Effective August 1, 2025
1. Purpose and Scope
This Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Policy affirms our commitment to respectful, accurate, and representative travel journalism that benefits every reader, regardless of identity or ability. The policy governs all content published on adept.travel, associated newsletters, social channels, and future mobile applications. It applies to all current and future staff, contractors, and contributors who create or edit our material.
2. Leadership and Ownership
The Adept Traveler is led by Brandon J. Yaniz, a legally blind Hispanic journalist whose father was born in Cuba. Forty-eight percent of the company is owned by Katherine Yaniz, making the organization nearly half woman-owned. These lived experiences inform our editorial focus on accessibility, cultural respect, and gender equity.
3. Guiding Principles
- Respect, we treat every culture, community, and individual with dignity, rejecting stereotypes and bigotry.
- Representation, we aim to reflect the full spectrum of traveler identities, destinations, and experiences.
- Accessibility, we produce content that people with disabilities can access and that highlights accessible travel options.
- Equity, we allocate coverage and resources fairly, prioritizing stories that improve travel for underserved groups.
- Accountability, we measure progress, invite feedback, and correct mistakes promptly.
4. Inclusive Coverage Standards
- Story Selection, editors consider geographic diversity, cultural variety, and accessibility relevance when choosing topics.
- Sources and Voices, reporters actively seek perspectives from women, LGBTQ+ travelers, people of color, travelers with disabilities, and residents of featured destinations.
- Language, we follow APA Inclusive Language guidelines, use person-first or identity-first wording per source preference, and avoid colonial framing or clichés.
- Images and Video, visuals must depict authentic settings, avoid tokenism, and include alt text that describes context and atmosphere.
- Accessibility Focus, at least one story each week addresses accessibility in travel, whether through destination guidance, policy changes, or personal narratives.
5. Internal Commitments
- Future Hiring and Freelance Contracts, when we begin recruiting, we will advertise roles broadly, accommodate flexible work needs, and evaluate candidates against skill-based criteria only.
- Training, all contributors will receive onboarding materials covering inclusive language, cultural sensitivity, and accessible-content creation.
- Accommodations, we provide reasonable accommodations to contributors with disabilities, including assistive technology or adjusted deadlines.
6. Editorial Processes
- DEI Checklist, every article passes a short pre-publish checklist that verifies inclusive language, representative imagery, and accessibility metadata.
- Sensitivity Review, stories on sensitive cultural or identity topics may be sent to an external sensitivity reader for feedback.
- Corrections, any reader-identified bias or exclusion is handled under our Corrections Policy, with top-of-article notes for substantive issues.
7. Partnerships and Advertising
We do not accept sponsored content. We decline ad categories or creative that conflict with these DEI principles, and we update ad-network blocks whenever problematic ads are identified.
8. Monitoring and Metrics
- Content Audit, twice a year, the Editor-in-Chief reviews a representative sample of articles to track source diversity, regional balance, and accessibility coverage.
- Reader Feedback, the correction form and contact page both offer a "DEI feedback" option. All submissions receive a reply within seven calendar days.
9. Governance and Review
- Custodian, Brandon J. Yaniz, Founder and Editor-in-Chief.
- Review Cycle, this policy is reviewed annually, or sooner if a major DEI concern arises.
- Escalation, concerns that remain unresolved after Editor-in-Chief review can be appealed to an external DEI advisor selected ad hoc.
This policy ensures that The Adept Traveler serves every reader with inclusive, respectful, and empowering travel journalism, helping everyone travel better.