Ravi Roth Takes Us Across the Globe in New Show

Gaycation Magazine, a distinctive voice in LGBTQ travel, launched their brand-new, digital travel show, The Gaycation Travel Show, hosted by LGBTQ travel expert and YouTube content creator, Ravi Roth.

Airing episodes exclusively through Gaycation Magazine’s official YouTube channel on Fridays, Roth takes viewers on an exhilarating journey to new, known, and off-the-beaten-path destinations. He and his guest correspondent explore places to stay, how to have fun, what to eat, sightseeing, and much more all while learning about the queer and not-so-queer culture of the local community.

The Gaycation Travel Show’s first season will feature eight destinations both domestic and international. Roth uncovers best-kept secrets in places including Manhattan, Chicago, Tulsa, Vancouver, and Orlando.

Roth took a break from trekking around the world to talk with OFM about the show, what he looks forward to the most when visiting a new area, how to travel on a budget, and destinations currently on his bucket list.

Let me begin by asking, what can audiences expect from The Gaycation Travel Show?
The Gaycation Travel Show is an eight-episode series on YouTube where we focus on eight different destinations. Some are off the beaten path, some are mainstream locations, and some are international. Basically, we are telling the story of destinations making their comeback post-coronavirus, and we are working sometimes with local guest correspondents or influencers on the ground. Sometimes, I am in the cities. So, it is kind of a hodgepodge, but we are getting to basically travel again and tell the stories of all these cities that have gone through a lot and are climbing their way out.

How did you get involved with this project, and what has been your favorite part about it?
I got involved last July. I got approached to be the host, and we were then brainstorming the show and different ideas that we had. We were going to launch it in August, and then we were going to launch it in October, and then we were going to launch it in January. So, we launched May 14, and it has been quite a ride. We initially wanted to have 12 episodes, and we wanted to work with influencers and content creators on the ground in each of these different cities, but there were massive lockdowns happening. A lot of the world was not making its comeback. Coronavirus was getting worse.

We had to do some major pivots, and we locked in these eight destinations. Two international, six domestic, and it has been a total joy. My favorite part has just been getting to travel again. In the last month, I got to go to Tulsa; I went to Cedar Rapids, and we closed the season in Chicago. It was amazing to see the pulse of these cities come back to life. Also, seeing that locations in small-town, middle America are massively queer and massively rad.

What do you hope audiences take away from the show?
Ultimately, we want to inspire people to travel. Fear has played such a huge part in everyone’s lives, and rightfully so, because this past year has been crazy. This show is inspiring people to travel in their own way. Whether it’s to do it domestically, whether it’s to do a staycation. Our first episode was Manhattan, and in that episode, go and do the things that we did. Stay in the hotels that we went to and have a staycation. Basically, it is to get people out of their comfort zones and be inspired to travel again.

People know you as a LGBTQ travel expert. How did your passion for traveling begin?
It kind of started by accident. I went on my first trip ever when I was 26 years old outside of the country, and I went to London, Paris, and Barcelona with my ex. I just fell in love with traveling. My brother said that I should journal, and I said, I don’t really like to journal. He said I should then vlog. At that time, I took my phone ,and I blogged vertically instead of horizontally. I didn’t know what I was doing, but then I started taking more trips and seeing more places, and then it became more and more exciting.

I then started to meet travel tourism boards, I started meeting very influential people in this world, and then it kind of took off. I am also an actor, so I got to go on tour with a couple shows. I would see the country, and I would do my “Ravi Round the World” thing and check out the queer bars or go to a museum or restaurant when we did not have a show.  It was not that hardcore yet. When the theatre ended and I was back in New York, that is really when it took off. The year before COVID came.

As someone who is constantly on the go, how were you holding up during times of quarantine last year?
It was hard! It was hard for so many reasons. I love being on the go, and I was forced to be still. I actually left New York and went to L.A. to stay with my brother, his wife, and their 5-year-old kid. I stayed in the same room as the 5-year-old kid, and that was a major adjustment, but it was a great moment to slow down and realize what I do want. It was at that time while I was out in L.A. and decompressing life when the opportunity for Gaycation Travel Show came in. I do not know if that would have happened if quarantine didn’t rear its ugly head.

It has been a blessing and a curse. It has given me immense gratitude for what I do have in life. It made me realize we don’t know how much time we do have. I lost my mom last year during the process, which was very hard, but it was a moment where I got to, because of quarantine, see her. I got to spend time with her, and I got to really refocus on what I want to do as a storyteller and where I want to go. How I can incorporate the “Ravi Round the World” brand with the Gaycation Travel Show brand. Now, the world is open again, and we get to tell these stories. It has been quite a process.

When visiting a new place, what do you look forward to the most?
When I go to a new destination, I love to immediately get immersed in the local scene and the local queer scene. If they have this, I like to go to a dive queer bar at 4 p.m. and talk to people that have lived there. I love talking to older people, the generations that paved the way for us, and getting their perspective on the queer history. Then, I love to do what the locals love to do. I love nightlife; I love food. I am a vegetarian, so I love finding farm-to-table, interesting food. I love art. The arts have been gone for a year, so it has been a little different. I love cafes. If it’s a town with a beach, I will be down at the beach.

Then, just finding the hidden gems. Like, workouts that are outside of the box. I love doing goat yoga. I did it in two different destinations where goats walked on me, and it was amazing. I just love doing weird, zany things that you would not necessarily find on Google if you were Googling gay travel.

