Olivia Travel

Last updated
Olivia Travel
Company type Travel
Founded1973
FoundersJudy Dlugacz and Rachel Wahba
Headquarters,
United States
Revenue$25 million (2007)
Website www.olivia.com

Olivia Travel is a travel company that creates cruise and resort vacations curated for lesbian and LGBTQ+ women. [1] Olivia was co-founded by Judy Dlugacz and Rachel Wahba [2] as a reimagination of Olivia Records' mission of lesbian representation and freedom.

Contents

Olivia offered its first all-woman cruise in 1990 and remains the only travel company in the world offering cruise, resort, riverboat, and adventure trips curated for lesbians and LGBTQ+ women.

Olivia takes its name from the heroine of a pulp novel by Dorothy Bussy who fell in love with her headmistress at a French boarding school.

Endorsement

The company has attracted attention due to endorsements from lesbian celebrities, such as golfer Rosie Jones (who was the first professional athlete in America to endorse a gay-oriented company) [3] tennis player Martina Navratilova and basketball player Sheryl Swoopes. Entertainers who have performed on Olivia cruises include the Indigo Girls and Margaret Cho. [4]

The company was involved in mild controversy in 1998 when its attempt to buy an ad on the sitcom Ellen 's anticipated "coming out" episode was rejected by ABC. [5]

See also

References

  1. "Meet the Most Popular Travel Company You Probably Didn't Know Existed". Thrillist. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  2. "Olivia Team". Olivia.com. 2025. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  3. Whitley, David (2004-03-24). "Jones' endorsement could further national debate on gay issues". Orlando Sentinel.
  4. Saracevic, Alan T. (2005-10-30). "Swoopes' revelation pays off". San Francisco Chronicle.
  5. "Ad declined for Ellen". Kentucky New Era. 1997-04-11.