Queer Travel Chat by Two Bad Tourists (Two Bad Tourists)

Have you ever wanted to go to summer camp? Now’s your chance! We talk to Kerry and Kat about ‘Camp’ Camp, a summer camp for LGBTQ+ adults that’s been around since 1997 and offers a fun and distinctive vacation for the queer community. Located in central Maine, you can expect a week-long program of outdoor, athletic, and arts & crafts activities plus a variety of evening social events. Kerry is the owner and director of Camp, while Kat attended as a first time guest last summer and shares their experience. 

SPONSOR:

‘Camp’ Camp

https://www.campcamp.com/ 

https://www.instagram.com/campcampbte 

We recorded live from Greece to talk about our gay group sailing trip of the Saronic islands. We share what sailing life is like and give recommendations for your trip to the Greek islands. But we skipped the gay-friendly island of Mykonos this time around! 😱 Listen to find out why. 🇬🇷

Join us as we explore the Christmas markets of Germany and Austria on a river cruise along the Danube. Spaces: https://queerspaces.com/s/queertravelchat

We talk to Mike and Kyle, the hosts of the super popular Gayish podcast, about their show, their travel experiences, their hometown of Seattle as a travel destination, and about some stereotypes around LGBT travel and LGBT-friendly destinations (Provincetown, Fire Island, Palm Springs, Puerto Vallarta, etc). Listen and subscribe to their show below: https://www.gayishpodcast.com/ Sponsor links: VILLA ARDORE VillaArdore.com Special Pride package: https://www.villaardore.com/events/pride2023Skiviez.com Get a free pair of underwear from Skiviez. Just pay $4.95 shipping within the USA. https://www.skiviez.com/pages/two-bad-tourists-giveaway?utm_source=twobadtourists&utm_medium=podcast

Vincent Jones will tell us about his journey from working in publishing, political campaigns, and government to creating Citizen Jones Travel. He’ll share his experiences and insight as an entrepreneur and multi-business owner.

Serial entrepreneur Billy Kolber is the founder of the former gay and lesbian travel magazine OUT&ABOUT and the founder of the online publication ManAboutWorld. He shared his LGBT travel expertise with us and discussed his newer venture Hospitable.Me, which offers DEI training to the hospitality industry.

In our two part episode on Colombia, we started by talking with Felipe Cardenas last week about LGBT+ businesses in Colombia and his experience as the IGLTA Board Chair and CEO of the Colombian LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce. Check out episode 7 if you missed it! In this second part, we’ll talk to Sam Castañeda, CEO of OUT in Colombia, about tourism in Colombia, life as an American expat, and his travel experiences.

We started our blog Two Bad Tourists in 2012 as a personal journal during our 12 month round-the-world trip. 10 years later, it has become our full time job. In this episode we divulge all our secrets on how we get paid to travel the world.

In our two part episode on Colombia, we start by talking with Felipe Cardenas about LGBT+ businesses in Colombia and his experience as the IGLTA Board Chair and CEO of the Colombian LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce. Then next week, we’ll talk to Sam Castañeda, CEO of OUT in Colombia, about tourism in Colombia, life as an American expat, and his travel experiences.

David recently visited Zurich and talks about his trip. Plus we both offer tips and recommendations for your own trip to Zurich. Sponsor link: McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Malls https://www.mcarthurglen.com/en/ Other links: Zur Goldige Guttere https://www.zurgoldigeguttere.ch/znacht-de

David recently visited Cape Town for the World Travel Market Africa. He’ll tell Auston (who hasn’t been since 2016) all about his trip, and we’ll both share tips and recommendations for your own trip - including the LGBT scene in Cape Town, of course! Sponsor links: VILLA ARDORE VillaArdore.com Special Pride package: https://www.villaardore.com/events/pride2023 SPACES https://queerspaces.com/s/queertravelchat Other links: Equal Africa https://www.facebook.com/EqualAfricaZA/ White Shark Projects https://www.whitesharkprojects.co.za/ NAC Helicopters https://www.nachelicopterscapetown.com/ Jordan Wine Estate https://www.jordanwines.com/ Lanzerac Wine Estate https://lanzerac.co.za/ Vergenoegd Löw The Wine Estate https://vergenoegd.co.za/ Wild Horizons Waterfront Adventures http://www.waterfrontadventures.co.za/ Uthando https://www.uthandosa.org/

