Pirate Diaries - Inclusion

What are the Pirate Diaries?

A big part of what defines a company is its employees. We truly value our Pirates’ well-being and satisfaction as staff members. We encourage our team to use their voices and bring their own opinions to the table when developing modern company values.

Through “Pirate Diaries” we want to introduce our crew members while discussing important topics such as remote work, work-life-balance, inclusion and diversity. Let’s meet the crew and see what a Pirate’s Life can be like!

Diversity & Inclusion: Good for people, good for business.

Here at the HolidayPirates Group, we consider diversity a crucial part of the organizational puzzle. We know that a diverse working environment benefits from more perspectives, insights and representation. To that end, we embrace diversity as a powerful tool in our effort to build a more inclusive work-culture.

We aim to welcome all our community members, and invite them to be their true selves while ensuring that each and every one of us is seen and respected.

Beyond diversity & tolerance

Inclusion can mean a sense of belonging, a feeling of community or simply access to the appropriate resources. It can also be the guarantee of a safe corporate space where your opinions will be heard and your experiences valued.

Gabriel Borges (he/him), from Brazil, has been aboard our pirate ship since 2018 and is a member of the Creative Studio in the role of Visual Content Producer. As a gay man, Gabriel’s perspective on matters of inclusivity here reflects his lived experience at HolidayPirates,

“We already know that diverse teams have the potential to accomplish much more, but for that to happen, it’s not enough to just have representation. We need not only to be present but to have a voice and be respected. Our differences can be significant engines of growth for the company, both externally and internally for the culture.“

Inclusion is a learning process

We believe inclusion is less of a destination and more of an ongoing process. Being open to new perspectives, accepting different suggestions and using constructive criticism to help us grow and adapt are only a few of the steps necessary to ensure that as we proceed, we actively demonstrate awareness of modern values and expectations.

When asked about his approach to dealing with potentially difficult topics, Gabriel told us that “it’s crucial to understand which limitations your life experiences bring to the table. The goal is to be comfortable with being wrong, with being ignorant and with learning from those who have firsthand experience. But, of course, keeping in mind that people from minority groups are not your private Diversity Consultant (unless that’s their job title) - you still need to put in the work and do proper research.”

All voices are equally valuable

At HolidayPirates we find it fundamental to our values that we encourage our pirates to bring their own experiences, ideas and suggestions to the table when deciding which the next step will be on the process of evolving as an inclusive working space and bringing change to minority communities.

That way we are able to ensure the authenticity and efficacy of our actions towards inclusion. Regarding his own voice and personal value within the company when working towards this goal, Gabriel told us: “I really appreciate the importance given to the pirates that are members of these minority communities when planning projects and making decisions: our voices are heard and our opinions are highly valued.”

Putting our words into action

Our main goals are to embrace diversity and focus on inclusive practices while actively developing a collaborative environment on all levels. Gabriel told us about his personal experience as a pirate onboard: “HolidayPirates is a remarkably open environment. Since my first day, I have always felt like my true self was appreciated, be it as a Latin person coming from South America or as a gay man member of the LGBTQIAP+ community. But as a small-to-medium-sized company, we still face a few challenges on how to translate this openness into initiatives that surpass tolerance and respect and become active changes to minority communities.” Since it is of highest importance for us that our story is written with actions, not with words, teams have been collaborating and gathering different perspectives to include this urgent topic in our high-priority list of actions: “It brings me a lot of joy to see, in the aftermath of the financial crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, that teams are joining forces again to come up with inclusive language guidelines, LGTBQIAP+-focused materials and more diverse collaborations with content creators. We are now experiencing a rebirth moment in HolidayPirates and it’s very exciting to be able to include Diversity & Inclusion in the company’s strategy with more resources than we ever had.”

If you are interested in reading more, you can find more Pirate Diaries here.

About HolidayPirates:

HolidayPirates, the UK arm of the HolidayPirates Group, is a travel deals platform with a mission to make travel accessible and affordable for everyone.

Our team of travel experts find and curate the best value-for-money deals from packages, flights and hotels, through to car hire, holiday homes, luxury stays and weekend breaks. We also work with leading travel brands to source exclusive offers that simply cannot be found anywhere else.

HolidayPirates takes the time and hassle out of finding genuine travel bargains by sharing deals directly across our website, WhatsApp, newsletters, mobile app, and on social media. 2 million travel enthusiasts visit our website every month, plus we have over 2.2 million followers on social media – the largest of any travel brand in the UK.

Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Berlin, the HolidayPirates Group operates in 10 countries – the UK, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and the United States. Our expert editorial teams around the world inspire over 20 million consumers every month to travel, explore and holiday more for less.

Press contact

Annabelle Rennie
PR & Communications Manager UK

E-Mail: [email protected]

E-Mail: [email protected]