Gabi and Shanna of 27travels have been on our radar for years and were nominated for the Best of GayCities Awards last year. The real-life couple from Brooklyn are passionate about exploring the world and documenting their adventures. Founded in 2016, 27travels began as a creative outlet on Instagram. It has since evolved into a broader project dedicated to inspiring others in the LGBTQ+ community to travel and explore inclusively.
GayCities reconnected with Gabi and Shanna this summer to discuss everything travel. We learned more about some of their favorite places, how they travel, and what they’re working on.
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Pack your bags, we’re going on an adventure
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GayCities: I’ve been following you for years and am so excited to connect. Where have your travels led you this year?
Gabi and Shanna: Our travels have led us to so many new places this year, and we are beyond excited about some upcoming trips that are bucket list destinations for us. In the fall, we will be going to Japan and Korea, which are both places that we have always wanted to travel to. We have always said to each other that if we had ever had a honeymoon, we would go to Japan, so I guess since we are going to Japan, it’s basically like a honeymoon for us!
What does the 27 in 27Travels stand for?
This is a question we always get asked. People always want to know what the 27 stands for, and we love to let people guess and see what they think it is. What it actually stands for is our relationship! The 27th is the date of our anniversary of when we first got together, which is January 27th, 2016. For us, the number 27 is our lucky number! We also made sure that when we eloped, it would be on the 27th of the month so we could have another anniversary on the 27th, too!
What was the first trip you went on together?
One of the first big trips we ever went on together was to Arizona; it was really early in our relationship. I remember how excited we were to go on an adventure together! At that point, our friends and family thought that we were a little bit crazy to go on a trip together that early on, but we knew that it was right.
From the second we met, we knew how important travel was to each other and that we just wanted to travel the world together. That first trip truly sealed the deal for us. We realized we had complementary travel styles and absolutely loved traveling together.
How do you prepare and pack for a trip?
There are a few ways that we prepare for a trip! First, we love to do some research on the best vegan eats, places we want to go to, photo spots, and activities we can’t miss! We bookmark everything that interests us on Google Maps. That way, no matter where we are, we have lots of options for things that we might want to do.
We usually pack close to the trip itself, but there are lots of necessities we never leave home without. Some of the things we always make sure to travel with (and that can be easily forgotten) are a motion sickness kit for Gabi, a backup battery/charger for our phone, a power strip to charge all our devices, and, of course, sunscreen!
You two have been all over the world. Do you have a favorite destination (or two!?)
This is such a hard question to answer honestly because the more we experience the world, the more favorite places we have, and all for different reasons! Some notable favorites of ours are Curaçao (where Gabi’s family is from), South Africa, Greece, Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand! Like I said, there are so many places that we love, and of course, we have to mention our home, New York City!
When considering travel next year, is there any destination that should be on more people’s radars?
I always like to plug Curaçao as a tropical destination that, if it’s not already on your radar, it should be. Gabi’s family is from there, so we are lucky enough to go often, and we always want to share with other travelers how special of a place it is. There’s so much rich culture mixed with beautiful beaches, amazing views, and delicious food! Not to mention, same-sex marriage was just recently legalized on the island!
Sometimes we have an idea of a destination and might think it’s not a fit for us, but then we’re pleasantly surprised. Has this happened to you? For me, it was actually Vegas! I’ve been back three times already.
Yes, we absolutely relate to that! We had thought for a long time that Ibiza was a destination that we weren’t really interested in traveling to because of all of the party culture and the reputation for being a place known for clubbing, which isn’t really our scene. We happened to go last summer, and we were so wrong! We had the most incredible time, and Ibiza has so much more to offer than just nightlife!
The city was incredible and walkable, and there were so many different beaches you could go to that were just amazing. We loved it and would go back in a heartbeat. The energy there was incredible, and we couldn’t believe it was a place we had written off as not a good fit for us before we went!
In your travels, is there any activity or travel ritual that you try to do?
We love to check out any local queer-owned businesses and LGBTQ+ bars whenever we can. That’s something we try to do anywhere we can. Its important to us to support, check out , and connect with the local queer community!
Do you have a favorite airline?
One of our favorite airlines of all time is Delta; we love flying with them and are very loyal to Sky Team. We feel like the service is unmatched! However, there are a few other airlines we like to fly as well, such as Alaska Airlines and JetBlue.
You’re based in Brooklyn, right?
We sure are!
I’m a sucker for concerts and New York Liberty games at the Barclays Center. Do you have any favorite BK spots that someone visiting should check out?
This is such a hard question because when you live somewhere, you know how many amazing things your city has to offer, and Brooklyn is so diverse, with so many different neighborhoods and options. There are a few neighborhoods we love to walk around, like Park Slope, Gowanus, Carroll Garden, Dumbo, Williamsburg, and Bushwick! Those neighborhoods are places you can’t miss with amazing food, bars, activities, and epic views.
Shameless plug time, where can people check you out & do you have a favorite platform to post on?
You can genuinely check us out anywhere if you just search @27travels! Our main platforms are Instagram and TikTok, and we post on both platforms often. We also love creating content on our YouTube channel; that is a true passion project. We even have our blog where we have all of our favorite travel tips in one place, which is 27travels.com
Lastly, do you have any tips for emerging travelers/travel creators?
Just create! It seems like a small thing, but when people talk to us about wanting to be in this field, they always say when they do this or that, and our best advice is just to start. There’s no right time to do something; the best thing you can do is create things and connect with people in your field who inspire you! My next best tip is to create what matters to you, and you can never go wrong.
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