Gay Solo Travel AKA Dr. Angelo

Gay Solo Travel AKA Dr. Angelo

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A podcast & audio diary of a 40-something gay former academic who loves to travel, watch movies and TV shows, read books, write, and ponder musings about life.

Jan 9

Heated Rivalry - Analysis & Context (Part 1: Introduction)

Audio taken from my YouTube channel/video about Heated Rivalry, where I discuss my interest in talking about/analyzing the show on a YouTube dedicated to "gay solo travel", and topics subsequent videos will focus on. I talk a little bit about my academic background (Ph.D. in film, media, and queer studies) and how my personal experience as a gay man and former academic have compelled me to not only talk about the show, but to focus on some of the issues that either aren't being talked about online/on social media or to provide a broader analysis and context of the show and online discourse. Future videos will focus on the changes between the book(s) and TV show, particularly the ending(s); the way different audiences have received the show and talk about the show (generational rifts, women and men, gay and straight); key moments in queer mainstream representation that echo to this day; genre affiliation in story telling, i.e., the "Rom-Com" (Scott and Kip) vs. the "Teen Coming Out Story"; and the way in which public, private and liminal spaces in the show/book speak to queer experiences and gay travel. Content Breakdown: 0:00 - Intro 1:10 - It is a show about gay and bisexual men who are always travelling... 2:33 - First video: changes between the book(s) and the TV show 4:36 - Second video: audience reception, historical precedence, and genre affiliation 7:20 - Third video: making public, private and liminal spaces gay 8:33 - What these videos are not about 9:03 - Visual and literary analysis by Cassandra Morann 10:07 - Technical analysis by Valentina Vee 10:34 - Turning a handful of pennies and a goat into a tapestry of gold 11:02 - Outro/Conclusion #heatedrivalry #bl #blseries #heatedrivalrypodcast #gaytelevision

11 min
07/31/2025

Gay Solo Travel Presents: Episode 3 - Video Games, Travel, and Their Queer Connections (Part 4)

In the final part of the third episode, i weave together all the threads from the previous 3 parts and end with an overview of Grindr as a form of travel gaming and the (potential) rise of Metaverses, which from today's vantage point are still beyond the horizon. Content Breakdown: 0:00 - Travel Gaming Origin Story: Spider Man (2004) as Virtual Touring 03:10 - Closeted Gaming: Player 1 as Solo Traveller 5:03 - Classic Sierra Games: Mapping Out the Digital World...Again and Again 6:53 - The Hitman Series and the Rise of Armchair Travel in Open World Video Games 9:43 - "Host or Travel"? - Grindr as the Convergence of Travel and Gaming 13:21 - The Metaverse and Cryptocurrency: The Consuming Virtualization of Everything - Conclusion: Until Next Time! #gaysolotravel #videogames #gaypodcast #nostalgia #travel

18 min
07/24/2025

Gay Solo Travel Presents: Episode 3 - Video Games, Travel, and Their Queer Connections (Part 3)

In the third part of the third episode, I focus attention on overt queer representation in gaming and the plethora of issues that abound therein, including conservative push back. I conclude by linking the conversations around queer gaming and queerness in gaming to gay travel. Content breakdown: 0:00 - Overt Representation in Gaming: The Last of Us 0:53 - Coding Permission to Be Gay: Stardew Valley and The Sims 02:53 - The Popularity of Gay Visual Novel Games: Coming Out On Top, Dream Daddy: A Dating Simulator, Robin Morningwood Adventure 05:58 - LGBTQ+ tag on Steam 7:17 - Queering the Hero's Journey: The Legend of Zelda 08:09 - Queer Representation in Video Games vs. Film and Television 9:16 - Gamergate: A Reactionary Response to Queer and Feminist Progress 11:12 - Queer Censorship: Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony and Mass Effect 2 12:38 - Queer Inclusion: Assassin's Creed: Odyssey 13:42 - Queer Travel: Are We Included in the Main Quest? #gaysolotravel #videogames #gaypodcast #nostalgia #travel

15 min
07/17/2025

Gay Solo Travel Presents: Episode 3 - Video Games, Travel, and Their Queer Connections (Part 2)

