The Handoff Episode: Emma Weissmann Passes the Mic to Chelsee Lowe

About this episode

Emma Weissmann hands the mic to Chelsee Lowe, who discusses her journey from teaching to travel journalism and interviews Weissmann about her career.

In this bittersweet episode of Humans of Travel, longtime host Emma Weissmann hands the mic to Chelsee Lowe , Senior Editor of TravelAge West. A former teacher, Lowe earned a Master of Education degree from UCLA and spent years in the classroom before dedicating her professional life to writing. After beginning with freelance work and a part-time editorial role at TravelAge West, she eventually rejoined the publication full time and found her niche profiling people who shape the travel industry — travel advisors, suppliers and beyond. She discusses her path from teaching to travel journalism and the value of patience and curiosity when uncovering someone’s story. Midway through the conversation, the tables turn, and Lowe steps into the host role and interviews Weissmann about her time at TravelAge West, growing up in a travel-industry family and the evolution of her career, from a just-out-of-college assistant editor to a respected journalist and beloved industry representative. Together, they reflect on the power of storytelling, mentorship and meaningful professional relationships. Fans of Weissmann can still catch her on the Trade Secrets podcast, as well as in…

People in this episode

Host: Emma Weissmann

Guest: Chelsee Lowe

Topics covered

• travel journalism
• storytelling
• mentorship
• professional relationships
• career evolution

Keywords

• travel industry
• journalism
• storytelling
• mentorship
• career path

Sponsors

AmaWaterways

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: TravelAge West, TravelWeekly

Books & works: Trade Secrets Podcast

More episodes of Humans of Travel

• Leigh Barnes Talks Meaningful Travel and Growing Intrepid's Brand Presence in the U.S. · June 1, 2026 · 23 min
• Adam Duckworth on Building Travelmation, Motivating Advisors and the Joy of Good Popcorn · May 18, 2026 · 34 min
• Carson Kressley on Adventure, Humor and Championing Travel Advisors · May 4, 2026 · 30 min
• Humans in the Hot Seat: Sarah Little, Senior Vice President of Business Development for ASTA, on Becoming a Ship Godmother · April 6, 2026 · 14 min
• Humans in the Hot Seat: Travel Advisor Natalia Yepes on Preparing for (and Handling) a Crisis · March 23, 2026 · 14 min
• Melissa Krueger: The CEO of Classic Vacations on Career Growth, Company Culture and Classic’s Tech-Forward Next Chapter · March 9, 2026 · 40 min