October 15, 2024 • 37 mins
SEASON 1 | EP 3
On Episode 3 of VTV, we sit down with seasoned travel expert Ivan Quintanilla, whose adventures with VACAYA span all the way back to our inaugural cruise! 🛳️ Ivan has written for top-tier publications like Out Magazine and EDGE Media, sharing his expertise and passion for exploring the world. In this episode, Ivan gives us the inside scoop on his most memorable VACAYA trips, offers travel tips, and dishes on his favorite destinations. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or just starting to explore, you won't want to miss this conversation!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hi, I'm Kevin Poodle DeKimpeand I'm Trevor 99% Angel, 1%
Devil Dow.
And this is VTV, the definitivepodcast for all things LGBTQ
focused, where we explore theintersection of queer travel,
pop culture, and the progressiveperspectives of our community.
(00:23):
Hi, Trevor.
Oh.
Hi, Kev.
Fancy seeing you here.
It's so fancy.
You look fancy.
You look fancy.
I don't know if I've ever seenyou in such a tight polo.
It's, Yeah.
Fitting.
Literally and figuratively,I guess.
What's been going on, What yabeen up?
Actually, I just got back froma trip.
Was it a VACAYA trip or whatkind of trip?
(00:43):
It was a personal, fun trip withsomeone I actually met on
a VACAYA cruise.
No way.
What VACAYA trip did you meet?
It was a Norwegian cruise.
Oh, yeah.
Fjords?
Yeah.
That Norwegian fjords cruiseincredible.
It was incredible.
It's magical.
And one thing that helpedmake it even more magical was
meeting this person nice.
(01:04):
And I feel lucky that I gotto extend the vacation in a way.
And we decided last weekwe coordinated meeting in
Rehoboth, which is this cutelittle gay beach town.
Okay, so tell me about Rehoboth.
Rehoboth has a P-Town vibeto it, And it has its own gay
beach called Poodle Beach, andit has like a couple of
(01:24):
gay clubs and bars andrestaurants.
So me and him got to explorethis together, and it was
reminiscent of how we met.
And it was, oh, that's a specialtime.
I also just got back from a gaytravel experience.
Where was that?
I went to one of the ChannelIslands, Santa Rosa, and it was
sweet.
(01:45):
It was kind of my group offriends.
There was 24 of us, and we hadrented out all of the campsites
on this island.
And so it was just our communitygetting to hike and swim and
explore.
It was very sweet.
It it was kind of like, whatI get out of, of a VACAYA
trip, but with like the peoplethat I have in my inner circle.
Yeah, in my immediate circle.
(02:06):
So it was very, very sweet.
It's funny, I feel likethroughout the summer we've
gotten to travel so much,especially with the summer tour,
and we ain't letting up.
We don't want it to stop.
No where do you want to goto next?
Next?
I want to go to Ivan'sinterview.
Ivan is an incredible travelwriter and journalist.
Ivan's been with VACAYA fromthe jump.
(02:28):
Ivan was on the inaugural cruiseour P-Town cruise, back in 2019,
and has continued to getto travel with VACAYA throughout
the years.
So when we were in New Yorkon her summer tour, Ivan was
one of those quintessentialpeople that I really wanted us
to get the chance to kindof talk to and spend time with,
because Ivan is so well-roundedwhen it comes to not just
(02:50):
travel, but LGBTQ plus travellike it, it to me feels
very different.
Going on a trip with your familyvs.
going on a trip with your chosenfamily is just two very separate
things.
Yes, and he has a lot ofexperience and he has a lot.
You know, he's a great writer.
He's written for Edge Media aswell as our magazine and many
other publications.
(03:11):
So we're lucky to have him.
Yeah, it's so close to VACAYA’sOrbit.
So let's jump into theinterview, shall we?
Here we go.
We have a very, very special,very dear friend of VACAYA Ivan
Quintanilla.
Yes.
Well done.
Thank you.
Thank you for having me.
And we're in New York duringNew York Pride month.
We're here during pride weekend.
(03:32):
And you live here in New York.
You were just telling us thatyou've been here for almost 20.
I've been in New York Cityfor 25 years, 25 years, which is
so weird because I'm like27, so.
Right.
Yeah.
You're just saying, like, yeah.
So I was a Gerber model andthen brought me to New York,
and then I just kind of stayedin the travel landscape.
(03:52):
Do you feel like you have tokind of change a bit when you're
doing travel, like outside of anall LGBT experience versus
when you're like travelingsolo or even when the two of
you are traveling together?
Yes.
I mean, I think in general, likeeverybody in our community,
you know, there's an awarenessand there's a safety factor
that you have to take intoaccount.
(04:13):
Yeah.
I would be concerned aboutthat in many places of the U.S.
like if I travel to likethe Deep South, I would be very
aware of, like, just, you know,code switching or like, yeah,
you know, not touching mypartner in certain ways because
I would be concerned about that.
Yeah.
And definitely when you're goingto different cultures and
(04:34):
different places, one thing thatI want to make sure that I do
is just be, be respectful of theculture as well.
So though I am an out and proudgay man, I think it's important
when you travel to and you're insomebody else's space, you're in
you're in their home.
So, what that means to differentpeople is different things.
(04:56):
So to me, it moderates mybehavior in a way that I try to
still be me, but beingrespectful with and within their
world.
Yeah.
and also as, as a, as a tourist,we have extreme privilege.
Like, yeah, there's so much thatwe can get away with that people
(05:17):
in places that are not as LGBTQfriendly or whose laws are
not as LGBTQ friendly cannotdo that.
And for the most part, peoplewill leave us alone and they'll
treat us kindly because we'retourists and they know all that.
and so I think there's also anaspect of like a responsibility
to the LGBTQ community therethat you don't.
(05:40):
I I'll speak for myself.
I don't want to like, walk intoa space and somehow, like out
locals in a way that thenI get to leave and they have
to stay there.
So deal with the potentialrepercussions.
So I think it's importantto just like, be yourself,
but be aware of yoursurroundings and just be a
little kinder than you thinkyou need to be.
(06:01):
Just be a little more awarethan you think you need
to be and and just take otherpeople's situation in a
little bit more.
Because if you are in that kindof place, like it really
isn't all about you, where othervacations can be all about you.
And those are one more,you know, as well.
So that goes into planningwhat kind of experience and trip
(06:23):
you want.
If you want that, then that'sthe kind of experience
you should be going for versusif you're traveling with the
intention of experiencinganother culture, that culture,
you know, and this was a gooddifferentiation to me.
Absolutely.
And this whole idea of like,should gay people to go to
non gay friendly placeslike that is a conversation
that is worth having andthat has happened and will
(06:46):
continue to happen to me.
It's a very individual thinglike, yeah, if you don't
want to do it then you shouldn'tdo it.
If you don't want your moneyto go to that specific place for
whatever reason or you don'tfeel comfortable moderating your
behavior, then maybe it's notfor you.
Yeah.
but, you know, there's a wholebig world out there, and we
do exist everywhere.
(07:07):
And so there are LGBTQ peopleeverywhere, even in places,
where they're not pretending.
Yeah, yeah, there's also somebenefit to, like, you know,
going to these places.
But in those scenarios, like,I feel like you have to show up.
Correct.
You know, like, I feel likeI want to help that community
(07:28):
accept me more.
and I don't think in a way, in aforeign culture, I do that
by like, assaulting them with mypersonality.
It's that's just that's a verypersonal thing for me.
And other people may feel verydifferently.
I'm sorry.
Okay.
Yeah.
No, it's almost like you showedup.
As in, like, I want to help.
I want to be supportive of thisculture that I'm visiting.
(07:51):
And, as someone who's just likea guest, I.
Yeah, I met, yeah.
And I and I see it that way.
Like, I am a guest in theirhome.
You know, I was going topiggyback off of the just kind
of the discussion of thatyou were saying about different
experiences and what you'rehaving.
We know, Ivan, through VACAYA.