What were some surprises or hidden gems you discovered while filming The Gaycation Travel Show?
I have to say that Cedar Rapids was the most surprising destination. It is a tier-two or tier-three city, and most people think of it as a drive-by. So, I wasn’t going there thinking, I’m so excited! Cedar Rapids! This is going to be great! I was thinking, I’m sure it will be cute. What am I going to eat, and are there even going to be gays? I looked it up, and there was one queer bar that existed.

However, it was in that destination where I really learned that you do not need to have those types of spaces to really encompass what the queer culture is like. The gays are everywhere. We got to do ceramics Ghost style; I went to a llama farm and did a llama Pride parade with eight llamas and a bunch of goats, and we went to some wineries, which were amazing. There are 108 different wineries in Iowa. Who thought they made wine in Iowa? Then, seeing the queer nightlife was fascinating. The one queer bar that exists in Cedar Rapids is an old McDonald’s that they turned into a bar. They had a drag show, and these queens turned it out!

I was honestly blown away. I always say this after coming back from Cedar Rapids. It is not a top-tier destination, but it certainly acts like one. So, that is the goal. Find places like that. Find destinations that people would not necessarily think of. Yeah, we cover Manhattan and Chicago. Those are destinations that everybody knows, but going to these small towns, gays live everywhere. Visiting these small towns was really cool.

Do you prefer to explore major cities or small towns more?
Before this trip, I would say major cities. Now, after doing The Gaycation Travel Show, I am really down to get into those tier-two tier-three, Midtown cities. Like I just said, the gays live everywhere. Obviously, I love places like Los Angeles and Miami, and I want to go to Portland; I have never been there. Seattle is great, but it is these small towns that really make up the real fight for equality. The real fight for what we are still aiming to get as queer people. If you are in New York or L.A., you are fine for the most part, but it’s these small towns that are still really fighting for rights and equality.

What advice can you offer for those who love to travel, but have a limited budget?
Oh, you can travel on a budget. There are so many resources for you. You can go on Kayak, go on Orbitz, go on TripAdvisor, find your favorite influencers, DM them, and follow their itinerary when they go on trips. A lot of the places that I go to, I put in my Instagram stories so if people can go to these cities, they can do X, Y, and Z. Then, figure out what’s important to you. It’s either going to be food, or it’s going to be lodging. It could be transportation, and there are so many affordable ways to get to places.

There are so many affordable places to travel to and places to stay. There’s Misterb&b, Airbnb, a new one called FabStayz, which is fabulous because it’s all queer hosts. Those are more affordable. You can do a hostel, a cheaper hotel, and you can also eat more on a budget, too. So, it just depends on what’s the thing you are looking for when you are traveling.

What are some top destinations currently on your bucket list?
I want to go to Iceland. I had an opportunity once, and I never did. I really want to go to Italy. I still have not been to Italy. I want to go to Rome, Milan. I want to go to Bangkok, Thailand. I really want to go to Portland, OR, the vegetarian capital of the world. I mean, I want to go everywhere. I want to go to Copenhagen for World Pride this year, for sure. I hope that can come about. So, those are a couple right now, but I will go anywhere. I will leave tomorrow. I am obsessed with travel. It gives me so much life.

What are some of the most non-LGBTQ friendly places we should avoid?
There are still 70-plus countries where homosexuality is illegal. So, I would say, do your research if you are going to travel somewhere. There is a lot of information on the web where you can find what is safe, where is safe, and if you go to a place where being gay is not legal, or gay marriage is not legal, or if you don’t really feel totally comfortable, work with a tour guide; work with a tour operator; work with a travel agent so they can ensure your safety on that trip.

In terms of places that I have traveled to, the only place that I have ever had anything homophobic, knock on wood, happen to me was in my backyard here in Manhattan. It can happen everywhere, but New York is a super-safe place to be. I was not hurt; I was just called slurs, and I am lucky because people have gotten hurt or killed for that. So, be smart when you travel, and respect the place that you are going to. If you are going somewhere where it is more conservative, and you are not allowed to wear certain clothing, wear a T-shirt or a long shirt.

You don’t have to be screaming rainbows, but I think being your authentic self and living out loud is my true mission. I want to be able to go everywhere in the world and inspire everyone to do that. There are just places that are not only unsafe, but you can be thrown in jail; you can get murdered. So, avoid those places. You can find all that out. Go to the IGLTA website, and you can find a lot of information there.

What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform?
My goal in life is to be a mixture of the late Anthony Bourdain, and a little splash of Samantha Brown—but make it gay! I want to travel the world and be a wonderful host to inspire people to see these destinations. I want to get out there and get in there with locals, and I want everything to be queer. I want it to be just so radical. If I had, like, my druthers, I would have my own, mainstream show airing everywhere, and everyone can have eyeballs on it, see it, and everybody can get inspired to travel. Also, take all the facts and knowledge and continue to learn.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention or plug?
I would just like to plug The Gaycation Travel Show because it is rocking it right now on YouTube. If you can do anything, support us. Check it out. If there is a destination that’s on there that you are familiar with, see what’s new. If there is a place that you haven’t seen, get into it. There are lesbians running the show; there are gays running the show, there’s queer, there’s pansexual—we have an umbrella of people that are guest corresponding and taking you around their cities. Come with me, and let’s have fun!

Follow Roth on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to stay up-to-date with his adventures. Click here for more information about The Gaycation Travel Show. The final episode of season one will launch July 2.

Photos Courtesy of Ravi Roth