We Travel For Women+: Rani Cheema, Cheema’s Travel

Hi, readers: I’m Rani Cheema, travel coach and founder of Cheema’s Travel, a culinary-focused travel agency for food enthusiasts.

I bounce around between New York, Oakland, and Porto; soon I’ll be setting roots in Oakland, CA.

I founded Cheema’s Travel after traveling to “dangerous” places where “dangerous” people lived, but meeting the kindest folks who just wanted to take care of me and get to know me. It was in these travel experiences and through these local connections that I realized how the media improperly portrays the world to us; I wanted to lift the veil on what U.S. media outlets say about destinations and travel.

Though most companies in other industries have CIS, white, straight identifying males, I find the travel industry is predominantly self identifying female-owned and run (along with the LGBTQ+ community). As a self identifying female I mostly find others like me wanting to work or travel with Cheema’s Travel. I get the occasional CIS male who wants to support a Female, BIPOC-owned company but most LGBTQ+ and identifying Females are who work with me.

So, do I feel represented in the industry? My first reaction is “TOTALLY” but then I start thinking about all the folx who see Cheema’s Travel as competition. I don’t see competition, I see collaboration, support, and community. I always attract those who believe that there is enough cake for all.

I believe women+ have been empowered in the industry by calling the shots. We call our own shots in the travel space because it can be such an abstract industry. By building their own businesses and living their life on their own terms. It’s an industry that can be easy for us to thrive in, sometimes, we just get in our own way.

By lifting each other up. If you’re inspired to reach out to someone, REACH OUT! Just take action but be in integrity and know that there’s no such thing as competition, there's enough for everyone.

We’re creators, we’re powerful, magnificent. We’re so powerful that we are feared and sometimes we fear our own power so we choose to make ourselves small. The world doesn’t take us seriously and that’s why we need to support and lift each other up.