Vacationer of the Week: Damon Dominque

Our Vacationer of the Week is Travel YouTuber Damon Dominque, who is originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana, but moved when he was 18. Also a digital nomad, the 31-year-old digital nomad has lived in New York and LA, but he currently lives in the City of Light – Paris! 

Since 2015, Dominque has been creating video content talking about his travels, including the popular rave he attended on Friday night in Brussels or discussing the culturally diverse men he’s dated around the world. In addition to offering travel advice, he has also designed a successful course, The French I Wish I Had Learned in French Class. 

So, we decided to sit down and talk to the multi-talented Dominque about his travel style, his TV pilot, and his new book, “You Are a Global Citizen,” scheduled to be released on January 17, 2023. 

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

Damon Dominique: I was working at a coffee shop, which was minimum wage, and I saved up for an entire year. I used that money when I was 16 to go to Barcelona to study Spanish for two months. I lived with a family, and I was all by myself. I think that’s really what started my whole desire for travel.   

So, what inspires you to travel?

At 31, I’ve kind of hit all my dream destinations. I’ve done London, I’ve done Paris, I’ve done Tokyo. But when I zoom out on Google Maps, I realize that I haven’t even seen a fourth of the world and I’m well-traveled. What inspires me to travel? I always want to explore more and find out what new places can teach me. 

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

I’m gay. I’ve been gay forever or as long as I can remember. (laughs) I mean you could go two ways with that – either we don’t go to places that don’t support homosexuality because we don’t want to spend our money there or we show up in those places to show people that we’re here and we’re present. 

Yes, being gay does affect how I travel, but I’ve been to many countries where homosexuality is illegal. I’m someone who wants to travel to every country in the world. It’s a factor, but I don’t let that hold me back. 

Your new book You Are a Global Citizen is set to come out on Jan. 17. What was your inspiration for the book and why did you want to do it?

It was the hardest thing that I’ve ever had to do. I’m just somebody who’s naturally more visual. So, making videos and making TV shows that’s just what I lean more toward. So, writing a book was definitely a challenge. 

So, I wanted to write a book that people could give to a friend that may be going on a solo trip or when they’re going to study abroad. It’s like a guided journal with anecdotes from my travels, including the dates that I’ve been on and the things I’ve learned from men I’ve met around the world, but then it’s also part journal and asks questions, like “Do you think all countries should learn the same subjects? Why or why not?” 

That’s always been interesting to me because here in France you have to take philosophy as a subject, whereas in the States, I couldn’t even spell the word philosophy until last year. (laughs) But once you understand that philosophy is part of their education curriculum and culture – it starts to make sense. France is known for good cuisine, good art, and good architecture. What do all those things require? Thinking! And what is philosophy? Thinking! So it all makes sense. 

So, I wanted to create a book that would get people in this mindset of thinking, “ok, maybe I am representative of everything that my culture stands for. That’s not good or bad. Let’s just be aware of these things as we travel the world and realize that I can pick up pieces of every culture that I visit and absorb those too. 

So, you talked a little about your dates around the world. Explain the premise behind your TV pilot Around the World in 80 Dates. What is it about?

I’m happy you knew the title. So, it stems from a YouTube series on my channel where I was sitting in my apartment and just talking about my dates. Back then, this was two years during COVID, I named it “Dating with Damon.” I came up with a theme song and everything. I was just talking about the craziest dates I’d been on around the world with different men from different places. So, that was more me telling the story, but I was like why don’t I show the story? 

So, I went to Romania, and I went on a few dates and filmed, wrote, and edited the whole thing. It was a TV show pitch. One of the best ways to understand and get to know a culture is to date the culture. You have instant access to their life, family members, and their cultural traditions. It’s just a more natural way to explore a culture. That was the basic idea. 

Is this a YouTube kind of show only?

Right now it is. I’m hoping to expand it. The thing with traditional media is that there are so many gatekeepers or so many people you have to pass through to get something on TV or a streaming platform; so, as the creator, I can only do so much. I literally made the entire thing, but I passed it off to a production company in April (2022). I’m removed from the conversation. 

I would love for it to be a show. Again, the idea is to show how different people are around the world and how someone from Romania is different from someone in Guatemala or someone from China. So, I think the concept was really interesting. 

Good luck! That’s exciting. So, moving on to more travel-related questions… how would you describe your travel style in three words?

Independent. I’m going to Brussels with a friend. It’s going to be great and so much fun, but I already know I want to schedule three hours just to make it very clear that I want time to do my thing. I think that’s a healthy way to travel with someone.

Spontaneous. I think the best stories are ones that were never planned in the first place.  Like when people ask me, “What should I do in Paris?” I usually suggest not to plan anything because the magic of any city is when you’re walking down a street and you find a bakery and you go into the bakery, and you flirt with the baker. I think those are the things that we are normally looking for when we travel, and people get it twisted when they have a planned itinerary before they get to their travel destination. 

Inexpensive. My travel style has not changed. The fun things don’t really cost a lot of money like when you’re in a park with a friend laughing or you’re dancing in a club. These things don’t cost a lot of money. 

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

Dubai – Mostly because it always gets a bad rap for being fake and superficial like Las Vegas. So, just the fact that people don’t want me to go makes me want to go. I want to experience the “real” Dubai. 

Brazil – I want to get back there. They’re just operating on a different frequency there. They’re all happy, and fun, and they all can dance. 

Antarctica – I’m just afraid because you have to take this boat through the Drake Passage where the waves are huge! I’m a little afraid.

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch – A small town in North Wales to do something different.

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

I pack a daily multivitamin, so I don’t get sick. I have a lot of what I call “witch potions” most of them are from Whole Foods. I can whip up a mean concoction of immune-boosting supplements. As a non-stop traveler, you’re vulnerable with jetlag, and being in the airplane and in the airport, you’re vulnerable. And I’m a pretty small guy and pretty fragile as it is. I need all the vitamins I can get.  

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

Gwen Stefani. I’ve been really into Gwen Stefani when she was in the group, No Doubt, as well. I think it’s also because it brings up this 90s nostalgia that makes me feel like a kid again.