And so what has been kind of adifferentiation between when you
(08:14):
do travel, by yourself orwhen you're with your partner
or with other companies versuswhat the, VACAYA all LGBTQ plus
community travel experiencehas been like just one of
the most wonderful things abouttraveling with VACAYA is that
you don't have to moderate yourbehavior when you're in
that group, because you arewith like minded people and you
(08:37):
all do like full ship charters.
Yeah, you know, you do, a fullbuyout of the resort.
So everyone that you are aroundis on your team and is there to
make sure that you have the besttime ever.
And that is one of the thingsthat I find so valuable, because
you don't have to be thinkinglike, am I acting funny?
(09:00):
Am I touching my boyfriend in awrong way.
Like even in places that areLGBTQ friendly, like, you know,
you can go to any resort inthe US and potentially if you're
like kissing your boyfriendat the pool the way any other
couple would, would you're goingto get funny looks.
(09:20):
and that's one of the reasonswhy I love LGBTQ vacations and
being on LGBTQ trips, becauseit's so nice to not worry about
that.
And it just free like that justfrees you up to be yourself
and enjoy yourself in a waythat you can't fully do when
you're kind of moderating yourbehavior.
And also for those that are likesingle worry about doing
(09:45):
the dance of like are theyare you are they are, you know
not like 199%.
And this is something that Iencounter sometimes.
Sorry I got.
Yeah.
No, no because this is as atravel writer.
You know, I travel to.
Yeah places and many timeswhen I speak to other tourism,
to, you know, tourism boards orthe PR people that, represent
(10:10):
specific destinations.
Many times there's an argumentthat is made that like, no, like
there may not be gay bars, butlike, we're all friendly, like,
like people are welcomeeverywhere.
And that's amazing.
And yeah, and like a utopiansociety, I think that's a
wonderful thing.
That should be the overarchinggoal that everyone is.
Well, that's that's wonderful.
(10:30):
But as a gay man, sometimesyou want to be able to know
that, like, you know,respectfully, you can like,
flirt with somebody and you'renot going to be, you know,
insulted, harassed or insultthem or anything for that.
And being on like a VACAYAvacation, for example, just
takes all that worry out.
(10:51):
And you can just like, actuallymeet people without that
concern.
And I think that's so valuable.
I mean, even the concept of likeour stoplight party or like,
sorry.
Yeah.
Or it's the red light, greenlight, yellow light
introduction.
So those that don't know, onthe first kind of big dance
we have is a stoplight partywhere you wear red if you are
(11:12):
happily taken or just notlooking for anything yellow
is you're curious, but,you know, ease into the
conversation or ease intoany sort of like play or action.
And then green is you're openanything.
Yeah.
So yeah, that concept is isvery much about what you are
articulating.
I'm going to present myself.
(11:33):
Yeah.
As open as I wish to in thebeginning of this trip.
And that kind of sets the barfor what you're looking for and
what you could find.
And.
Yeah, and even in the spaceof, like, I can be flirtatious
with this whole group oryou can be more definitive about
like what it is you're lookingfor.
And also with the lanyards, youall on VACAYA, you do lanyards
(11:55):
where they what kind of like,you know what you're.
Yeah.
You do like red, yellow green.
Right?
Yeah.
Those.
Yeah.
same kind of thing.
Like, you can be like, I'ma crazy whore and you wear
green.
You're like, I don't wantanything to do with anybody
kevin is wearing green today.
Some.
Yeah, but those are like.
Like those are like some dingygreen.
Yeah.
(12:16):
They are a little dingy.
She's a dingy.
Yeah.
No I like you're not wrong.
Yeah.
So for those of you that don'tknow, Ivan is an incredible
travel writer.
and has traveled literallyall over the world.
I mean, not every single place,but, you know, I try to.
You've left your mark in a lotof spots, left many marks in
(12:38):
many spots.
I'm sorry.
Matthew.
Yeah.
He's aware.
I'm sure.
So I was in, the islands ofTahiti, French Polynesia.
Yeah, just like a few weeks ago.
Whoa.
Which, you know, it's such a,kind of a a bucket list item for
so many people.
And I just felt so fortunateto be able to go there and visit
(13:02):
and and experience that.
And it is as beautiful as youthink it is.
Like, it really is the water.
It's so crystal clear.
The last two nights I did getto stay in like one of those
overwater bungalows, whichapparently was sort of thought
of in Tahiti.
That was the original ones.
Oh, nice.
It was just such a joy to bethere and be able to learn
(13:22):
a little bit more about theislands of Tahiti, which are 118
islands, what?
Many with their own cultureand, you know, diverse in their
own ways, but it's all part ofFrench Polynesia.
And it's it's interesting howlike that the culture there
has kind of continues to honortheir own history.
(13:45):
it's a place where genderfluidity had existed before,
Western culture got there andkind of screwed it up.
And so it's interestinghow there how some people
are kind of trying to get backto where they were before,
screwed it up.
Do you think there's like a,a way of, like, defining things
(14:07):
between, like, our Westernlanguage of how we talk about
maybe intersex or liketransgender or like between
how the native Tahiti peoplekind of like, experience that.
Like, I feel like maybethere's a bridge there.
It's completely different.
And that was something that thatI kind of realized on this trip.
(14:28):
And I think for us, of course,you know, gender expression and
sexual attraction are, areseparate.
But I think in Western culturewe very much clump
those together in some ways.
And one thing that I thatI found there, you know,
and I'm, I can only speak tomy experience the one week there
(14:50):
and the people I spoke tois that those two are much more
separated there than so one'skind of gender expression and
transness or non-binary-ness.
That's, for lack of a betterterm, fluidity, is I found it
to be a lot less connected tosexuality there than.
(15:14):
Right.
I think is here in general.
Oh, that's a good point.
The distinction is we sexualizeeverything.
We sexualize everything so muchmore here.
So it makes sense that andnot in a in a great way, but
it makes sense that it it isinnately just clumped together
more and also historicallyand you know, here in, in
the US, in North America,in every in most indigenous
(15:37):
communities have had someversion of like Two-spirit or a
third gender, you know, whateveryou want to call it and whatever
they call it.
So that was something thatreally was very much a part of
Polynesian culture.
and it continues to be part ofthe culture.
But, at the same time,the islands have become very
(15:58):
religious, very westernizedreligion.
So there is a little bit ofstruggle between that.
Yeah.
Imagine that.
Yeah.
Western religion coming inand, and, can you believe it?
Can you imagine, I mean, can youimagine the kind of did, French
Polynesia, cruise Kevin was onthat?
Did you get to experiencea lot of.
(16:20):
I got to experience.
Yes.
There exactly what you weretalking about.
And it was so special becauseit was just like a non, non
thing.
It was just like people justexist and express themselves
in this fluid ways.
And it was accepted andbeautiful and it was like, it's
the way it should be.
Or it felt like, somethingto strive for it.
(16:40):
Like, yeah, we definitely wecomplicate things a little
bit here.
Yeah.
I don't know that I ever thoughtabout it this way, but in this
in like our gay culturespecifically, the way things
have moved to like apps and allthat stuff where people are so
specific about, like, I'minto this, I'm not I'm not into
(17:02):
this.
Having just like three optionsred, yellow and green gives you
an idea of how to encounter thatperson and how to interact
with that person without itbeing 100% limiting.
Yeah, because they're notsaying, well, you can interpret
whatever that means.
And red, yellow and green meandifferent things to different
(17:24):
people.
so in some ways, like it invitesconversation and it invites like
getting to know what that meansto the individual, which only
helps fuel the experienceof the trip, I think.
Yes.
And in a world where I mean ina world that has existed and
(17:44):
it should always have been animportant thing, consent is so
important.
Like, here's a way to identifyhow to approach a person or
situation with making sure thatkind of a certain already known
level of consent is beingrecognized and respected.
And I actually think that nowthat we're kind of talking about
it, it's interesting that thereare just more social settings
(18:07):
and spaces that kind of adopt,not maybe that way of doing
things, but some sort of thingthat like if you were to go
to a bar and just have a way toidentify who's in a similar
boat.
