Travel As You Are

Read the campaign story

Travel As You Are put a welcome in front of the booking decision. Orbitz launched the campaign in April 2021 with a film and manifesto, alongside an LGBTQIA+ travel hub that included hotels signing an inclusion pledge. The creative featured couples and friends rather than treating inclusion as an abstract corporate statement.

Editorial interpretation: the tension is between being invited to buy and being able to imagine being welcomed. A generic travel montage may answer where someone could go without answering whether the invitation includes them. The creative turn is to make belonging visible while linking the message to something a prospective traveller can inspect. That second step matters because a warm representation can raise expectations that a booking interface must then handle responsibly.

Editorial interpretation: an inclusion pledge is a statement with a defined scope, not a substitute for current destination information or an independently verified experience. A strong adaptation should make the basis of reassurance legible. The audience should be able to distinguish the brand’s intention, a participating organisation’s commitment and any verified service detail. Blurring those layers may make the message sound stronger while making the decision less informed.

The release supports the named campaign’s launch and accompanying resources, not a guarantee of safety or acceptance at every destination or hotel. Earlier brand advocacy is background, not another counted case. No personal characteristics are inferred from viewers, and no claim is made that advertising alone removed barriers to travel.

Put a welcome beside a useful next step

An imaginary arts venue could pair an inclusive invitation with clear information about entry, quiet spaces and how to ask questions. The useful move is from a broad expression of belonging to a specific route for resolving uncertainty. Do not ask reviewers to disclose their identity to test whether the message feels relevant. Let them assess the clarity and respectfulness of the wording without making personal identity the subject of the review.

Audit the promise after the campaign click

Read the fictional landing page as carefully as the headline. If the invitation says visitors can participate on their own terms, check whether the form demands unnecessary information or forces a single participation style. A mismatch can undermine the creative idea even when the film is well made. The campaign brief should therefore include the next screen and the questions the service team will need to answer.

Use representation without turning people into evidence

Showing different people can widen an invitation, but no individual should be expected to stand for a whole community or certify a service’s inclusivity. In an adaptation, use original illustrations and plainly fictional situations. Evaluate whether the story offers agency, ordinary enjoyment and a clear role for the service. Avoid treating personal disclosure, hardship or endorsement as the price of being represented.

A small test for another brief

Proposed adaptation: write a paper welcome page for a fictional community exhibition, then a matched page containing only a generic invitation. Include the same practical details in both. Ask adult reviewers to identify what is promised, what is merely intended and how they could ask an unanswered question.

Record unclear commitments, unnecessary information requests and differences between the headline and the next step. Invite optional wording suggestions without recording sensitive personal information. The review can improve communication; it cannot certify an organisation as safe, accessible or inclusive.

Stop if the exercise asks people to reveal identity, recount discrimination or endorse a real provider. Do not publish, target audiences or make travel-safety recommendations.

• Draft fictional welcome pages.
• Keep practical information constant.
• Review promises without collecting personal identity.