In part 2, I go back to the period of COVID lockdowns to analyze the intersections between travel and gaming by looking at all the travel-related video games I played during that period, games such as 80 Days, Euro Truck Driver, Wanderlust: Travel Stories, Oregon Trail, Where in the World is Carmen San Diego, Mario is Missing. I discuss the (timely) importance of Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley as helpful distractions set in locations far away from urban lockdowns and the way most video games use the idea of travel and "the quest"/journey as the basis of their games, especially big budget games like Grand Theft Auto, The Witcher, Skyrim, Red Dead Redemption, Cyberpunk 2077, and Borderlands. In the second half of this episode, I talk about the "hero's journey" and the queer "chosen family", arguing that the hero's journey is not unlike the kinds of journeys queer people take as they make their way out of the closet and form chosen families. I end the episode by looking at how the idea of "the journey" acts as a connective thread between travel, video game playing and being in/coming out of the closet, the latter of which requires venturing outward, making new friends, and navigating new obstacles and worlds (which is not unlike your standard RPG/adventure game or the act of travelling itself). Content Breakdown: 0:00 - Travelling Through Games During COVID Lockdown 01:48- Animal Crossing, a Zen Sanctuary 03:24 - Stardew Valley - A Digital Labour of Love 04:03 - Animal Crossing is Very Gay 05:05 - Cancelling My Trip / I've Had Enough of Myself 05:28 - Gaming as Journey 06:12 - The Hero's Journey 06:39 - Mario, Zelda, Tomb Raider and the Hero's Journey 06:32 - Big Budget Games and the Hero's Journey 09:35 - Video Games are Like Travel / My Trip Through Turkey 10:40 - The Intimate Connections Between Gayness, Travel, and Video Games 11:32 - The Queer Chosen Family: Coming Out and Venturing Outward 12:26 - Gay People Just Need Other Gay People 13:23 - The Overlaps Between The Hero's Journey, The Chosen Family and the Classic RPG Game 15:25 - Journeys Through the Self: the Foundation of Gayming and Gay Travel 15:39 - Retro RPGs, Young Hero's and Empowering Closeted Queer Youths 17:29 - The Audacity to Carry On 17:56 - RPG Gayming and Gay Solo Travel 19:01 - Beating Depression and Your Evil Boss with Paid Time Off #gaysolotravel #videogames #gaypodcast #nostalgia #travel

19 min
07/12/2025

Gay Solo Travel Presents: Episode 3 - Video Games, Travel, and Their Queer Connections (Part 1)

Welcome to part 1 of my 4-part third episode on video games, travel and their queer connections. This episode is all about the overlaps between video games, travel and gay/queer life, and it's based off a similarly titled article I published on my Medium account. In part 1, I lay the foundation for the entire episode by discussing my love of retro video games and how a recent, challenging trip to Turkiye (Turkey) not only compelled me to view travel through the lens of video game playing, but also to think more about the value of virtual experiences over physical ones. Content Breakdown: 0:00 - Introduction - Retro Video Games (Steam, GOG.com, Sierra Online, LucasArts) 2:40 - Video Games are Hard - The Childhood Trauma of Zelda 2 4:16 - Game Genie is Gay 5:25 - Mario 3 Is Also Gay (and Mario is a Drag King) 7:50 - I've Gone Very Off Topic 9:08 - I'm Getting Old... 10:10 - Problem After Problem After Problem 11:30 - Desiring Virtual Travel 12:53 - Am I In A Video Game? 15:51 - Cappadocia, The Most Expensive Side Quest EVER 16:25 - Must...Finish...Side Quest...Chores... 17:36 - Travel as a Video Game, and Vice Versa 18:19 - Conclusion: Looking Back Towards the Future Enjoy! #gaysolotravel #videogames #gaypodcast #nostalgia #travel

19 min
Season 1, Episode 3 Trailer

Gay Solo Travel Presents: Episode 3 (teaser) - Game Genie Is Gay and So Is Mario 3

This is a short, 10-minute teaser to my upcoming third episode on "Video Games, Travel, and Their Queer Connection." The podcast is based off a similarly titled article I published on Medium and explores in both humorous and serious ways how video games and travel overlap and how queerness bridges them. Content Breakdown: 0:00 - Introduction - Retro Video Games (Steam, GOG.com, Sierra Online, LucasArts) 2:40 - Video Games are Hard - The Childhood Trauma of Zelda 2 4:16 - Game Genie is Gay 5:25 - Mario 3 Is Also Gay (and Mario is a Drag King) 7:50 - Conclusion - I've Gone Very Off Topic #supermario #videogames #gaypodcast #teaser #travel

9 min
07/24/2024

Gay Solo Travel Presents - Episode 2 - My First Solo Travel (Gorizia/NE Italy, Part 3)

In this concluding episode of my travelogue chronicling my first solo travel trip, I shift gears a little bit and recall a fun night out in Gorizia and Novo Gorica that I had with my conference buddy. We bar hopped, chatted with some young Italians about the impacts of Austerity, and hit up the casino and casino buffet in Slovenia. I also talk about my day trips to Udine and Trieste and the valuable lessons about going off the beaten and not being afraid to wander. I conclude by talking about a harsh lesson I learned about cultural differences arriving to the Venice International Airport just a few minutes before security locked the doors as well as how my entire first solo trip overseas planted the seeds of the flourishing person I am today. Content Breakdown 0:00 - A fun night out in Gorizia with my conference buddy 3:17 - My feelings on Slovenian free casino buffets during recessions 5:30 - The Beauty of meeting new people and of random adventures when travelling 10:40 - The inspiring view of the Italian Alps from the middle of a random field in Udine 15:29- Discovering Trieste and the value of veering of the beaten path 17:18 - Full Circle: Returning to where it all began 19:48 - Almost spending the night outside a locked airport in Venice (and other situations my ignorance forced me to quickly troubleshoot) 21:50 -Concluding observations on how my PhD studies and first solo travel adventure made me the person I am today #gaysolotravel #italy #travelpodcast #academia #personaldiary