We recently spent a long weekend in the Magic City, and we’re excited to share our experiences with you. Joining us is Miami local Yesi Leon, the dynamic force behind Pandora Events. Known for creating unforgettable parties like Girls in Wonderland and the monthly event Makin' Babies, Yesi offers an insider’s view into the queer scene. 

Pandora Events:

https://www.pandoraevents.com/ 

https://www.instagram.com/pandoraevents/

Girls in Wonderland in May 30-June 3, 2024

https://www.girlsinwonderland.com/ 

Sponsor:

Greater Miami & Miami Beach

https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/  

Join Our Group Trips:

Virgin Voyages Spain, France & Italy Gay Group Cruise

October 6-13, 2024

https://twobadtourists.com/st_tour/7-days-spain-france-italy-virgin-voyages-gay-group-trip/

Virgin Voyages East Caribbean Antilles Gay Group Cruise

Feb 22 - March 2nd, 2025

https://twobadtourists.com/st_tour/8-days-in-eastern-caribbean-antilles-gay-group-cruise/ 

LoAnn Halden, VP of Communications at IGLTA, will talk to us about traveling to countries with anti-LGBT laws and whether or not we should support travel boycotts. Plus, she’ll share some of her past travel experiences and what life is like as an expat in London. ☕️🍷twobadtourists.com/coffee

In this episode, Auston takes David (and you!) along on his recent journey to Osaka, Japan, revealing why the city stands out for LGBTQ+ travelers. From navigating current LGBTQ+ rights in Japan to uncovering what Osaka’s Pride celebration is like, we dive into the city’s welcoming spirit and vibrant community. Wondering if Osaka should be on your travel radar? Tune in to find out! 

SPONSORS 

Booking.com 

www.booking.com/proud.html 

Travel Proud certified hotels in Japan 

GigSky 

gigsky.pxf.io/eKdZYg

Osaka Convention & Tourism Board 

visitgayosaka.com

We talk with Donnya 'Zi' Piggott about their travel company, LGBTQ+ activism, and why queer travelers should visit Barbados. Zi is the co-founder of Pink Coconuts, an online resource where you can find queer inclusive hotels and accommodations in the Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as travel packages and events for LGBTQ+ travelers.

Pink Coconuts

https://pinkcoconuts.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pinkcoconutstravel/ 

https://www.instagram.com/pinkcoconuts.app/

Devour Food Tours

https://devourtours.com/ 

Discount code: DAVIDB10

Madrid LGBTQ+ Tapas Tour by Two Bad Tourists

https://twobadtourists.com/st_tour/madrid-lgbtq-tapas-tour/ 

Join Our Madrid, Toledo, & Segovia Gay Group Trip

September 13-19, 2024
https://twobadtourists.com/st_tour/7-days-in-spain-madrid-toledo-segovia/

Gay travel tv host, broadway actor, and social media guru Ravi Roth will join us to talk about the amazing destinations he’s visited, LGBT+ Pride events, and about his YouTube channel/travel website Ravi Round The World.

We share everything you need to know about visiting Madrid, Spain’s largest and most queer-friendly city. We tell you where to stay, where and what to eat, what to see, where to party, and when to go. We’ve got all the insider knowledge after 9 years of living in this beautiful metropolitan city!

We’ve collected embarrassing, comical, and ridiculous travel stories from our friends, family, and followers. There are stories about saying the wrong thing in a foreign language, stomach issues at a bad time, and a hook up gone horribly wrong. We’ll share them plus a few of our own on this very special (and silly) episode of Queer Travel Chat.

We share everything you need to know about visiting Milan, Italy’s most gay-friendly city. Get the run down on where to stay, eat, and play and why it’s worth a visit.

