A Manx LGBTQ+ travel and lifestyle blog is up for ’2021 Gay Travel Influencer’ at the Gay Travel Awards.
Bloggers Natalie Fogg, 29, born and raised in Douglas and Charlotte Hockin, 33, from London, run ’Our Taste For Life’.
The couple met on a dating app in 2015 and by 2017 had saved enough money to quit their jobs and go backpacking around Asia and Europe for three years.
Their blog is a combination of story-telling, reliable advice, recommendations, and honest reviews, and is for anyone wanting to make travel planning easier - not just those in the LGBTQ+ community.
Miss Fogg said: ’Travelling as LGBTQ+ can be a daunting experience.
’Seventy-one countries criminalise same-sex relationships, and many more continue to discriminate against our community.
’When we set off on our travels four years ago, we realised there was very little advice online on how to travel safely as a lesbian couple. We wanted to create a safe and reliable space where other LGBTQ+ travellers could learn and make decisions based on our experiences.’
She added: ’Because travel is for everyone.
’Nobody deserves to miss out or feel afraid, regardless of their sexual orientation.
’There’s still a long way to go to ensure travel is completely safe for the LGBTQ+ community. But for now, we celebrate how far we have come and take pride in being a part of the change.’
The prospect of being an award winning platform is an exciting one for the pair, who plan on undertaking their first international road trip in a campervan next year.
Miss Fogg said: ’Just to be recognised by the Gay Travel Awards as pioneers in this space makes us incredibly proud.
’We’ve worked extremely hard to get our blog to where it’s at today, and our goal is to expand even further.
’We want to inspire as many people as possible to live the life of their dreams, regardless of the challenges.
’And with the recognition of important corporations like Gay Travel, we can make that happen.
’To win and be able to say that we are an award-winning blog would be out of this world.’
The site attracts almost 80,000 unique visitors every month.
The Gay Travel Awards support and promote LGBTQ+ travel and tourism by ’identifying and rewarding select destinations, properties, events, influencers, and other organisations that exemplify a spirit of inclusiveness and hospitality excellence’.
You can visit couple’s blog at: www.ourtasteforlife.com
Voting for the influencer award is open to the public, with the polls closing on December 26.
You can vote for ’ourtasteforlife’ at: https://gaytravelawards.com/vote/travel-influencer/