27 min
07/17/2024

Gay Solo Travel Presents - Episode 2 - My First Solo Travel (Gorizia/NE Italy, Part 2)

Part 2 chronicles my experiences with being declared a "missing person" by my Greek mother (CALL YOUR MOTHER), observations about some of the cultural differences I learned very quickly after landing in Italy, my first evening and morning in a small "mom & pop" B&B, and a moment of personal reckoning while visiting Gorizia Castle. Content Breakdown: 0:00 - Travel Before Google 0:49 - Declared a Missing Person / CALL YOUR MOTHER 6:00 - Wandering Around Venice 8:21 - Travel Lesson 1: Paid Public Toilets and Always Having Change 10:00 - Travel Lesson 2: Not Every Accommodation Operates Like a North American Hotel 13:16 - Nona's Story and Discovering Moka Pot Coffee 15:30 - Travel Lesson 3: Exploring Gorizia and Accidentally Crossing Into Slovenia 18:47 - Travel Lesson 4: Shooting Cappuccino and the Discovery of Caffeine Jolts 21:58 - I'm On Top of the World: Sublime Views from Gorizia Castle (and Harsh Realizations) 22:40 - Sliding Doors Moments: Deciding to Drop Out of Graduate School 23:40 - Paying Off Student Loan Debt Only to Go Back Into Debt (for a PhD in the Humanities) 24:50 - Parallel Universes and the Arrival of Funding 26:35 - Abandoning Freedom and Re-Chaining Myself to Academia 27:04 - What Is My Parallel Doppelganger Doing Right Now? #gaysolotravel #italy #travelpodcast #academia #personaldiary

29 min
07/11/2024

Gay Solo Travel Presents - Episode 2 - My First Solo Travel (Gorizia/NE Italy, Part 1)

Part 1 of my second episode where I talk about my first solo travel & first trans-Atlantic trip that took me to North Eastern Italy in 2010 for a conference that was taking place in Gorizia, a small city in the North East of Italy that shares an open border with Slovenia. This episode focuses more on my own personal history prior to my trip. I discuss the financial and physical challenges I was experiencing at the as a new Ph.D. student struggling in the early stages of the "Great Recession" in 2009-2010 and how my life at the time framed my travel experience and vice versa. This episode provides important contact for the subsequent two episodes and it invites listeners to reflect on the intimate relationship between finances, mental health and travel. Content Breakdown: 0:00 - Hello and Welcome to My Podcast! (and Some Shameless Self-Promotion) 3:33 - Ph.D. Conference Travel - Gorizia Bound! 6:18 - A Day in Venice, Udine, and Trieste 9:33 - The Great Recession, Debt, and (the lack of) Grad School Funding 11:59 - Escape to Italy #gaysolotravel #italy #travelpodcast #academia #personaldiary

14 min
06/09/2024

Gay Solo Travel Presents: Episode 1 - Welcome to My Podcast!

Inaugural episode for my podcast dedicated to the pleasure and excitement of being a gay solo traveler. Join me on this experimental journey where I talk about my own personal travel experiences, offer insights, tips and advice for travel, and make connections between travel and life in general. #gaysolotravel #travel #gay #personaldiary #podcast

6 min

Trailer

Gay Solo Travel Presents: Episode 3 (teaser) - Game Genie Is Gay and So Is Mario 3

This is a short, 10-minute teaser to my upcoming third episode on "Video Games, Travel, and Their Queer Connection." The podcast is based off a similarly titled article I published on Medium and explores in both humorous and serious ways how video games and travel overlap and how queerness bridges them. Content Breakdown: 0:00 - Introduction - Retro Video Games (Steam, GOG.com, Sierra Online, LucasArts) 2:40 - Video Games are Hard - The Childhood Trauma of Zelda 2 4:16 - Game Genie is Gay 5:25 - Mario 3 Is Also Gay (and Mario is a Drag King) 7:50 - Conclusion - I've Gone Very Off Topic #supermario #videogames #gaypodcast #teaser #travel

S1, E3

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9 min

A podcast & audio diary of a 40-something gay former academic who loves to travel, watch movies and TV shows, read books, write, and ponder musings about life.

Creator

Gay Solo Travel AKA Dr. Angelo
Episodes

10
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Gay Solo Travel AKA Dr. Angelo
Show Website

Gay Solo Travel AKA Dr. Angelo