We talk about our trip to Malta and offer tips and recommendations for your own visit to this LGBTQ-friendly island nation. Sponsor: https://www.visitmalta.com/en/ Resources: https://europride2023.mt/https://queertoursmalta.com/

We recently visited Málaga & Torremolinos and discuss both destinations including why you should go, what you should do, where to stay, and the gay scene, of course. This episode is sponsored by McArthurGlen Designer Outlets, where you can get a luxury outlet shopping experience with over 100 brands at discounts up to 70% off all year round. We went to their location in Málaga and were surprised by all the great things we found.

SPONSOR:

McArthurGlen Designer Outlet

https://www.mcarthurglen.com/en/outlets/es/designer-outlet-malaga/ 

Our Málaga Instagram Stories

https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17844300105239081/ 

Torremolinos Gay Guide

https://twobadtourists.com/gay-torremolinos-the-best-gay-hotels-bars-clubs-more/

This is our debut episode! We’ll discuss how we got started in travel, what we’re up to now, and why we believe the LGBT+ community is such an important segment of the tourism industry.

Chris Diamond , Executive Producer of White Party Global, talks to us about the long awaited return of White Party Palm Springs, founder Jeffrey Sanker’s legacy, and what you can expect from this year’s event. Plus, are we circuit queens? 🧐 Listen and find out! 🥳

Meet NKY! Julia Keister and Hannah Lowen, a local married couple, will tell us all about this underrated LGBTQ+ destination in the southeast.

They’ll give us an idea of what this region of the US has to offer and why LGBTQ+ travelers should be adding it to their list of vacation hotspots. Julia was the owner of Lil’s Bagels – a Covington, Ky. bagels, coffee and more shop that was also a local LGBTQ community spot for events. Lil’s is currently being reimagined in a new space as Lil’s Kitchen. Hannah is the Vice President of Operations at New Riff Distilling in Newport, Ky. Newport is right next to Covington, and both are just across the river from Cincinnati, Oh. New Riff is a family and independently owned bourbon distillery that’s on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour and also a stop on our local bourbon trail, The B-Line. Sponsor: https://www.meetnky.com/ Other Links: A New Riff on an Old Tradition www.newriffdistilling.com Lil's Kitchen https://www.facebook.com/lilsbagels/ 10 Unique Fests and Things to Do in the NKY/Cincy Region https://www.meetnky.com/blog/post/10-unique-fests-and-things-to-do-in-the-nkycincy-region-this-summer/ Queer Soup Night https://www.queersoupnight.com/

We’re back for another season! We recorded from our Virgin Voyages Cruise in the Mediterranean. We share the highlights of the cruise, go over the route, and what we’ve been up to. We want to give you an idea of what it’s like so you can join us next year in 2023 when we host a gay group trip with Virgin Voyages!

Joey Amato from PrideJourneys.com talks to us about his experiences as a travel journalist, his online publication, and about queer-friendly destinations around the US.

Queer Travel Chat is coming back for season 3 and now we’re on streaming video! We’ll soon debut with amazing new travel stories, destination tips and cool surprises. Listen (and watch) now to our season 3 preview episode where we spill all the tea of what's to come. 

Subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts: https://linktr.ee/queertravelchat

If you enjoy this episode, please like the post or leave a comment and let us know what LGBT+ travel destinations or tips you want to hear more about.

Visit our website: https://twobadtourists.com/ 

We’re bringing you a destination focused episode on Maspalomas in the Canary Islands. So if it’s been on your bucket list, we’ll give you the run down of our best tips and recommendations for your trip. If it hasn’t been, we’ll tell you all about this gay-friendly destination and why it should be!