Yeah, I guess it I guess forstraight people, it used to be
like, oh, im married.
Yeah.
And for gay people, you know,i have a cock ring, I'm married.
(18:34):
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Oh my gosh, turtle.
Cheesecake.
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And, if you had to hibernate forthe winter, what food would you
(19:17):
bring with you?
Wow, Macaroni and cheese.
Oh my God, it's macaroni andcheese.
Bears are everything to me.
And that's why every time I puthoney in my tea, I think of that
man.
A bear in general.
I love that.
Like on VACAYA vacations peopleget to dress up in these ways.
(19:40):
And, you know, gays loveoutfits.
I'm I'm not so much of, like, adresser, a costume queen.
Believe it or not, I'm moresurprising.
I'm like a lazy costume queen.
I want someone to, like, give mean outfit and be like,
this would look amazing on you.
(20:02):
And then I try it on andit looks amazing.
Like you're kind of like.
And then I'm like, yeah,then I'm a costume queen.
But the work that goes intolike, I'm not going to be
beading my sure my, my,you know, you want to be
a little.
Yeah.
Well I, I can relate to thatin that I want to be a little
practical.
So like I love the idea of like,listen, I know I need to
(20:25):
be caring these items.
I need to have a way to do thatas well as like if these
are going to come off, if I havelike a pants that have like my
look underneath it,I want to know where I'm going
to put these pants.
Right.
Anyways, maybe that's my, neurospiciness coming out.
well, you have Trevor for that.
(20:47):
You can give Trevor your care.
Trevor, can you hold onto these?
I'm so sorry.
I think I feel like it'sthe other way.
Yeah, man.
Yeah, well, you're always, like,running around in almost no
clothes and, like that LaceyPantys.
Yeah.
Yes.
Yeah, well, I do love a side bagbecause that you can put stuff
in, but I do love a costume.
And I feel like most of the timeI feel like Kevin, I'll be like,
(21:09):
what do you think of this idea?
And then I'll worry aboutthe execution.
And then you're pretty good atplaying along, and usually we're
on the same wavelength.
Yeah, but i love a costume, ofcourse, you do.
Yeah, you're one of those.
I know, but what I do loveabout the VACAYA vacations
that I've been on is thatit's like it's a range like
some of these, some of thesequeens go all out.
(21:32):
I mean, like, like six suitcasesin one suitcase just has one
costume.
And, like, the way Mariah Careygoes on a weekend trip like,
that's what these queensbring on the back, like,
it's like trunks.
And then there are people who,like, are not into it at all.
Yeah.
Just great.
Fine.
Yes.
And then there's like, peoplelike me who are somewhere in the
middle here, like before thecruise, I'll, you know, a few
(21:54):
weeks before I'll look at allthe things and then I'll buy
like a t shirt that fitsevery theme or like a little
like, you know, a little minioutfit.
Yeah, that's kind of howI do it, but that's where
it's like there's space kind offor everyone.
And also I feel like forthe most part that I always
say, and this is great advice,Randall gave it to me.
(22:15):
You choose three dances or threeevents where you're like, okay,
this is where I'm going to like,really enjoy my costume.
And then the other ones, you cankind of like coast and ease
through it, right?
And so it takes off the pressureof being like, okay, there's
potentially been 7 or 8 dancesor something that I need
costumes for.
But what I found is the peoplethat don't necessarily dress up
(22:35):
enjoy watching the parade ofchaos and costumes and
extravagance because it's animmersive experience for the.
If you haven't seen, we have,the themes decorated on wherever
the party is.
So it's like between that andpeople showing up in the looks,
it's like you are in a world ofour own creation.
(22:59):
Yeah.
Also, one thing that's greatabout being like on a cruise
ship is that you can like,if you want to do it up,
you can do it up and you canwear your angel wings and
you can do whatever you want.
And then it like an hour intothe party, you're like, my back
hurts.
Yeah.
And these angel wings, youjust walk five minutes into your
state room, drop that shit off.
(23:19):
And.
Sorry, I dropped that stuff offand, you know, put on a Speedo
and walk right out.
That's such a good point.
And I really lot.
Just as much.
Yeah.
You can't go wrong.
Much like, a headliner on thislast week, VACAYA Cruise might
have sung.
You can paint with all thecolors of the wind.
Yes, absolutely.
(23:40):
Sorry, Vanessa Williams.
And as I said, don't sue usfor using that.
We love it, you know.
Well, also like it's notit's not even a something
you have to pull on as faras like a relationship that
you are meeting with somebodylike you can just run into
people, especially smaller shipcruises.
(24:01):
You'll you'll experience thingswith them.
Ambiently like you'll you'll beon in the dining room.
You'll be at a show.
So if you'll see them be like,oh, what do you think of that
excursion?
Yes.
And like I saw you doing that.
How was that?
So it's like it's not even likeforcing it is the most genuine
way I feel like to establish arelationship in my opinion,
(24:23):
because it's just like you seeother people living their best
lives.
Yeah.
And then you comment on itand like, what's easier
than that?
And you want to partake in it.
Yeah.
And it motivates you.
And a trip like that, like itbrings people from such diverse
worlds, you know, fromeverywhere in the country,
everywhere in the world.
(24:44):
you know, gay men, lesbians,bisexual people, trans people,
like every aspect of ourcommunity is represented on of
VACAYA cruise, for example.
And so though we all come fromdifferent worlds, somehow being
on the cruise together andgoing on these excursions
together and then being atthe same dance parties together
(25:05):
and then being at the pooltogether, it gives us a shared
language that we can all shareand talk about our experiences.
Even though we come in with verydiverse experiences, like we are
all sharing this really uniquething together.
Yeah.
You know, have you noticed,kind of touching on the
(25:26):
diversity aspect of what VACAYAkind of, you know, the,
the overarching goal is to trulybe the most inclusive space for
people of the LGBTQ pluscommunity to travel with.
You are on the inaugural cruisein 2019, and you've traveled
with VACAYA since then.
(25:47):
Have you noticed a trajectoryin that kind of atmosphere
and any changes or any specificevents or moments that stuck out
to you that feel very inclusiveor feel welcoming to more than
just, you know, the typicalgame male dominated space?
Yeah, so, so many and so much.
(26:07):
And I remember when theinaugural cruise happened that,
you know, the leading up to it,VACAYA’s mission.
It was always to, to kind ofincorporate the space that every
person in the community andour allies can be patient
together.
And it's been actually prettycool to to kind of witness
that over the years becauselike, if you build it, they will
(26:30):
come.
And was that fully thererealized at the very, very first
inaugural cruise?
No, but the mission was there.
And I I've been involvedand been on enough trips
of VACAYA, and I've seenhow it's not only like the
mission on paper.
they have backed it up in, insuch a way and they, they create
(26:53):
spaces for anyone and everyoneto be in.
Like, they create spacesthat are specifically for women.
They create spaces for trans andnon-binary, guests and by
allowing those spaces to exist,like people will fill them.
And it it is a process.
Yeah.
It just takes time.
It takes time.
(27:14):
And also, you know, differentpeople have different ideas
of what their vacations, are.
But I feel like VACAYA does areally good job at not only
creating these spaceswhen you're on the trip, but
they really put their, their,their effort and money, for
lack of a better term, behindtrying to make that happen.
(27:36):
Like it doesn't.
That doesn't just happen.
You don't just say, oh, we wanteveryone here, and then everyone
shows up.
Like the kind of outreach thatthey do is it's really
inspiring.
I think it's really it's reallydifferent and new compared to to
other LGBTQ travel companiesthat that can say we're very
inclusive, but, and I don'twant to speak for any other,
(28:01):
company, but like for VACAYAreally does go out of their way
to create these spaces and bringthese people on.
And it's less like, you'rewelcome to be here.
It's more it's more like we'rebringing you along and and
how do we make it the bestexperience possible for
everybody?
