This short interview will present emerging gay bloggers and world travelers Marco and Simone from Italy, also known as the World Mappers. They share their content and travel experiences on their website, Instagram account, and other social media platforms. Over the years, they have become one of the most recognizable gay travelers in the world.
©theworldmappers.com
About World Mappers
Here is the travel experience of two Italian men, Simone and Marco. They share their passion for travel and have created a blog with practical guides. They also offer gay- and lesbian-friendly travel guides, helpful information on cities, holiday tips, recipes from around the World, and LGBT-friendly hotel recommendations. Furthermore, they have also launched the Map’Advisor project, where they recommend various products related to their passions. Their goal is to share authentic content for the LGBT+ community and beyond based on their experiences and memories. And now, let us get on with the interview.
How did you guys meet, and where are you from?
We are Italian, and we live in northern Italy near the Dolomites. We met ten years ago through mutual friends. Simon studied in Trento, Marco’s city, and shortly after that, Simon moved to Marco’s house and never left.
How did you become a world mapper?
Everything started for fun. We began posting photos of ourselves with the same pose everywhere we went (we called it “face-to-face”). People’s interest grew by continuing to post on Instagram, and they asked us to show more of our lives. So we started posting photographs of our travels and started our travel blog with advice, practical guides, and many pictures.
Have you already met other world gay travel bloggers, and which?
We have been lucky enough to meet many other gay travel bloggers worldwide on different occasions. We will meet somewhere in the World with some of them as soon as possible. We especially love @coupleofmen from The Netherlands, @raviroundtheworld from the USA, @itsvabene from Italy and the USA, @theglobetrotterguys from the UK, and many others.
Tell us more about your experience with the Trip Advisor, please?
We have always used advice from blogs, social networks, etc., to organize our trips. It could benefit everyone to give advice and information on destinations visited, both in terms of practical and organizational aspects, as well as advice on clubs or restaurants, etc.
Do you also organize gay Tours?
We also work as travel coordinators for group trips organized by an Italian travel agency. We enjoy accompanying people we don’t know worldwide and with whom we often create beautiful bonds.
What’s your favorite destination in the World, and What’s your favorite destination in Europe?
Peru and Vietnam are our favorite destinations worldwide, while Norway and Iceland are the ones we like most in Europe.
©theworldmappers.com
What can gay travelers expect from Italy, and what are your recommendations? Which city is the best for gay travelers, especially solo gay travelers?
Italy has a lot to offer. But there is still a lot of work to do in the gay World. Unfortunately, no progress has been made with the current government in recent years.
However, for gay travelers, Italy is a safe country with a relatively active gay scene (mainly concentrated in the larger cities). One of the gayest cities is Milan, famous for its gay clubs and various discos and clubs in the Porta Venezia area.
Bologna is also famous as a gay-friendly city. It is a university city with clubs, gay discos, and more.
What are your tips (safety tips, budget tips, solo travel tips, gay travel tips, etc.)?
The advice we give on our blog is different. We create city guides with the most famous places to see combined with the lesser-known and less touristy areas. Furthermore, on our blog, you can also find practical guides (for example: “what to pack in your suitcase for Morocco, etc.), advice on the gay scene of a particular destination, what to eat, and where to stay (with articles dedicated to hotels tested by us) and also advice on travel insurance, car rental, etc. (all tested by us firsthand).
What are your plans for the future?
Soon, we will go to Bulgaria and then Turkey. This summer, we have a group sailing trip in Croatia, a few trips to our beautiful Italy, and much more. In the future, we hope that our business can grow further and that we can continue to travel the World and discover new places as we do. Having our travel agency would be alright.
Why should we follow the World Mappers – we mean, what is your something extra?
In reality, we are as you see us on social media. We are not perfect, and we are sometimes funny and awkward. Still, we like to appear as we are without any pretense (because we believe there is already too much of it on social media).
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Photo credits:
Feature photo: theworldmappers.com
