Vacationers of the Week: Sep and Magda

At Vacationer Magazine, we always believe in chatting with queer folks who may not have received any or very little representation in mainstream media or LGBTQ+ travelers who enjoy traveling beyond the queer-friendly destinations for various reasons.  

So, we decide to chat with Sep, who was born and raised in Tehran, Iran, but has lived in Kuala Lumpur, Australia, and Hong Kong. Magda (or Maggie) was born in Warsaw, Poland, and at 2 years old, she moved to New York with her family. 

Together for four years, Sep and Magda live in New York City with their adopted children: two Bengal cats and a bearded dragon. Both women work as public relations pros and travel influencers, but they also enjoy staying active by regularly scuba diving, hiking, and dancing.

During our conversation, Sep and Magda reveal how they met in Australia, what places are on their travel bucket list to visit this year, and although a little biased, they tell us which country they would recommend LGBTQ+ travelers visit, with proper guidance of course.

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

Sep: I come from a family of explorers. I had my passport since I can remember. My first international trip was to Turkey with my family at the age of 7!

Maggie: I received my first passport when I was 1 year old. Later in life, I moved from Poland to New York! 

How long have you been a couple?

Sep: We’ve been together for four years. We met in Melbourne, Australia when Magda was visiting Melbourne on a work trip from Hong Kong. I was living there at the time. We started a long-distance relationship, meeting up every month or so to explore and get to know each other a bit more. One year and many meetups in beautiful places later, we decided to bridge the gap and live together in Hong Kong, where we spent three years before we moved to New York City. We’ve only lived in NYC for 6 months.

What trip or travel experience sparked your passion for travel? 

Sep:  It was the first time I traveled with Magda! I have always loved traveling and getting to know new cultures, especially after our first trip to Bali. I must say, she is the best travel lover.

What inspires you to travel?

Our relationship was built on traveling together, which is how we got to know each other. Trust me, you learn and see everything about the other person, and I highly recommend it as a quick way to determine if a person is right for you.

On our first trips together, we noticed a gap in knowledge of people who we share our content with, but they had a desire to learn more about travel. Especially traveling to locations that are not necessarily known or explored. Based on that, we decided to come up with a platform to share our experiences and help those who want to follow in our footsteps to travel to be educated about different cultures, food, and people. 

In 2021, Caspaltica was born as a concept in the midst of our major relocation from Hong Kong to New York. We define Caspaltica as an imaginary waterway from the Caspian Sea to the Baltic Sea – all the way to connecting to the Atlantic Ocean.  Think of it as a modern Silk Road with no borders, no race, and no gender. 

We have diverse backgrounds and we’ve traveled to several places around the world. So, Caspaltica is our way of building a community of people who not only relate to us, but also seek to push for the life they deserve. 

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

We are a lesbian couple. And yes, it definitely impacts the way we make decisions when planning a trip and how behave while traveling. Before every destination, we literally google “can you be gay in ‘x’ city or country“ and we go based on the answers. We want to be as respectful as possible to the place and culture we visit. We can’t force everyone to believe and think the same way we do. 

Is there a travel destination that most queer travelers would think isn’t safe to visit, but you’ve visited and enjoyed it? If so, where? What made it a memorable experience?

It would be Iran! We travel there and feel safe. However, we don’t show any PDA (public display of affection) and definitely called each other “friends” on occasions with strangers. Keep in mind that no PDA should be shown among straight couples either. It’s part of local cultural norms. Somehow they think it protects the sanctity of a relationship.

Editor’s Note: Sep and Magda wished not to give out their last names or ages because they continue to travel to Iran on a regular basis. Iran is not typically a destination that LGBTQ+ travelers will add to their list to visit because sexual activity between members of the same sex is illegal and can be punishable by 31 lashes to 100 lashes or death. However, people in Iran can legally change their assigned sex only through sex reassignment surgery. 

What’s are your top three favorite places to visit? Why?

• Iran – Aside from the fact that it’s Sep’s home country, it is our all-time favorite destination to visit for the culture, art, food, and everything in between that constantly inspires us.
  
• Hawaii – It has an endless list of beautiful places, and you can discover a new beach every day!

• Philippines – Amazing people and the most gorgeous untapped beaches we’ve ever seen. 

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

• Tahiti for the stunning landscape
• Egypt for its history and scuba diving in the Red Sea  
• New Zealand for its active volcanoes and to go hiking. It would be the perfect destination for a healthy and wellness vacation because the country is filled lot of opportunities to exercise. 

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

We have a long list of things we never forget to pack, such as cameras, makeup, and hats, but the one thing we always forget to bring is our GoPro and its underwater housing case to capture our scuba diving adventures.

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

We’d start out with Enrique Iglesias and usually finish the trip with Lebanese singer and Queen of Arab Pop, Nancy Ajram, or Billy Currington, an American country singer and songwriter.