Yeah.
I'm just the majority.
Yeah.
I hope it's clear.
(28:21):
Like what you want to know if,if something can be improved.
We want to do that.
Yeah.
So I hope that comes off too.
It's like and I tell us how tomake it better for you.
And I think it does.
You know and I'm a gay cis man.
So like I always you know, it'svery easy for me to feel
included.
I know there's in, in most LGBTQspaces, but, I've spoken to
(28:44):
a lot of people who identify indifferent ways on, on the
multiple VACAYA trips thatI've been on.
And they all just, like, gushabout how they feel included.
And it's, you know, ununprompted by me.
I'm just having theseconversations and they they feel
(29:05):
so welcome and they're so happyto be there.
And, and there's I don't know,it's just a welcoming atmosphere
that I think everybody can stepinto and step into it together.
And sometimes on that ship,like even people who you may
or may not hang out with outsideof the ship, like, it's almost
like this little world iscreated where, like, it's a
(29:27):
little utopia.
Yeah.
And I will say, like the kindestpeople you will ever meet
are on, a VACAYA from all overto.
Yeah, yeah, even people who areprobably bitchy in my life.
Like, somehow they tap intothe best of what they have.
Yeah, we can turn it down alittle bit maybe.
(29:48):
Yeah.
Because the atmosphere doesn'treally lend itself to that.
You know.
That's a good point.
So it like, it just it wouldn'twork.
Like you act a little bitchy andpeople would be like this is not
the space for that.
Like may be like, okay, oh mygosh.
but you know something.
So heres a snickers.
Yeah.
Out of all the things thatI love about a VACAYA vacation,
(30:10):
the kind of kindness andopenness of the guests that a
VACAYA has been able to somehowcurate, I don't know how that
works.
It's like this weird magicformula that they've somehow
figured out how to do, hasworked.
And it's it is pretty magical.
But I think, you know, just ashout out to Mama Johanna.
(30:31):
She does a great job of makingsure that the the team that is
brought on to these trips is asinclusive and as diverse as we
want the whole vacation to feellike.
It starts with you, you know?
And that's why I think, likesometimes you hear about, like,
rainbow washing for certaincompanies and whatnot.
But it's like at the root of it,if if the goal is to be an
(30:52):
inclusive space, then it has tobe represented through
in the company so thatyour guests then feel included
and welcomed, and then thathopefully trickles down to
the guests mindset, because it'salso a lot of like I would
imagine if if I was 60 yearsold and I have been through
the experiences I've beenthrough, having special
segregated spaces to feelsafe is important.
(31:15):
Yeah.
So having to kind of unlearnthat, to welcome our lesbian
or our trans or our non-binaryguests is a little bit of an
adjustment.
And through the course oflike the five, six years that,
you know, VACAYA has been aroundand the guests that we've had
return and over and over again,like seeing that even just the
(31:35):
acknowledgment of pronounsand like having the pronoun
pins and all of that is like,it's so like a well, yeah, of
course, like said, instead of itbeing like, well, what does this
mean?
Yeah.
You know, and that takes time.
If you're from somewhere that'slike in the middle of the
country, that this is not yournormal everyday thing, even
though you're still a partof the community.
Like it, it just takes time.
(31:56):
And it's fortunate that Ifeel like we really have a
wonderful group of guests who,like, want to keep evolving and
want to keep learning andwant to help.
Yeah, it's nice to be, on tripsand vacations and like, interact
with people that I don'tnormally would interact with.
Being a gay man in Hell'sKitchen, New York.
(32:17):
You know, because our worldsdo tend to be so insulated,
right?
Yeah.
That's a great point.
You're mentioning vacations.
It got me thinking.
Is there a spot or any locationswhere you have yet to travel
to that you really have on yourbucket destinations kind of
list?
Yes and yes and yes.
And so, yeah, never ending,I mean, there's places that I.
(32:41):
Okay, places that I've notbeen to that I really want to.
Columbia is at the top ofthe list.
Antarctica is at the top ofthe list.
Yeah.
So Antarctica, let's let's talkabout it.
How amazing to go to Antarctica.
This, like, extravagantexpedition place that's like.
(33:02):
Wow.
And to be able to do it withan all LGBTQ charter.
Like.
That's insane.
Yeah.
Blow My mind.
Yeah.
You know, like, yes.
You're already like, it'salready such a, a remote kind of
dream thought.
And then to do with people thatunder have a better
(33:22):
understanding of you.
Yeah.
You don't have to like worryabout exactly like it would
probably be fine.
But you know being on a nonLGBTQ like excursion out of
Antarctica like have I'm like,oh my god, penguins are gay.
Like what?
What's like Susie Ann fromWisconsin going to say to that.
Probably nothing because SuzanneI think is actually, a kind
(33:47):
person inside.
but you know, but also you don'twant to have to second guess
it's claiming penguins are gay,which has got to be the title
of this episode.
Penguins are gay.
To be able to be like, withseals and otters during the day,
and then go back to the shipand be with seals and otters
at night yeah, yeah.
okay, so we've got Antarctica.
(34:07):
We've got you've talked aboutSpain a little bit.
That's one of your favoriteplaces.
It feels very safe.
Are there any other kind ofdream locations that.
So my first like kind oflike big crazy trip was to
Australia when I was I was maybelike 23, 24 or 25 somewhere
in there.
And I went for a month.
So Australia has always held areally special place in
(34:30):
my heart.
And I have and like I literallyas an adult man cried when
the plane took off.
Like I was so sad to leave.
Yeah.
Wow.
I mean, I'd fallen in love like82,000 times already, you know,
and people were so friendly.
It was like one of the thewarmest, friendliest group of
(34:53):
people that I've everencountered traveling.
And I.
And it's now been like,you know, 20 years and I've not
been back.
So that continues to be onmy bucket list to get back to.
Wow, you're like, take me back,take me outback.
Oh yes.
(35:13):
That's right.
That's that's something happenedto your mic sure, sure, sure.
Australian accent.
And you are.
Are you going.
You all are doing a VACAYAis doing a gold Coast.
Gross.
Oh well there's that prettygood.
I think it's pretty good.
Maybe it's a tequilaI don't know, I feel like it's
kind of in. Sure.
Would I be Australian?
I think you, I mean, you could,you could play the role of us.
(35:35):
Yeah for sure.
You there's a Nicole Kidmanquality to you here.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You a little more this place formagic.
Yeah well I haven't.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But you know what?
She looks good.
She looks amazing.
Nicole, I love you.
Thank you so much for takingthe time to chat with us.
Thank you.
Truly like.
And it's always such a joy toget to experience you, tell the
(35:57):
kids where they can find you.
It's@travelingIQ, the Americanspelling.
So with one L, TravelingIQ.
And my website istravelingiq.com, which I, I do
primarily at this point, right.
For as a freelance writerfor other publications.
But I always post my stuffthrough that as well, so
(36:17):
you can keep up with methat way.
Yeah, I think it's a greattool and resource for people
who are curious.
We're not only not even justpeople who are LGBTQ, but
anybody that is interested in,you know, even if they're a
well-traveled person or they'reinterested in the idea of
traveling like, yeah, you're agreat resource and a
great person.
Thank you.
Always.
So, accessible and feelswelcoming and warm.
(36:41):
So not to just put you out thereto invite anybody to to
reach out to you, but pleasereach out.
I'm welcoming and warm.
You got that?
If you want to learn more aboutIvan and the articles he's
written for us, you cancheck out the description below.
And what I love about Ivan is I.
He perfectly encompasses whatVACAYA spirit is, and he does a
great job of translating that inhis writing.
(37:02):
And readers really get a senseof what VACAYA is and who
Ivan is, and that's such aspecial skill.
Well, cheers.
Episode three and done.
That's it for our episode today.
Thank you for tuning into VTV.
You can find us on YouTubefor our full episodes, or stream
our audio on Spotify and AppleMusic.
And you can always find clips oftoday's episode on our social
(37:25):
media@myvacaya, on Instagram andTikTok.
