Vacationers of the Week: Merlin van den Berg and Lotte Kemper

For our Vacationers of the Week, we connected with Merlin van den Berg and Lotte Kemper, who are traveling girlfriends currently living in Arnhem, Netherlands. You may know them as @pocketqueensonair, and in case you didn’t know, “pocket queens” is a powerful/winning hand in poker and you can probably guess why they added “on air” to their handle.

Before they started traveling together, Both Lotte and Merlin were born in Wageningen, Netherlands, but Merlin was raised in Driel, moved to Heteren, and would eventually move to Arnhem, where Lotte moved when she turned 28.  They’ve lived together for three years now. 

In addition to giving us their recommendations about things to do when visiting Amsterdam, the travel content creators also explain why they enjoy visiting a country that’s often considered unsafe for LGBTQ+ travelers. Merlin and Lotte also spill the tea on their first trip together and why queer travelers should consider visiting the famous city, too!  But first, we chat about where their passion for wanderlust started. 

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

Merlin van den Berg: In The Netherlands, children could be added to the passport of parents. So because of that, we were able to travel through Europe a lot when I was younger, without owning one of my own. Those moments made me love and appreciate travel. I received a passport of my own when I was 13, and shortly after, my first flight was to Turkey.  

My first intercontinental trip was to San Francisco, where I was an au-pair for a mom with two children. It was a big adventure that made me fall in love with traveling even more.

Lotte Kemper: I received my passport when I was very young… about 3 years old. My family lived in Germany so I traveled there with my grandma regularly. I also have adventurous parents. At a very early age, we traveled to places that weren’t that common at that time, like Istanbul in Turkey and Budapest in Hungary. 

My first intercontinental flight was in 2013 to Chile in South America. I saw a flight with a huge discount and decided to book it.

What trip or travel experience sparked your passion for travel?  

Merlin: As we said before, we both started traveling at a very young age. So that spark was there for a long time already. But the real feeling came for both of us when we traveled outside of Europe. For Lotte, it was in Chile, and for me, it was when I took a year-round world trip through Southeast Asia and Australia. 

What inspires you to travel?

Lotte: Maybe it is a better question to ask us what doesn’t inspire us. Because literally, a lot inspires us to travel. The cultural differences, food, beautiful nature we see along the way, and the feeling of needing less and gaining a lot. The skills we learn like planning, trusting ourselves and each other, opening up about our wants and needs, and mostly the appreciation for being somewhere that beautiful. Traveling gives us the most precious feeling of freedom. It’s such a cliché to say but we find it so true, traveling is the only thing that costs money but makes you richer. 

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

Lotte: I identify as lesbian. 

Merlin: And I identify as bisexual. 

In the Netherlands, we both feel safe traveling but when we visit other countries it can be different. Although we are tremendously proud of how we identify and feel extremely lucky with each other, we know that it’s sometimes not safe to be as outspoken as we can be in our hometown. 

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? 

Lotte: We travel to Morocco a lot because Merlin’s mom lives there. But Morocco is unfortunately among the 70 countries that still criminalize LGBTQ+. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Morocco. We still chose to go there, despite the law against us.

With our Instagram page, we want to show people that traveling to one of the 70 countries on the list is possible, but with precaution, research, respect, and adjustment. If you know that walking hand in hand isn’t acceptable – just don’t do it. But those laws have never stopped us from going to this country. We wouldn’t miss our experiences in Morocco for anything. It’s a beautiful country that has so much to offer. It is such a shame that people still think in a bad way about this North African country because it should be seen with their own eyes before judging. It has beautiful changing landscapes, good roads for a road trip, and the food is out-of-this-world delicious. 

Merlin: Last year, we traveled to Dubai and Maldives, which are also on the list of 70 countries. We enjoyed a holiday on a private island and did a quick stopover in Dubai for some sightseeing. To be honest, we felt very safe there because we did our research about where we were going and how we could travel safely as a lesbian couple.

How long have you been traveling together? What was your first trip together? Would you recommend it to other LGBTQ+ travelers?

Merlin: We have been traveling together for almost five years. Our first trip together was to Paris, France. We would definitely recommend Paris to other LGBTQ+ travelers because it is what you can call a “free spirit.” It’s the city where love and the smell of croissants are in the air. It’s often called the “City of Light” and romance. For example, we recommend you take a long hand-in-hand stroll along the Seine, watch the lights twinkle on the Eiffel Tower, and let the street artists serenade or paint you. It’s a city where you can easily travel by metro or subway, to visit the historic buildings and picture-perfect suburbs. Oh, and don’t forget to try fresh Macarons as well as all sorts of cheese and wines! 

Lotte: When it comes to LGBTQ+ inclusivity, Paris is a very open and welcoming city. It has a nice queer scene with charming neighborhoods like Le Marais, a neighborhood packed with LGBTQ+ friendly bars, clubs, and cozy cafés. 

What are three things LGBTQ+ travelers should do when visiting your current hometown city?

Merlin + Lotte: I bet no one is familiar with our city so Amsterdam would be more of an option to visit if you are or want to go to the Netherlands. So we will tell you something about that. 

Smoke weed. (laughs) That’s a joke! It’s the first thing people always say about Amsterdam, or if we tell them which country we are from, but our country is so much more than that!  

If we were you, we would recommend these top 3 things for you to do:

1. The Canal Pride in Amsterdam
Amsterdam Pride is always held on the first Saturday of August and it’s such a cool event to be at. We love going there because the vibe is amazing. It’s a shame that these events must be held because if everyone accepted each other there was no problem. But it’s for sure a not to miss event if you’re planning to visit The Netherlands at the beginning of August! 

2. Thai Food at Bird
Dine at Bird, a Thai restaurant on Zeedijk Street in Amsterdam. It’s in our opinion the best choice if you’re up for traditional Asian food. 

3. Defqon Festival 
Go to the Defqon Festival near Amsterdam. It’s a dance festival that is being held in June. It attracts people from all over the world and we love going there! 

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

Merlin + Lotte: For now, it’s the Maldives because it’s out-of-this-world stunning; Aruba because of the chill vibe and openness towards LGBTQ+; and Mexico because of its amazing dive spots, food, and kind people.

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

Merlin + Lotte: Japan, Costa Rica, and Jordan, but our list is long haha. We scroll through feeds on Instagram regularly and see so many beautiful places passing by. Our list gets longer all the time because the world has so many beautiful places that we still want to discover.

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

Merlin + Lotte: Our tripod. We take the photos you see on our Instagram with our camera and tripod.

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

Lotte: For me, it’s the Talking Heads’ Road to Nowhere. It’s a song that I always played when I traveled with my parents. Good memories!

Merlin: And for me, Eros Ramazzotti.

You can follow Merlin van den Berg and Lotte Kemper’s adventures around the world on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.