With 25 years of experience working in the travel industry, visiting all corners of the globe, there isn’t much Linkd Tourism’s General Manager Kylee Kay hasn’t seen. From a nightmare experience to profound beauty and travelling safely as a queer family with her partner and son, she shares her top travel tips.
What do you consider to be the greatest aspects and benefits of travelling?
Coming from a really white Australian background, where in the 70s it was quite okay to be racist and bigoted, I made a really conscious decision at uni to study politics and aboriginal history – to unlearn all of the biases I had been taught by the people around me. Travelling after uni opened my eyes to, well, everything. Difference. Culture. Gratitude. Now, I want to give that to my son, so he can understand how lucky we are.
We have a magnet on our fridge always that says, ‘Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.’ Travelling taught me that.
Where have been the most mind-blowing places you have travelled to, and why?
South Africa – the diversity within that country. The animals. The cities. The beaches. It really has it all.
America – also has it all. The good, the bad, the ugly, the ridiculous and the amazing.
Greece – for the warmth of the people and the beautiful beaches – I just love it.
New Zealand – helicopter landings on frozen lakes at the top of mountains and the peace and quiet.
Hawaii – sailing seven islands of absolute beauty, and one of my travelling highlights – swimming with manta rays at night.
Paris – because, well, it’s Paris. I am blown away every time I go there.
Egypt – for many reasons, both good and horrific.
A trip you took to Egypt in your 20s with your then-partner would prove to be both a formative and scary experience. Can you tell us about what happened to you?
It was my first overseas trip. I’d travelled around Australia a lot but hadn’t taken the plunge. I had studied ancient history and wanted to see the pyramids. I was also very naïve. I had this wild and romantic notion that I would travel the world and deep dive into cultures. I wasn’t going to do a tour with a group. I was going to find my truths. Sadly, I did in Egypt.
My partner and I got targeted by someone we thought was an instant friend. He showed us around Cairo and asked us if we wanted to stop at his friend’s travel agency for a drink. Of course we did! They showed us pictures of their ‘friends’ (who I now suspect may have been other victims), who they had taken on camping trips out to the white desert and beyond, to see the real Egypt. They knew what to say.
They were happy to show us for US$150 for three days – $100 upfront to pay for food and petrol and $50 for their time. Bargain! Little did we know…
It’s a long story and quite terrifying, but night one had us up all night in protection mode as 11 local men sat around a campfire going through all our things, taking our passports from us and taunting us, while night two brought on the sexual assault of my partner as I slept. We had tried to take turns to stay awake for the other, but I was so tired after one sleepless night that I fell asleep.
We escaped on a tourist bus, eventually, and made it back to Cairo with one of them having jumped on the bus at the last minute with us back to town. He followed us back to the hotel we had left our things at, and we escaped out the back door and taxied straight to the Nile Hilton. It was the only chain hotel I could remember seeing. There we stayed locked indoors until our flight the next day.
Did you attempt to report your experience to any authorities?
At the airport the next day, we went to the tourist authorities. They spat on us and asked, “What did you expect?” We did not take it any further.
An experience like that might send some people straight home, never wanting to go overseas again. How did you deal with that and avoid that trauma from ruining travel for you from then on?
We were due to go to Dubai for a couple of days from there and then on to Greece. We missed Dubai due to visa issues but made it to Greece, and Greece was magical. We kind of ignored what had happened and didn’t let it wreck the holiday. But you can only ignore it for so long. It did end the relationship. The Greece experience for me was one I hung on to and was enough to whet my appetite and keep on travelling. I haven’t looked back.
There is good and bad everywhere, and what it taught me was to be careful. I can’t recall another bad story from overseas right now, so maybe there isn’t one? That lesson was life’s big one!
Donald Trump is once again the President-elect of the US. Do you think this will affect LGBTQ+ travellers’ desire to go to America, and whether it does or not, do you think it should?
Jesus, from rape to Trump! No – as I said – there is good and bad everywhere. America had one of the first jurisdictions in the world to legalise gay marriage. I feel completely safe in so many parts of America as a gay woman walking alongside my partner and son. Should we stop going there because Trump is president? No! And it didn’t stop us last time either. Goodness must prevail. If we boycotted everywhere with questionable laws, we would limit ourselves to the beauty of the world.
Travel wisely and safely. Do your research, but don’t make travel political if you can avoid it. I’m not saying, ‘Don’t be political.’ Just, fight the fight in the right places. There are a lot of people who rely on our tourism dollars to survive. In America, we are talking tens of millions of people. Only half of them voted for Trump.
Now, if you asked me, ‘Should I live there?’ Different story! I would be far more selective of where.
What are your top tips for LGBTQ+ travellers to consider before booking a trip?
Research LGBTQ rights in that country to gauge the political environment. Research “Are the resorts more accommodating?” or similar for places where homosexuality is banned – like the Maldives, for example. Talk to people who have been there. Talk to gay travel agents. They are experienced and can give the right advice.