And you can always send usmessages with questions topics
that you'd like us to discuss.
We are open, baby.
We are open and ready for you.
Cheers to being open and readyand fiber.
Hi, I'm Kevin Poodle DeKimpeand I'm Trevor 99% Angel, 1%
Devil Dow.
And this is VTV, the definitivepodcast for all things LGBTQ
focused, where we explore theintersection of queer travel,
pop culture, and the progressiveperspectives of our community.
(00:23):
Hi, Trevor.
Oh.
Hi, Kev.
Fancy seeing you here.
It's so fancy.
You look fancy.
You look fancy.
I don't know if I've ever seenyou in such a tight polo.
It's, Yeah.
Fitting.
Literally and figuratively,I guess.
What's been going on, What yabeen up?
Actually, I just got back froma trip.
Was it a VACAYA trip or whatkind of trip?
(00:43):
It was a personal, fun trip withsomeone I actually met on
a VACAYA cruise.
No way.
What VACAYA trip did you meet?
It was a Norwegian cruise.
Oh, yeah.
Fjords?
Yeah.
That Norwegian fjords cruiseincredible.
It was incredible.
It's magical.
And one thing that helpedmake it even more magical was
meeting this person nice.
(01:04):
And I feel lucky that I gotto extend the vacation in a way.
And we decided last weekwe coordinated meeting in
Rehoboth, which is this cutelittle gay beach town.
Okay, so tell me about Rehoboth.
Rehoboth has a P-Town vibeto it, And it has its own gay
beach called Poodle Beach, andit has like a couple of
(01:24):
gay clubs and bars andrestaurants.
So me and him got to explorethis together, and it was
reminiscent of how we met.
And it was, oh, that's a specialtime.
I also just got back from a gaytravel experience.
Where was that?
I went to one of the ChannelIslands, Santa Rosa, and it was
sweet.
(01:45):
It was kind of my group offriends.
There was 24 of us, and we hadrented out all of the campsites
on this island.
And so it was just our communitygetting to hike and swim and
explore.
It was very sweet.
It it was kind of like, whatI get out of, of a VACAYA
trip, but with like the peoplethat I have in my inner circle.
Yeah, in my immediate circle.
(02:06):
So it was very, very sweet.
It's funny, I feel likethroughout the summer we've
gotten to travel so much,especially with the summer tour,
and we ain't letting up.
We don't want it to stop.
No where do you want to goto next?
Next?
I want to go to Ivan'sinterview.
Ivan is an incredible travelwriter and journalist.
Ivan's been with VACAYA fromthe jump.
(02:28):
Ivan was on the inaugural cruiseour P-Town cruise, back in 2019,
and has continued to getto travel with VACAYA throughout
the years.
So when we were in New Yorkon her summer tour, Ivan was
one of those quintessentialpeople that I really wanted us
to get the chance to kindof talk to and spend time with,
because Ivan is so well-roundedwhen it comes to not just
(02:50):
travel, but LGBTQ plus travellike it, it to me feels
very different.
Going on a trip with your familyvs.
going on a trip with your chosenfamily is just two very separate
things.
Yes, and he has a lot ofexperience and he has a lot.
You know, he's a great writer.
He's written for Edge Media aswell as our magazine and many
other publications.
(03:11):
So we're lucky to have him.
Yeah, it's so close to VACAYA’sOrbit.
So let's jump into theinterview, shall we?
Here we go.
We have a very, very special,very dear friend of VACAYA Ivan
Quintanilla.
Yes.
Well done.
Thank you.
Thank you for having me.
And we're in New York duringNew York Pride month.
We're here during pride weekend.
(03:32):
And you live here in New York.
You were just telling us thatyou've been here for almost 20.
I've been in New York Cityfor 25 years, 25 years, which is
so weird because I'm like27, so.
Right.
Yeah.
You're just saying, like, yeah.
So I was a Gerber model andthen brought me to New York,
and then I just kind of stayedin the travel landscape.
(03:52):
Do you feel like you have tokind of change a bit when you're
doing travel, like outside of anall LGBT experience versus
when you're like travelingsolo or even when the two of
you are traveling together?
Yes.
I mean, I think in general, likeeverybody in our community,
you know, there's an awarenessand there's a safety factor
that you have to take intoaccount.
(04:13):
Yeah.
I would be concerned aboutthat in many places of the U.S.
like if I travel to likethe Deep South, I would be very
aware of, like, just, you know,code switching or like, yeah,
you know, not touching mypartner in certain ways because
I would be concerned about that.
Yeah.
And definitely when you're goingto different cultures and
(04:34):
different places, one thing thatI want to make sure that I do
is just be, be respectful of theculture as well.
So though I am an out and proudgay man, I think it's important
when you travel to and you're insomebody else's space, you're in
you're in their home.
So, what that means to differentpeople is different things.
(04:56):
So to me, it moderates mybehavior in a way that I try to
still be me, but beingrespectful with and within their
world.
Yeah.
and also as, as a, as a tourist,we have extreme privilege.
Like, yeah, there's so much thatwe can get away with that people
(05:17):
in places that are not as LGBTQfriendly or whose laws are
not as LGBTQ friendly cannotdo that.
And for the most part, peoplewill leave us alone and they'll
treat us kindly because we'retourists and they know all that.
and so I think there's also anaspect of like a responsibility
to the LGBTQ community therethat you don't.
(05:40):
I I'll speak for myself.
I don't want to like, walk intoa space and somehow, like out
locals in a way that thenI get to leave and they have
to stay there.
So deal with the potentialrepercussions.
So I think it's importantto just like, be yourself,
but be aware of yoursurroundings and just be a
little kinder than you thinkyou need to be.
(06:01):
Just be a little more awarethan you think you need
to be and and just take otherpeople's situation in a
little bit more.
Because if you are in that kindof place, like it really
isn't all about you, where othervacations can be all about you.
And those are one more,you know, as well.
So that goes into planningwhat kind of experience and trip
(06:23):
you want.
If you want that, then that'sthe kind of experience
you should be going for versusif you're traveling with the
intention of experiencinganother culture, that culture,
you know, and this was a gooddifferentiation to me.
Absolutely.
And this whole idea of like,should gay people to go to
non gay friendly placeslike that is a conversation
that is worth having andthat has happened and will
(06:46):
continue to happen to me.
It's a very individual thinglike, yeah, if you don't
want to do it then you shouldn'tdo it.
If you don't want your moneyto go to that specific place for
whatever reason or you don'tfeel comfortable moderating your
behavior, then maybe it's notfor you.
Yeah.
but, you know, there's a wholebig world out there, and we
do exist everywhere.
(07:07):
And so there are LGBTQ peopleeverywhere, even in places,
where they're not pretending.
Yeah, yeah, there's also somebenefit to, like, you know,
going to these places.
But in those scenarios, like,I feel like you have to show up.
Correct.
You know, like, I feel likeI want to help that community
(07:28):
accept me more.
and I don't think in a way, in aforeign culture, I do that
by like, assaulting them with mypersonality.
It's that's just that's a verypersonal thing for me.
And other people may feel verydifferently.
I'm sorry.
Okay.
Yeah.
No, it's almost like you showedup.
As in, like, I want to help.
I want to be supportive of thisculture that I'm visiting.
(07:51):
And, as someone who's just likea guest, I.
Yeah, I met, yeah.
And I and I see it that way.
Like, I am a guest in theirhome.
You know, I was going topiggyback off of the just kind
of the discussion of thatyou were saying about different
experiences and what you'rehaving.
We know, Ivan, through VACAYA.
And so what has been kind of adifferentiation between when you
(08:14):
do travel, by yourself orwhen you're with your partner
or with other companies versuswhat the, VACAYA all LGBTQ plus
community travel experiencehas been like just one of
the most wonderful things abouttraveling with VACAYA is that
you don't have to moderate yourbehavior when you're in
that group, because you arewith like minded people and you
(08:37):
all do like full ship charters.
