We tapped LGBTQ+ travel influencers and IRL couple Gabrielle Meit and Shanna Sciara, aka @27travels, to share their secrets for traveling as a duo, finding Insta-worthy locales, and capturing that perfect #honeymoonselfie.
Tips for traveling with your partner? [Gabi] Know your partner's likes and dislikes, and the amount of activity you both enjoy when traveling. Also respect what your partner needs out of a trip! Sometimes you also just have to do something you know might not be your favorite activity, but hey, it is theirs! So it will make them happy, and vice-versa!
What are some tips for exploring new places? [Gabi] Wander! We always look up a few spots and pin them on Google Maps in case we are in the area, and then we just walk around and truly wander aimlessly. Sometimes you find the best spots and experiences when you don’t mean to!
Tips for taking the perfect #travelselfie? [Shanna] 1. Always make sure that the phone cameras are clean—they get dirty easily and affect the quality of your images. 2. Instead of taking a selfie on your front-facing camera, turn your phone around and use the back camera on the wide-angle lens mode. The quality will be better and you will also get more in the frame.
How do you find locations that are Insta-worthy? [Gabi] We either look at other content creators or blog posts about the best Instagram spots in a city. And sometimes, our best photo spots are spontaneous places we didn’t know existed until we got there—we look for the beauty in everything!
What is your advice for couples who are wanting to document their honeymoon for social? [Gabi] My best advice would be to come prepared. Get a small tripod that you can bring on your trip so you can take pictures and videos of yourselves without needing to ask another person to help. If you’re not the kind of person who likes to take your own videos or images, you can always set up a photoshoot.
We recommend Flytographer, they are a great resource for setting up local photoshoots on your trips easily, or search for local photographers in the place you are traveling to and set up a shoot.
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What are some ways you can tell if a destination is safe for LGBTQ+ travelers? [Shanna] We look up the laws and protections for each place we travel on Equaldex. Another great way is to follow creators like us, who look like you or have your needs when traveling, and take their advice on places that are LGBTQIA+ friendly destinations. We are always going to be honest about how friendly we think a destination is or isn’t.
Equaldex is a crowdsourced online resource sharing global views of the LGBTQ+ community and rights movement.
Any under-the-radar locales that are worth checking out? [Gabi] Stockholm, Sweden is one of the destinations that surprised us the most! It’s such a cute and diverse city, with so many amazing places to explore. We both loved how welcoming it was to us and all other LGBTQIA+ people, and can’t wait to go back again one day! Sweden in general is an amazing country to go visit.
What's on your bucket list? [Gabi] We are absolutely dying to travel to Japan and just more of Asia in general! We both love Japanese food and culture, so it’s a dream of ours. We know we want to do it justice and spend a long period of time there, so it’s a trip we haven’t gotten to yet!
No matter your destination, what is something that you cannot leave home without? [Shanna] An emergency kit is something I travel with at all times, and has everything from Band-Aids and a nail file, to Advil and liquid IV. It’s saved us too many times to even count.
GABI & SHANNA'S TOP HONEYMOON PICKS
South Africa: South Africa is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Not only do the laws protect LGBTQIA+ people there, but taking a safari is something that you will never forget. This was one of the most incredible trips we have ever taken.
Costa Rica: There are so many different kinds of places you can explore on just one trip—jungles, beaches, and volcanoes—as well as explore many different cute towns and eat lots of delicious local food.
Malta: Malta is one of our favorite countries we’ve ever visited! It’s not only beautiful with a diverse landscape, but it’s probably the most welcoming and inclusive country we’ve ever been to. Malta has beaches, cities, nature, history, and so much more.
Isla Mujeres: Isla Mujeres is a small island in Mexico and an amazing place to visit! You can get around the island by renting a golf cart for your stay, and it’s the perfect place if you want a warm beach destination.
Greece: Going to Athens followed by Greek island-hopping is the perfect itinerary. We loved the island of Paros so much—it’s not too busy, and every single street is incredibly beautiful!
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