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One Traveler’s story of connection, community, and adventure with Trova Hosts Michael & Matt.
There’s something special about traveling with people who just get it. On TrovaTrip’s queer community trips, the experience goes beyond seeing a new place. It’s about finding connection, building friendships, and feeling completely yourself along the way.
For traveler Jonathan Davis, that’s exactly what made traveling with Hosts Michael and Matt so memorable. Here’s what they had to say about their experience:
"The group felt like a mix of instant family and summer camp. People from all different backgrounds, ages, and walks of life, but with enough shared experience that the walls came down fast.
"Up until my first SideQuests trip, I had only ever traveled with close friends or my partner. But life had shifted in a big way. My partner of 16 years had moved out while he worked on things, and I was lonely. I didn’t want to sit around idle, waiting for life to happen to me, and I knew I needed new connections. When Matthew and Michael announced they were going to start doing group trips, I halfway considered it. What pushed me over the edge was Matthew himself. He reached out and made a genuine connection with me, and even randomly messaged just to check in and see how I was doing with my partner situation. That kind of care from someone who barely knew me made me think maybe this was worth trying. What’s the worst that could happen? I visit a new place, meet some new people, find out it isn’t my thing, and file it away as a life experience.
Still, deciding to go on a group trip with 20+ people I had never met scared the crap out of me. What if the personalities didn’t mesh? What if I didn’t click with anyone? Would I feel even more alone on a trip full of strangers than if I had just gone by myself? How are 20+ LGBTQ folks going to get along being stuck with each other for a week? What if no one likes me? These questions and plenty more like them ran through my head constantly leading up to the trip.
It turned out to be nothing like I feared. Everyone brought their own personality, everyone got along, and I got to share an amazing experience with people I might never have crossed paths with otherwise. And traveling with other LGBTQ folks changed everything. There is a certain amount of mental energy you spend when traveling as a gay man that you don’t even realize you are spending until it’s gone. Reading the room, deciding how much of yourself to share, wondering if a place or a group is going to be welcoming. On these trips, none of that existed. From day one I could just be myself, no explanations needed. The group felt like a mix of instant family and summer camp. People from all different backgrounds, ages, and walks of life, but with enough shared experience that the walls came down fast. Conversations went deeper quicker than they would with a random tour group, and the laughs came easier too. There is something special about floating in the water in Greece or hiking through the rainforest in Costa Rica with a group of people where you never once have to shrink yourself.
The thing that has stuck with me most is the feeling I got when each trip ended. I never expected to build friendships in such a short amount of time that I would actually feel a small sense of loss when everyone went their separate ways. For seven days we spent nearly all our time together, exploring new places and sharing new experiences, so saying goodbye at the end was genuinely a little sad. The good news is it never really ended. I have seen many of the same people on later trips or stayed in touch with them since. These trips gave me friendships I never would have had otherwise, and I am grateful for that.
Without a doubt, Greece was one of the best trips I have ever taken in my life, and it led me to join several more SideQuests trips within a year, from Costa Rica to Thailand to Iceland. Money well spent. Matthew and Michael do everything they can to be present, supportive, caring, and friendly, and they are genuinely good people. If you have the opportunity to go on one of their trips and you are still on the fence, take the leap and just do it. I can guarantee you won’t have a bad time. Even if group trips turn out not to be your favorite thing, you’ll still have a fantastic experience you’ll remember forever."
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