Yeah, you know, you do, a fullbuyout of the resort.
So everyone that you are aroundis on your team and is there to
make sure that you have the besttime ever.
And that is one of the thingsthat I find so valuable, because
you don't have to be thinkinglike, am I acting funny?
(09:00):
Am I touching my boyfriend in awrong way.
Like even in places that areLGBTQ friendly, like, you know,
you can go to any resort inthe US and potentially if you're
like kissing your boyfriendat the pool the way any other
couple would, would you're goingto get funny looks.
(09:20):
and that's one of the reasonswhy I love LGBTQ vacations and
being on LGBTQ trips, becauseit's so nice to not worry about
that.
And it just free like that justfrees you up to be yourself
and enjoy yourself in a waythat you can't fully do when
you're kind of moderating yourbehavior.
And also for those that are likesingle worry about doing
(09:45):
the dance of like are theyare you are they are, you know
not like 199%.
And this is something that Iencounter sometimes.
Sorry I got.
Yeah.
No, no because this is as atravel writer.
You know, I travel to.
Yeah places and many timeswhen I speak to other tourism,
to, you know, tourism boards orthe PR people that, represent
(10:10):
specific destinations.
Many times there's an argumentthat is made that like, no, like
there may not be gay bars, butlike, we're all friendly, like,
like people are welcomeeverywhere.
And that's amazing.
And yeah, and like a utopiansociety, I think that's a
wonderful thing.
That should be the overarchinggoal that everyone is.
Well, that's that's wonderful.
(10:30):
But as a gay man, sometimesyou want to be able to know
that, like, you know,respectfully, you can like,
flirt with somebody and you'renot going to be, you know,
insulted, harassed or insultthem or anything for that.
And being on like a VACAYAvacation, for example, just
takes all that worry out.
(10:51):
And you can just like, actuallymeet people without that
concern.
And I think that's so valuable.
I mean, even the concept of likeour stoplight party or like,
sorry.
Yeah.
Or it's the red light, greenlight, yellow light
introduction.
So those that don't know, onthe first kind of big dance
we have is a stoplight partywhere you wear red if you are
(11:12):
happily taken or just notlooking for anything yellow
is you're curious, but,you know, ease into the
conversation or ease intoany sort of like play or action.
And then green is you're openanything.
Yeah.
So yeah, that concept is isvery much about what you are
articulating.
I'm going to present myself.
(11:33):
Yeah.
As open as I wish to in thebeginning of this trip.
And that kind of sets the barfor what you're looking for and
what you could find.
And.
Yeah, and even in the spaceof, like, I can be flirtatious
with this whole group oryou can be more definitive about
like what it is you're lookingfor.
And also with the lanyards, youall on VACAYA, you do lanyards
(11:55):
where they what kind of like,you know what you're.
Yeah.
You do like red, yellow green.
Right?
Yeah.
Those.
Yeah.
same kind of thing.
Like, you can be like, I'ma crazy whore and you wear
green.
You're like, I don't wantanything to do with anybody
kevin is wearing green today.
Some.
Yeah, but those are like.
Like those are like some dingygreen.
Yeah.
(12:16):
They are a little dingy.
She's a dingy.
Yeah.
No I like you're not wrong.
Yeah.
So for those of you that don'tknow, Ivan is an incredible
travel writer.
and has traveled literallyall over the world.
I mean, not every single place,but, you know, I try to.
You've left your mark in a lotof spots, left many marks in
(12:38):
many spots.
I'm sorry.
Matthew.
Yeah.
He's aware.
I'm sure.
So I was in, the islands ofTahiti, French Polynesia.
Yeah, just like a few weeks ago.
Whoa.
Which, you know, it's such a,kind of a a bucket list item for
so many people.
And I just felt so fortunateto be able to go there and visit
(13:02):
and and experience that.
And it is as beautiful as youthink it is.
Like, it really is the water.
It's so crystal clear.
The last two nights I did getto stay in like one of those
overwater bungalows, whichapparently was sort of thought
of in Tahiti.
That was the original ones.
Oh, nice.
It was just such a joy to bethere and be able to learn
(13:22):
a little bit more about theislands of Tahiti, which are 118
islands, what?
Many with their own cultureand, you know, diverse in their
own ways, but it's all part ofFrench Polynesia.
And it's it's interesting howlike that the culture there
has kind of continues to honortheir own history.
(13:45):
it's a place where genderfluidity had existed before,
Western culture got there andkind of screwed it up.
And so it's interestinghow there how some people
are kind of trying to get backto where they were before,
screwed it up.
Do you think there's like a,a way of, like, defining things
(14:07):
between, like, our Westernlanguage of how we talk about
maybe intersex or liketransgender or like between
how the native Tahiti peoplekind of like, experience that.
Like, I feel like maybethere's a bridge there.
It's completely different.
And that was something that thatI kind of realized on this trip.
(14:28):
And I think for us, of course,you know, gender expression and
sexual attraction are, areseparate.
But I think in Western culturewe very much clump
those together in some ways.
And one thing that I thatI found there, you know,
and I'm, I can only speak tomy experience the one week there
(14:50):
and the people I spoke tois that those two are much more
separated there than so one'skind of gender expression and
transness or non-binary-ness.
That's, for lack of a betterterm, fluidity, is I found it
to be a lot less connected tosexuality there than.
(15:14):
Right.
I think is here in general.
Oh, that's a good point.
The distinction is we sexualizeeverything.
We sexualize everything so muchmore here.
So it makes sense that andnot in a in a great way, but
it makes sense that it it isinnately just clumped together
more and also historicallyand you know, here in, in
the US, in North America,in every in most indigenous
(15:37):
communities have had someversion of like Two-spirit or a
third gender, you know, whateveryou want to call it and whatever
they call it.
So that was something thatreally was very much a part of
Polynesian culture.
and it continues to be part ofthe culture.
But, at the same time,the islands have become very
(15:58):
religious, very westernizedreligion.
So there is a little bit ofstruggle between that.
Yeah.
Imagine that.
Yeah.
Western religion coming inand, and, can you believe it?
Can you imagine, I mean, can youimagine the kind of did, French
Polynesia, cruise Kevin was onthat?
Did you get to experiencea lot of.
(16:20):
I got to experience.
Yes.
There exactly what you weretalking about.
And it was so special becauseit was just like a non, non
thing.
It was just like people justexist and express themselves
in this fluid ways.
And it was accepted andbeautiful and it was like, it's
the way it should be.
Or it felt like, somethingto strive for it.
(16:40):
Like, yeah, we definitely wecomplicate things a little
bit here.
Yeah.
I don't know that I ever thoughtabout it this way, but in this
in like our gay culturespecifically, the way things
have moved to like apps and allthat stuff where people are so
specific about, like, I'minto this, I'm not I'm not into
(17:02):
this.
Having just like three optionsred, yellow and green gives you
an idea of how to encounter thatperson and how to interact
with that person without itbeing 100% limiting.
Yeah, because they're notsaying, well, you can interpret
whatever that means.
And red, yellow and green meandifferent things to different
(17:24):
people.
so in some ways, like it invitesconversation and it invites like
getting to know what that meansto the individual, which only
helps fuel the experienceof the trip, I think.
Yes.
And in a world where I mean ina world that has existed and
(17:44):
it should always have been animportant thing, consent is so
important.
Like, here's a way to identifyhow to approach a person or
situation with making sure thatkind of a certain already known
level of consent is beingrecognized and respected.
And I actually think that nowthat we're kind of talking about
it, it's interesting that thereare just more social settings
(18:07):
and spaces that kind of adopt,not maybe that way of doing
things, but some sort of thingthat like if you were to go
to a bar and just have a way toidentify who's in a similar
boat.
Yeah, I guess it I guess forstraight people, it used to be
like, oh, im married.
Yeah.
And for gay people, you know,i have a cock ring, I'm married.
(18:34):
this episode is sponsored by theconcept of bears.
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I think it was.