Auston recently spent time in Puerto Rico and will tell us all about his trip and offer up some tips. We’ll both also share recommendations for your own trip to San Juan and Puerto Rico including, of course, the LGBTQ scene. Sponsor links: McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Malls https://www.mcarthurglen.com/en/ SPACES https://queerspaces.com/s/queertravelchat Other links: Puerto Rico Gay Guide https://twobadtourists.com/gay-puerto-rico-the-best-gay-hotels-bars-clubs-more/

We did a 4 day road trip from Key West up to Islamorada. We talk about our trip and offer you some recommendations for your own trip to the Keys. The LGBTQ+ scene is in Key West but there are wonderful day trips and excursions all throughout the Keys.

Sponsors: 

Key West & Florida Keys 

https://fla-keys.com/ 

Gay Guide to Key West 

https://twobadtourists.com/gay-key-west-a-gay-travel-guide-to-the-florida-keys-paradise-island/ 

Join Our Group Trips:

Barcelona & Sitges, Spain Gay Group Trip

May 9-15, 2024

https://twobadtourists.com/st_tour/7-days-in-spain-2024/ 

Virgin Voyages Greece & Croatia Gay Group Cruise

June 16-23, 2024

https://twobadtourists.com/st_tour/7-days-greece-croatia-virgin-voyages-gay-group-trip/ 

Virgin Voyages Spain, France & Italy Gay Group Cruise

October 6-13, 2024

https://twobadtourists.com/st_tour/7-days-spain-france-italy-virgin-voyages-gay-group-trip/

Madrid, Toledo & Segovia Gay Group Trip

September 13-19, 2024
https://twobadtourists.com/st_tour/7-days-in-spain-madrid-toledo-segovia/

We share all our secrets on how we’ve traveled without spending money over the years. From free flights with airline miles to free hotel rooms using credit card points, we’ve used dozens of programs over the years to reduce our travel expenses. Sponsor links: Skiviez.com Get a free pair of underwear from Skiviez. Just pay $4.95 shipping within the USA. https://www.skiviez.com/pages/two[...]um=podcast SPACES https://queerspaces.com/s/queertravelchat

We’ll be recording from FITUR, the annual tourism fair in Madrid. We’ll talk about how the event impacts LGBT+ travel as well as compare other similar travel conferences and their focus on the LGBT+ community. We’ll also have a conversation with Clark Massad, avid traveler and VP of Global Partnerships with the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA). He’ll share insights about the tourism industry and LGBTQ+ media.

Tom Christ, producer of One Magical Weekend in Orlando, will tell us all about the event and what we can expect from it this year. We’re excited to be going this June 2-6, 2022!

Ivan Quintanilla of TravelingIQ.com joins us to talk about two destinations he knows very well - Miami and NYC. He’ll share his tips and tell us how he got started as a travel writer and actor.

We spent 4 days in Barcelona and 2 days in our most favorite gay beach town, Sitges. We had every intention to record a live episode from Barcelona, but we just got too caught up in the city to do it. On today’s episode you’ll understand why as we give you the highlights from our gay group trip and recommendations for you to plan yours!

We’ve been interviewing a lot of great guests and now we’ll take the time to turn the interview around on ourselves. We’ll talk about how we got started in travel, share some memorable experiences, and discuss what our future in travel looks like.

Auston just returned from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Just how gay-friendly is this resort town? He talks to us all about his trip. We are also be joined by our friend Jet who lives and manages LGBT-friendly tours in PV (Jet’s Private Boat Tours) to get his insights on the city.

We talk to Phil Sheldon, President and Zachary Moses, CEO of HE Travel, the leader in gay travel tours and gay adventure travel for the last 50 years. Hanns Ebensten, the founder, ran the first exclusively gay adventure tour down the Grand Canyon in 1973. They’ll tell us all about the history and about the LGBTQ+ tours the company offers today.

