Catching Up with April Cover Stars Anjali Chakra and Sufi Malik

While talking to Vacationer Magazine’s stars for our April cover, Anjali Chakra and Sufi Malik, we covered many topics, in addition to discussing intersectionality and how they travel the world as a queer couple. Our convo was so interesting that we decided to split it into two separate Q&As.

In this part of the interview, we talk to the engaged couple about the travel experiences that inspired their passion for traveling and why shopping is a huge part of their journey when exploring a new place. Chakra explains why she enjoys visiting French-speaking cities and countries. Malik offers her recommendations to LGBTQ+ travelers when exploring the boroughs outside of Manhattan. We also chat about why you (queer travelers) should also consider adding Canada and Cuba to your travel bucket list!  

Vacationer Magazine: At what age did you receive your first passport? What was your first trip?

Sufi Malik: I don’t remember what age I was when I received my first passport, but I was probably a toddler. But my first trip was to my mom’s home country, which is Pakistan. 

Anjali Chakra: Same here. I must’ve been 6 months old or something like that when I got my first passport because I celebrated my first birthday in India and that was my first trip out of the country. Although I may have driven down to the US even before that, not me personally. My parents drove me down to the US – because we were in Canada at the time – to visit family that wanted to see me. That’s how South Asian families are. They just want to see the baby. 

What trip or travel experience sparked your passion for travel? 

Malik: I think for me was when we did our Europe trip. We hit London, Berlin, and Paris. And I thought that was really cool because all the countries were close to each other, and it was easier to travel.

Chakra: That’s definitely the time that I realized that I really enjoyed traveling with Sufi and that we wanted to travel more together. But I got the travel bug pretty early. 

My parents saved up to do a backpacking trip in Europe with me and my two siblings. So, we took the train everywhere. We each were only allowed to bring one kid-sized backpack and we had to carry a towel for ourselves because we were staying in hostels everywhere we went. We hit 13 countries in 35 days. I was 8, my brother was 6, and my sister was 4. 

My job was to push one of their strollers for the entire trip. I loved it! They would both fight over who would get me to push their stroller because I would always push them really fast. But it was a lot of fun and I realized that travel doesn’t have to be super expensive if I wanted to do it. So, that’s where I got the bug from, and even in college, I was able to save up my babysitting money to travel.

What inspires you to travel?

Chakra: It’s cultural immersion and an interest in the local language. So, I really like visiting French-speaking countries. I’m automatically in if we’re going to a French-speaking country just because I’ve studied French for so long and I love an immersive opportunity. But yeah, I like to learn about the culture, what’s common or normal for people to do on a day-to-day basis in this new place and interact with local people as I can. 

Malik: For me, it’s the same going off of what Anjali said. I like to kind of just get out of my structure of everyday life here… whether I’m in New York or California. I enjoy traveling and getting inspired to take photos again and see new things because I’m a really visual person. Seeing how other people in the world live their lives like what kind of lingo they have, what kind of weather they experience, and what kind of foods they eat. So, I get inspired because travel opens up my mind to new experiences by going to another part of the world.

I’ve traveled with you before in Australia, and I noticed you both enjoy shopping, too. Is that part of experiencing a destination when you travel?

Chakra: No, I think we do enjoy it even if we don’t buy anything and we’re just checking out what the local shops look like. The first thing that I ask people when I was on the ground is, “Ok, we have the store called CVS where you can get prescriptions, sunscreen, and all those kinds of things. What’s your equivalent?” 

I want to see what stores people have to get the things that I get on a regular basis at home. It’s just so interesting to me. I think that’s another cultural factor for me. What does it look like when people go grocery shopping here? What does it look like when they pick up their regular essentials? It looks so different from Morocco when you’re in India. What does getting shampoo look like or shampooing your hair look like? 

If I do find something that I like there – it’s always a plus, but sometimes I get vacation brain and I buy things that I wouldn’t normally buy at home because I’m on vacation; so, I try to be conscious about what I buy clothing-wise at least. 

So, are you more concerned about making sure whatever you buy is authentic or locally made versus a replica of an original product?

Malik: Yeah, I’ll do a little bit of both. Anjali and I have this thing wherever we travel we get a magnet from there and we come home and put it on our fridge. So, that’s like our touristy purchase. And then, she and I try to hit up local shops as well to try to get a feel for what’s more authentic… I guess. And if we buy it, then it’s kind of like a memory. If we’re wearing something and someone asks us, “Where do you get this from?” We’re like, “Oh, it’s from our trip when we went to Australia this year or when we went to Jamaica.”

