WEBINARS

902
Average number of webinar registrants

Our Podcasts

Share your voice with the travel professional community via TravelAge West’s webinars and podcasts.

Share your voice with the travel professional community via TravelAge West’s webinars and podcasts. Our webinars are incredibly popular, boasting on average 902 registrants signing up for your exclusive sponsored content.

Additionally, TravelAge West produces two podcasts and one spin-off show. In TravelAge West's flagship podcast, “Humans of Travel,” Managing Editor Emma Weissmann sits down for an in-depth, one-on-one conversation with some of the most exceptional people in the travel industry. And if you love Humans of Travel, then you’ll love its spinoff series, "Humans in the Hot Seat". Twice per month, Weissmann sits down with a travel pro for a condensed, Humans of Travel-style interview about their businesses. (These 10-15 minute episodes are released in the Humans of Travel feed during the weeks between full-length episodes.)

And Trade Secrets is a joint production between Travel Weekly and TravelAge West. The show features Travel Weekly’s Jamie Biesada and TravelAge West’s Emma Weissmann, who tackle business development questions asked by travel advisor listeners, often with the help of a travel industry expert.

Webinars

Podcasts

brown turtle

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

Explorer

Explorer is a twice-yearly publication developed by the editorial staff of TravelAge West. It is the only travel trade title solely focused on the experiential travel niche, which includes soft adventure, cultural enrichment, sustainability, expedition cruising, active touring, off-the-beaten-path destinations, safaris and much more. Explorer covers destinations, trends, sales tips and profiles. It is distributed nationally in print with TravelAge West and Travel Weekly.

Family Getaways

Family Getaways is a quarterly publication developed by the editorial staff of TravelAge West. It is the only travel trade outlet that is solely focused on the family travel market, which includes multigenerational families, kids traveling with grandparents, families traveling with other families (aka “togethering”), upscale family travel and more. Content features top destinations, resorts, cruises, tours and theme parks for families, as well as the market’s hottest trends, tips, special offers and profiles.

Family Getaways is distributed nationally in print with TravelAge West and Travel Weekly.

person in blue shirt writing on white paper

Photo by UX Indonesia on Unsplash

Photo by UX Indonesia on Unsplash

QUICK Q's

Industry leaders join Editor-in-Chief Ken Shapiro for quick video interviews on all the latest and greatest at their organizations and in the industry.

Quick Q's

NEED TO KNOW

Need to Know is part of TravelAge West’s commitment to give a voice to the travel advisor community.

Need to Know is part of TravelAge West’s commitment to give a voice to the travel advisor community. We poll travel advisors each month and deliver timely research that captures their attitudes about the latest travel trends and industry topics. We believe it’s important to offer advisors a chance to share their perspectives and understand what their peers are experiencing.

Need to Know

AWARDS

Be recognized for your contributions to the industry.

Every year for the WAVE Awards, the editorial team at TravelAge West, headed by Editor-in-Chief Ken Shapiro, reviews hundreds of travel suppliers and products. Review methods include product analysis, on-site visits, a travel agent survey and online research. After careful consideration, a list of “Editor’s Pick” nominees, in a variety of categories, are confirmed. Nominees are then placed on an official WAVE ballot, which is printed in TravelAge West, posted online and promoted in email communications to travel agents throughout the United States. The Editors Picks and WAVE Award winners are celebrated at a star-studded gala held in Los Angeles. The black-tie gala brings together honorees and travel agents, and recognizes the outstanding qualities and services of the industry’s leading travel suppliers.

SOCIAL AMBASSADOR FAM

For each Social Ambassador FAM, we will select experienced travel advisors and social creators to post authentic content on social to share their experiences — educating their clients, peers, and consumer travelers on why they should book the destination, property, or ship.

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING DURING/AFTER THE FAM

  • Northstar amplifies reach by promoting across our branded social channels to targeted B2C and B2B audience using our first-party travel professional data.
  • We will also measure program effectiveness, guaranteed impressions, and return on investment via verified bookings within the selected time period.
  • TRAVEL ADVISOR ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION (OPTIONAL)

    On the final day of the FAM, the client can host an optional roundtable discussion with the advisor group to receive feedback on their product. The session will be recorded for internal purposes and distributed to the client’s management team.

    Everything about this FAM exceeded my expectations. This was one of the most well-run & well-organized FAMs I've had attended. Honestly, I wish more suppliers would follow this format.
    Autumn Trussell-Murray, Dream Vacations
    woman standing behind Eiffel Tower during daytime

    Photo by Atikh Bana on Unsplash

    Photo by Atikh Bana on Unsplash

    FEATURED CONTENT

    WAVE Awards Digital Guide

    This yearly guide features the winners, photos, congratulations and thank you's from one of travel's biggest nights.

    40 Tips and Resources for New Travel Agents

    Educating travel advisors is tantamount to the TravelAge West brand. This is a comprehensive collection of resources and expert insight to assist new travel advisors in navigating business, bookings and the travel industry.

    Future Leaders in Travel Retreat Yearbook

    The graduates of the Future Leaders in Travel Retreat have called the event “life-changing,” “inspiring,” “invigorating” and “metamorphic” — and now you can see why in our yearbook, featuring top highlights, headshots of attendees, event photos, yearbook superlatives and much more.

    Award-Winning Humans of Travel Interview

    “I have never been lonely when alone in the wilderness.” So says J.R. Harris, a worldwide adventure trekker and a member of the prestigious Explorers Club, a global professional society of leaders that have ventured to the farthest reaches of the world, and beyond. This episode of Humans of Travel won Gold in the American Society of Business Publication Editors Awards.

    Lindblad Expeditions Custom Explorer Issue

    Lindblad Expeditions sponsored a custom edition of TravelAge West Explorer, featuring thought leadership, interviews, destination spotlights, and articles.

    Mexico for the Western Traveler

    This unique product highlights Mexico travel for those in the West through a print piece, webinars, and a video interview.

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