Salzburg, Austria is a gem among Europe's metropolises thanks to its picturesque location on the Salzach River, its diverse cultural offerings and its rich cultural history. Considering the city has only 156,000 inhabitants, it has a very active and lively queer community with numerous LGBT+ events. Sponsor links: VILLA ARDORE VillaArdore.com Special Pride package: https://www.villaardore.com/events/pride2023 Travel with us! European Christmas Market Cruise (Dec 22-29, 2023):

https://twobadtourists.com/st_tour/danube-christmas-market-cruise/ HOSI Salzburg https://hosi.or.at/ Take a tour with Roman (LGBTQ+, Sound of Music, and others): gay@austria-guides.eu Visit gay Salzburg www.gaysalzburg.at

For our final episode of season one, we’ll talk to Source Journeys CEO and founder, Craig Smith. He’ll tell us all about their LGBTQ+ luxury travel experiences and how they inspire LGBTQ+ travelers to explore the world. And don’t worry, we’ll be back for season two this fall 2022!

Our very good friend, Stevie Tran, will join us to talk about travel for the trans community as she gives her perspective and experiences traveling as a trans woman. She is a partner at Tran Arrowsmith, a law firm focusing on LGBT issues, and she’s a member of the Transgender Advisory Group for the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association.

Our trips with this Europe-based gay sailing company are our absolute favorite sailing trips. We’re excited to talk to the man in charge, Geoff, about his sailing company which has taken us to amazing destinations like Greece and Croatia. https://twobadtourists.com/do-you-have-a-funny-or-embarrassing-travel-story/

Harry Itie, Media/Communications Specialist and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Advocate, will talk to us about what life is like for the queer community in Nigeria. He’ll also tell us about his advocacy work, documentaries (State of Emergency and Defiance: Voices of a New Generation), his online publication The Rustin Times, and podcast The Harry Minute.

Gabi and Fabia talk to us about their experience living in Barcelona as expats and a lesbian couple. They run the site estrangeira.com.br, an LGBT+ travel blog full of advice, stories, and general travel related information for queer travelers. IG: @estrangeiraviagens Twitter: @estrangeirablog

Gay blogging duo the Nomadic Boys join the podcast to tell us all about their new LGBTQ+ travel book, how they got started in the blogging world and about that time they were interrogated at the border in Lebanon. They have been traveling the world for 10+ years and have loads of insights and stories to share - online and now in print! 

Nomadic Boys

https://nomadicboys.com/ 

Out in the World: The 2024 International LGBTQIA+ Travel Guide Filled with Pride

https://www.amazon.com/Out-World-international-LGBTQIA-travel/dp/0008604150 

Join Our Group Trips:

Virgin Voyages Spain, France & Italy Gay Group Cruise

October 6-13, 2024

https://twobadtourists.com/st_tour/7-days-spain-france-italy-virgin-voyages-gay-group-trip/

Virgin Voyages East Caribbean Antilles Gay Group Cruise

Feb 22 - March 2nd, 2025

https://twobadtourists.com/st_tour/8-days-in-eastern-caribbean-antilles-gay-group-cruise/ 

Welcome to Season 3! We talk to Matt Skallerud about the evolution of LGBTQ+ travel over the years. He is an LGBTQ+ marketing expert with 30 years of experience as the president of Pink Media. Basically, he’s what you might call a “professional gay”. 

Matt Skallerud

http://matt.skallerud.org/

Join Our Group Trips:

Barcelona & Sitges, Spain Gay Group Trip

May 9-15, 2024

https://twobadtourists.com/st_tour/7-days-in-spain-2024/ 

Virgin Voyages Greece & Croatia Gay Group Cruise

June 16-23, 2024

https://twobadtourists.com/st_tour/7-days-greece-croatia-virgin-voyages-gay-group-trip/

Virgin Voyages Spain, France & Italy Gay Group Cruise

October 6-13, 2024

https://twobadtourists.com/st_tour/7-days-spain-france-italy-virgin-voyages-gay-group-trip/

Bilal El Hammoumy from Inclusive Morocco shares insights about his travel company, which offers tailor-made itineraries across Morocco, providing luxury, comfort, and unique immersive experiences. He explains his efforts to encourage the LGBTQ+ community to visit Morocco and discusses how his company aims to positively impact the gay community while also promoting environmental sustainability.

SPONSOR 

Inclusive Morocco

https://www.inclusivemorocco.com/

https://www.instagram.com/inclusive.morocco/