Chakra: I love shopping at small businesses when I’m in the US, so I think shopping locally, while I’m abroad, is fulfilling to me. I love talking to the people who make whatever goods it is or going to a local brand. When we were in Australia, the only piece of clothing I bought was from a local brand. And for Sufi, too.

Just to add to her answer, sometimes certain things and styles that are available at major brands in different countries aren’t available in the US. That’s because buyers buy different inventories for different regions. So, when she went to London, she got some sneakers that she’d never seen before in the US.  

Is there a travel destination that most queer travelers would think isn’t safe to visit, but you’ve visited and enjoyed it? If so, where? 

Chakra: I didn’t go with Sufi, but I went with another friend of mine. It was also a woman, so it was just the two of us traveling on our own. We went to Cuba. I think there’s a lot of misinformation out there, especially within the US, about what it’s like and how safe it is. We thought that everyone was so, so kind and so wonderful. We were in Havana the entire time pretty much. We took a day trip out of town. But everybody knows each other super well and there’s a great community feel. 

We went to this huge museum party that featured all queer artists. It was cool to see. And I had just come out at around that time. I was really excited about it. I was sending Sufi pictures back from the trip because I was excited about how much queer art, I was seeing around me. 

And then the second place I would say would be Calgary and Banff in Alberta. I think Alberta gets a reputation for being one of the most if not the most conservative province in Canada. And I realized that even the most conservative people in Canada are way left politically of most states in the US. So it’s a super queer-friendly area and super welcoming for people who want to go backpacking, camping out there in Banff, or just visit Calgary. It’s really nice!

Malik: I think I want to explore Spain a little bit more and see if that’s a little more LGBTQ+ friendly. I’m thinking about doing my bachelor trip there. 

And then in terms of where I’ve been and visited, I’m going to agree with Anjali here and mention Vancouver and Toronto in Canada. I feel like Vancouver gave me a West Coast feel but in Canada. It was uplifting, chill, and free-spirited vibes when we were out there. We were visibly going on as a queer couple and we didn’t have or feel any negative experiences at all. I think Canada in general is a cool place to visit and it’s super diverse. 

Canada seems to be a solid destination for LGBTQ+ travelers, but shifting to the US a little, what are three things queer travelers should do and see when visiting New York City?

Malik: I’ll give you more than three. (laughs) Having a photo walk tour would be cool. You can walk around the city; you can also walk around other neighborhoods in New York. We did that when we were in Boston on a trip a few months ago to watch a JoJo concert. I think we saw the city in a different way and the tour guide was local. 

Doing a pizza tour is always important. I think when you visit New York you need the staples. You have to have the bagels, you have to have the pizza, and I recommend going to Brooklyn instead of the city. I feel like when people talk about New York, they only talk about the city (Manhattan). I feel like Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx have really good food. So, definitely explore the food scene. 

In terms of queer spaces, Hell’s Kitchen is always really poppin’ even on the weekdays. So even if you want to go dancing you can go there. There are a lot of queer bars in Bushwick, like a lot! And there’s a bunch more opening up and they’re brand new, so if you ever want to check them out, you should go. 

There are also sapphic-friendly ones, too. There are a lot of bars opening for lesbian and queer women in Bushwick.  I think there are two in the city – Cubbyhole and Henrietta’s, and then I think there’s one more and I think that’s in Brooklyn. A lot of these are like Gen Z vibes, very friendly… a come-and-have-a-fun vibe.

Chakra: I do think one of the places that Sufi took me within – what – my second trip to see you was to Stonewall. It’s just something you have to do. Once you get in there, it’s like any other gay bar – safe, fun, and great energy in the room. I just think it’s one of the things you have to cross off your list when you’re in New York. 

And to add to what Sufi was saying about Bushwick. There are a lot of queer-friendly bars opening up in that area and a lot of them are not specifically gay bars, but everyone there is gay. It’s nice! 

And there’s also a bar called Thirst (in Manhattan), and some nights during the month they do a queer Bollywood night. So, if you have any readers who are South Asian and looking for a South Asian-friendly space; we had a lot of fun there. We actually got a table the night we got engaged; so when our after-party closed out, we invited everybody over to Thirst. Drag queens were dancing to Bollywood and they were able to accommodate a large group of us. It was so much fun. They played great music. 

You can read the first part of my interview with Anjali Chakra and Sufi Malik here. You can also follow Anjali (@anjalichakra) on Instagram and TikTok, and Sufi on Instagram (@sufi.sun) and TikTok (@sufisun)!