I was about an hour old.
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What's your favorite kind ofcheesecake?
Oh my gosh, turtle.
Cheesecake.
Oh, okay.
And, if you had to hibernate forthe winter, what food would you
(19:17):
bring with you?
Wow, Macaroni and cheese.
Oh my God, it's macaroni andcheese.
Bears are everything to me.
And that's why every time I puthoney in my tea, I think of that
man.
A bear in general.
I love that.
Like on VACAYA vacations peopleget to dress up in these ways.
(19:40):
And, you know, gays loveoutfits.
I'm I'm not so much of, like, adresser, a costume queen.
Believe it or not, I'm moresurprising.
I'm like a lazy costume queen.
I want someone to, like, give mean outfit and be like,
this would look amazing on you.
(20:02):
And then I try it on andit looks amazing.
Like you're kind of like.
And then I'm like, yeah,then I'm a costume queen.
But the work that goes intolike, I'm not going to be
beading my sure my, my,you know, you want to be
a little.
Yeah.
Well I, I can relate to thatin that I want to be a little
practical.
So like I love the idea of like,listen, I know I need to
(20:25):
be caring these items.
I need to have a way to do thatas well as like if these
are going to come off, if I havelike a pants that have like my
look underneath it,I want to know where I'm going
to put these pants.
Right.
Anyways, maybe that's my, neurospiciness coming out.
well, you have Trevor for that.
(20:47):
You can give Trevor your care.
Trevor, can you hold onto these?
I'm so sorry.
I think I feel like it'sthe other way.
Yeah, man.
Yeah, well, you're always, like,running around in almost no
clothes and, like that LaceyPantys.
Yeah.
Yes.
Yeah, well, I do love a side bagbecause that you can put stuff
in, but I do love a costume.
And I feel like most of the timeI feel like Kevin, I'll be like,
(21:09):
what do you think of this idea?
And then I'll worry aboutthe execution.
And then you're pretty good atplaying along, and usually we're
on the same wavelength.
Yeah, but i love a costume, ofcourse, you do.
Yeah, you're one of those.
I know, but what I do loveabout the VACAYA vacations
that I've been on is thatit's like it's a range like
some of these, some of thesequeens go all out.
(21:32):
I mean, like, like six suitcasesin one suitcase just has one
costume.
And, like, the way Mariah Careygoes on a weekend trip like,
that's what these queensbring on the back, like,
it's like trunks.
And then there are people who,like, are not into it at all.
Yeah.
Just great.
Fine.
Yes.
And then there's like, peoplelike me who are somewhere in the
middle here, like before thecruise, I'll, you know, a few
(21:54):
weeks before I'll look at allthe things and then I'll buy
like a t shirt that fitsevery theme or like a little
like, you know, a little minioutfit.
Yeah, that's kind of howI do it, but that's where
it's like there's space kind offor everyone.
And also I feel like forthe most part that I always
say, and this is great advice,Randall gave it to me.
(22:15):
You choose three dances or threeevents where you're like, okay,
this is where I'm going to like,really enjoy my costume.
And then the other ones, you cankind of like coast and ease
through it, right?
And so it takes off the pressureof being like, okay, there's
potentially been 7 or 8 dancesor something that I need
costumes for.
But what I found is the peoplethat don't necessarily dress up
(22:35):
enjoy watching the parade ofchaos and costumes and
extravagance because it's animmersive experience for the.
If you haven't seen, we have,the themes decorated on wherever
the party is.
So it's like between that andpeople showing up in the looks,
it's like you are in a world ofour own creation.
(22:59):
Yeah.
Also, one thing that's greatabout being like on a cruise
ship is that you can like,if you want to do it up,
you can do it up and you canwear your angel wings and
you can do whatever you want.
And then it like an hour intothe party, you're like, my back
hurts.
Yeah.
And these angel wings, youjust walk five minutes into your
state room, drop that shit off.
(23:19):
And.
Sorry, I dropped that stuff offand, you know, put on a Speedo
and walk right out.
That's such a good point.
And I really lot.
Just as much.
Yeah.
You can't go wrong.
Much like, a headliner on thislast week, VACAYA Cruise might
have sung.
You can paint with all thecolors of the wind.
Yes, absolutely.
(23:40):
Sorry, Vanessa Williams.
And as I said, don't sue usfor using that.
We love it, you know.
Well, also like it's notit's not even a something
you have to pull on as faras like a relationship that
you are meeting with somebodylike you can just run into
people, especially smaller shipcruises.
(24:01):
You'll you'll experience thingswith them.
Ambiently like you'll you'll beon in the dining room.
You'll be at a show.
So if you'll see them be like,oh, what do you think of that
excursion?
Yes.
And like I saw you doing that.
How was that?
So it's like it's not even likeforcing it is the most genuine
way I feel like to establish arelationship in my opinion,
(24:23):
because it's just like you seeother people living their best
lives.
Yeah.
And then you comment on itand like, what's easier
than that?
And you want to partake in it.
Yeah.
And it motivates you.
And a trip like that, like itbrings people from such diverse
worlds, you know, fromeverywhere in the country,
everywhere in the world.
(24:44):
you know, gay men, lesbians,bisexual people, trans people,
like every aspect of ourcommunity is represented on of
VACAYA cruise, for example.
And so though we all come fromdifferent worlds, somehow being
on the cruise together andgoing on these excursions
together and then being atthe same dance parties together
(25:05):
and then being at the pooltogether, it gives us a shared
language that we can all shareand talk about our experiences.
Even though we come in with verydiverse experiences, like we are
all sharing this really uniquething together.
Yeah.
You know, have you noticed,kind of touching on the
(25:26):
diversity aspect of what VACAYAkind of, you know, the,
the overarching goal is to trulybe the most inclusive space for
people of the LGBTQ pluscommunity to travel with.
You are on the inaugural cruisein 2019, and you've traveled
with VACAYA since then.
(25:47):
Have you noticed a trajectoryin that kind of atmosphere
and any changes or any specificevents or moments that stuck out
to you that feel very inclusiveor feel welcoming to more than
just, you know, the typicalgame male dominated space?
Yeah, so, so many and so much.
(26:07):
And I remember when theinaugural cruise happened that,
you know, the leading up to it,VACAYA’s mission.
It was always to, to kind ofincorporate the space that every
person in the community andour allies can be patient
together.
And it's been actually prettycool to to kind of witness
that over the years becauselike, if you build it, they will
(26:30):
come.
And was that fully thererealized at the very, very first
inaugural cruise?
No, but the mission was there.
And I I've been involvedand been on enough trips
of VACAYA, and I've seenhow it's not only like the
mission on paper.
they have backed it up in, insuch a way and they, they create
(26:53):
spaces for anyone and everyoneto be in.
Like, they create spacesthat are specifically for women.
They create spaces for trans andnon-binary, guests and by
allowing those spaces to exist,like people will fill them.
And it it is a process.
Yeah.
It just takes time.
It takes time.
(27:14):
And also, you know, differentpeople have different ideas
of what their vacations, are.
But I feel like VACAYA does areally good job at not only
creating these spaceswhen you're on the trip, but
they really put their, their,their effort and money, for
lack of a better term, behindtrying to make that happen.
(27:36):
Like it doesn't.
That doesn't just happen.
You don't just say, oh, we wanteveryone here, and then everyone
shows up.
Like the kind of outreach thatthey do is it's really
inspiring.
I think it's really it's reallydifferent and new compared to to
other LGBTQ travel companiesthat that can say we're very
inclusive, but, and I don'twant to speak for any other,
(28:01):
company, but like for VACAYAreally does go out of their way
to create these spaces and bringthese people on.
And it's less like, you'rewelcome to be here.
It's more it's more like we'rebringing you along and and
how do we make it the bestexperience possible for
everybody?
Yeah.
I'm just the majority.
Yeah.
I hope it's clear.
(28:21):
Like what you want to know if,if something can be improved.
We want to do that.
Yeah.
So I hope that comes off too.
