I’m a plus-size traveller – airlines should make changes for curvier passengers… here’s where they get it right
A PLUS-sized travel influencer has revealed the changes airlines should make for curvier passengers to feel more comfortable.
Emily Jones, who often travels between Malta, the UK and Helsinki, said she wants to see the travel industry change to accommodate larger people.
The travel blogger said she wants airlines to make the process of boarding flights easier for passengers – and help those who require extra adjustments.
According to the traveller, it is the little adjustments and efforts that count toward making a passenger’s journey more easy.
She told MailOnline: “It would be great if airlines could announce during boarding that if anyone needs a seatbelt extension, that they are available.
“From my experience and what people tell me in my messages online, asking for an extension is a big fear for plus-size people. I’d love to see this being de-stigmatised so people can travel comfortably and without the added anxiety.”
Emily also advised hotel groups to offer larger towels and plus-sized bathrobes to make larger people feel more comfortable.
Speaking about the challenges that larger people face while travelling, Emily said that flight seats are “notoriously uncomfortable” for most of them.
While the travel influencer said visiting some countries as a plus-size model was “tricky” because of their “awkward stares”, she revealed Seychelles in Africa was one of the most inclusive places she visited.
Emily says she records and posts her jet-setting life on social media to encourage other plus-size people to travel the world.
The curvy influencer said she wants to promote easy travel for people of all sizes and shapes – and make them feel they “deserve to see the world” just like other people.
She added that she wants to see the travel media representing larger people to create a safe space for all curvy people.
It comes after a plus-size beauty queen with a travel bug gave her take on globe-trotting with curves.
She said one particular destination gave her a warm welcome, while another left her with a bad taste in her mouth.
Soraya Orelien, 31, spoke exclusively to The U.S. Sun about her trips around the world — to the tune of over 15 countries and counting.
She said that her hourglass figure was nothing new to her, and she was always on the voluptuous side.
“I’ve always had a curvy body, athletic body build,” she said.
Orelien said that as an adolescent, she didn’t feel like she stood out, but she decided to take her own path.
“Growing up, I was never considered a pretty girl or a cool girl or a popular girl. I was always just someone.”
Things changed for Orelian when she decided to dive straight into influencing and even gave insight into travelling as a plus-size woman.
She said that one destination in particular did not give her a warm welcome.
“When I went to Japan a couple of months ago, it was a challenge being curvy because the seats are smaller,” she said.
Meanwhile, a curvy woman who once thought she was “too fat to travel” now tours the world after watching her side hustle take flight.
Kirsty Leanne began creating TikTok content after noticing a gap in the market for plus-size-friendly travel and wanted to show other women that, whatever their size, they can still travel comfortably.