Vacationer of the Week: Calum McSwiggan

This week, we wanted to connect with Calum McSwiggan. The 32-year-old gay author and travel writer was born and raised in Derbyshire, a county in the East Midlands of England. For geographical purposes, it’s a 47-minute drive from Nottingham and a three-hour drive to London, where Calum currently lives.

You may know Calum from his books (Eat, Gay, Love and Ordinary Boy), his YouTube channel or you may just follow him on Instagram to track his travels around the globe or peak at his candid au naturale snapshots. But we caught up with Cal and he gives us the scoop on why travel is beneficial to our mental health, how living abroad sparked his passion for travel, what three things you have to check out if you’re visiting London, and why Saint Helena is on his bucket list.

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

Calum McSwiggan: I would have been really young; my first trip was to Lanzarote (one of the Canary Islands) when I was around five years old. I got really sick and spent most of the trip in bed, but it still didn’t put me off travel! 

What trip or travel experience sparked your passion for travel?

My parents moved to Spain when I was 16 and having my family live overseas really opened the world up to me. I got used to flying solo and quickly wanted to visit more far-off destinations. I got my first job working overseas in Italy at 20 and then became obsessed with traveling soon after that. 

What inspires you to travel?

It’s always the people that I meet that make travel so meaningful. Exploring and really appreciating other cultures really broaden your horizons and I feel I learn more and more about life and the world with every single trip that I take.

Please tell us how you identify yourself on the LGBTQIA spectrum. Tell us if how you identify influences the way your travel. If so, how?

I identify as a cis gay man, and the most wonderful thing about this is that I can find fellow LGBT+ people and make friends quite easily in pretty much any place I visit. I always seek to find friends in LGBT+-friendly spaces first, and it’s then those friends that show me all the best things about their countries that I might otherwise never find. 

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? 

Mexico City! I think Mexico in general has a bad reputation which I find to be incredibly unfair and undeserved. They have a brilliant track record when it comes to LGBT+ rights and I’ve truly never felt more accepted. I first visited for Dias De Los Muertos and needed a costume for a big queer Halloween party in one of the LGBT+ clubs. I went from store to store looking for lingerie for a vampire outfit – something that would even raise eyebrows in my home city – but nobody so much as blinked. Everyone was super helpful and supportive, it really made me feel safe, welcome, and affirmed in my identity.

We’re always looking for good books to read while traveling. Would you recommend your book for a summer beach read, “Eat Gay Love,” to queer travelers? If so, why? 

Absolutely! The stories told in that book are incredibly important to me – they’re not just my stories, but the stories of some of the most incredible LGBT+ people I’ve ever met. Queer people around the world face very different challenges, and this book is just an introduction to that. I hope anyone that reads Eat, Gay, Love is then inspired to go and read and learn more about LGBT+ people around the world. 

You’re a YouTuber and you create video content about LGBTQ+ issues. Do you think travel has a direct influence on our mental health and or our personal relationships? 

There’s a reason so many of us feel like we “need a holiday” after a particularly stressful period in our lives. Travel allows us to escape the repetitiveness of our regular routines and allows us to experience something new and different. Although travel can never be a replacement for therapy and other crucially important mental health support, I absolutely find a break away is always exactly what I need in order to reset and recover after going through something particularly difficult. 

What are three things LGBTQ+ travelers should do when visiting your hometown or where you live currently? 

In London, where I currently live: 

• Sit outside with a coffee (or something stronger) and people watch on Old Compton Street in the heart of the LGBT+ scene in Soho. 

• Take in a show at the open-air theatre in Regents Park. It’s such a beautiful hidden spot and I’ve seen so many incredible shows here, including a production of Little Shop of Horrors where the evil plant was played by drag queen Vicky Vox. 

• Check out The Summerhouse in Little Venice, it’s a gorgeous boat-themed restaurant right on the canal that serves incredible seafood and is super welcoming to LGBT+ people. It’s absolutely gorgeous on a summer’s day but a great spot all year round. 

What three words would best describe your travel style? 

Spontaneous unplanned chaos. 

What are your top three favorite places to visit? Why? 

South Africa, Thailand, and Mexico. They’re all incredibly welcoming to LGBT+ people and all have fascinating cultures. Amazing food, kind people, breathtaking scenery, what more could you want?

What three places are still on your bucket list to visit? Why? 

Japan because it’s so vastly culturally different; Antarctica because it’s so challenging to get to; and Saint Helena (British territory off the southwest coast of Africa) because it’s home to the world’s oldest land animal – a 190-year-old tortoise who just so happens to be gay. I’m dying to meet him! 

What’s one thing you never forget to pack in your suitcase? 

Phone charger. I’m a firm believer in traveling light. I always travel carry-on only and pack as little as possible. As long as you have your passport, your wallet, your phone, and a charger I believe that everything will always be fine. Anything else you forget can be picked up on the road, and I often find it cheaper to thrift cheap clothes and re-donate them while traveling rather than paying extra for a suitcase. 

What’s the best travel tip or advice you’ve received from another traveler? 

“Don’t worry about getting lost, sometimes that’s when the best adventures happen.”

You’re going on a road trip. What singer or band is always on your playlist? 

LANY – an American pop rock band from Los Angeles