It's like and I tell us how tomake it better for you.
And I think it does.
You know and I'm a gay cis man.
So like I always you know, it'svery easy for me to feel
included.
I know there's in, in most LGBTQspaces, but, I've spoken to
(28:44):
a lot of people who identify indifferent ways on, on the
multiple VACAYA trips thatI've been on.
And they all just, like, gushabout how they feel included.
And it's, you know, ununprompted by me.
I'm just having theseconversations and they they feel
(29:05):
so welcome and they're so happyto be there.
And, and there's I don't know,it's just a welcoming atmosphere
that I think everybody can stepinto and step into it together.
And sometimes on that ship,like even people who you may
or may not hang out with outsideof the ship, like, it's almost
like this little world iscreated where, like, it's a
(29:27):
little utopia.
Yeah.
And I will say, like the kindestpeople you will ever meet
are on, a VACAYA from all overto.
Yeah, yeah, even people who areprobably bitchy in my life.
Like, somehow they tap intothe best of what they have.
Yeah, we can turn it down alittle bit maybe.
(29:48):
Yeah.
Because the atmosphere doesn'treally lend itself to that.
You know.
That's a good point.
So it like, it just it wouldn'twork.
Like you act a little bitchy andpeople would be like this is not
the space for that.
Like may be like, okay, oh mygosh.
but you know something.
So heres a snickers.
Yeah.
Out of all the things thatI love about a VACAYA vacation,
(30:10):
the kind of kindness andopenness of the guests that a
VACAYA has been able to somehowcurate, I don't know how that
works.
It's like this weird magicformula that they've somehow
figured out how to do, hasworked.
And it's it is pretty magical.
But I think, you know, just ashout out to Mama Johanna.
(30:31):
She does a great job of makingsure that the the team that is
brought on to these trips is asinclusive and as diverse as we
want the whole vacation to feellike.
It starts with you, you know?
And that's why I think, likesometimes you hear about, like,
rainbow washing for certaincompanies and whatnot.
But it's like at the root of it,if if the goal is to be an
(30:52):
inclusive space, then it has tobe represented through
in the company so thatyour guests then feel included
and welcomed, and then thathopefully trickles down to
the guests mindset, because it'salso a lot of like I would
imagine if if I was 60 yearsold and I have been through
the experiences I've beenthrough, having special
segregated spaces to feelsafe is important.
(31:15):
Yeah.
So having to kind of unlearnthat, to welcome our lesbian
or our trans or our non-binaryguests is a little bit of an
adjustment.
And through the course oflike the five, six years that,
you know, VACAYA has been aroundand the guests that we've had
return and over and over again,like seeing that even just the
(31:35):
acknowledgment of pronounsand like having the pronoun
pins and all of that is like,it's so like a well, yeah, of
course, like said, instead of itbeing like, well, what does this
mean?
Yeah.
You know, and that takes time.
If you're from somewhere that'slike in the middle of the
country, that this is not yournormal everyday thing, even
though you're still a partof the community.
Like it, it just takes time.
(31:56):
And it's fortunate that Ifeel like we really have a
wonderful group of guests who,like, want to keep evolving and
want to keep learning andwant to help.
Yeah, it's nice to be, on tripsand vacations and like, interact
with people that I don'tnormally would interact with.
Being a gay man in Hell'sKitchen, New York.
(32:17):
You know, because our worldsdo tend to be so insulated,
right?
Yeah.
That's a great point.
You're mentioning vacations.
It got me thinking.
Is there a spot or any locationswhere you have yet to travel
to that you really have on yourbucket destinations kind of
list?
Yes and yes and yes.
And so, yeah, never ending,I mean, there's places that I.
(32:41):
Okay, places that I've notbeen to that I really want to.
Columbia is at the top ofthe list.
Antarctica is at the top ofthe list.
Yeah.
So Antarctica, let's let's talkabout it.
How amazing to go to Antarctica.
This, like, extravagantexpedition place that's like.
(33:02):
Wow.
And to be able to do it withan all LGBTQ charter.
Like.
That's insane.
Yeah.
Blow My mind.
Yeah.
You know, like, yes.
You're already like, it'salready such a, a remote kind of
dream thought.
And then to do with people thatunder have a better
(33:22):
understanding of you.
Yeah.
You don't have to like worryabout exactly like it would
probably be fine.
But you know being on a nonLGBTQ like excursion out of
Antarctica like have I'm like,oh my god, penguins are gay.
Like what?
What's like Susie Ann fromWisconsin going to say to that.
Probably nothing because SuzanneI think is actually, a kind
(33:47):
person inside.
but you know, but also you don'twant to have to second guess
it's claiming penguins are gay,which has got to be the title
of this episode.
Penguins are gay.
To be able to be like, withseals and otters during the day,
and then go back to the shipand be with seals and otters
at night yeah, yeah.
okay, so we've got Antarctica.
(34:07):
We've got you've talked aboutSpain a little bit.
That's one of your favoriteplaces.
It feels very safe.
Are there any other kind ofdream locations that.
So my first like kind oflike big crazy trip was to
Australia when I was I was maybelike 23, 24 or 25 somewhere
in there.
And I went for a month.
So Australia has always held areally special place in
(34:30):
my heart.
And I have and like I literallyas an adult man cried when
the plane took off.
Like I was so sad to leave.
Yeah.
Wow.
I mean, I'd fallen in love like82,000 times already, you know,
and people were so friendly.
It was like one of the thewarmest, friendliest group of
(34:53):
people that I've everencountered traveling.
And I.
And it's now been like,you know, 20 years and I've not
been back.
So that continues to be onmy bucket list to get back to.
Wow, you're like, take me back,take me outback.
Oh yes.
(35:13):
That's right.
That's that's something happenedto your mic sure, sure, sure.
Australian accent.
And you are.
Are you going.
You all are doing a VACAYAis doing a gold Coast.
Gross.
Oh well there's that prettygood.
I think it's pretty good.
Maybe it's a tequilaI don't know, I feel like it's
kind of in. Sure.
Would I be Australian?
I think you, I mean, you could,you could play the role of us.
(35:35):
Yeah for sure.
You there's a Nicole Kidmanquality to you here.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You a little more this place formagic.
Yeah well I haven't.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But you know what?
She looks good.
She looks amazing.
Nicole, I love you.
Thank you so much for takingthe time to chat with us.
Thank you.
Truly like.
And it's always such a joy toget to experience you, tell the
(35:57):
kids where they can find you.
It's@travelingIQ, the Americanspelling.
So with one L, TravelingIQ.
And my website istravelingiq.com, which I, I do
primarily at this point, right.
For as a freelance writerfor other publications.
But I always post my stuffthrough that as well, so
(36:17):
you can keep up with methat way.
Yeah, I think it's a greattool and resource for people
who are curious.
We're not only not even justpeople who are LGBTQ, but
anybody that is interested in,you know, even if they're a
well-traveled person or they'reinterested in the idea of
traveling like, yeah, you're agreat resource and a
great person.
Thank you.
Always.
So, accessible and feelswelcoming and warm.
(36:41):
So not to just put you out thereto invite anybody to to
reach out to you, but pleasereach out.
I'm welcoming and warm.
You got that?
If you want to learn more aboutIvan and the articles he's
written for us, you cancheck out the description below.
And what I love about Ivan is I.
He perfectly encompasses whatVACAYA spirit is, and he does a
great job of translating that inhis writing.
(37:02):
And readers really get a senseof what VACAYA is and who
Ivan is, and that's such aspecial skill.
Well, cheers.
Episode three and done.
That's it for our episode today.
Thank you for tuning into VTV.
You can find us on YouTubefor our full episodes, or stream
our audio on Spotify and AppleMusic.
And you can always find clips oftoday's episode on our social
(37:25):
media@myvacaya, on Instagram andTikTok.
And you can always send usmessages with questions topics
that you'd like us to discuss.
We are open, baby.
We are open and ready for you.
Cheers to being open and readyand fiber.
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