The favourite places of David Durán

I’ve been travelling all my life. As a child, I remember driving across the border into Mexico with my family every year to San Felipe, where we would spend our summer holidays. Before I was a teenager, my parents were sending me on international flights by myself so that I could go visit family in Bolivia. I guess the travel bug never left because I just kept going and going. I spent time in the military and later as a flight attendant, both of which helped rack up my travel experience. I began my career in writing by simply submitting opinion pieces to local newspapers until I was given the opportunity to expand my platform. I started as a news reporter and eventually found my passion for writing was mostly in the travel sphere, and almost a decade later, here we are. I’ve been to all seven continents and more than 80 countries (I honestly have lost track and keep meaning to spend a few hours with a map in front of me). I’ve contributed to some incredible publications like this one, in addition to the NY Post, Travel + Leisure, and countless others. I also write about HIV related topics for various health-based magazines. Most recently I’ve filmed a travel pilot, contributed to a guide book going to print soon, and have taken up a second career as a luxury travel advisor, something I’ve always wanted to do since I’ve been helping friends, family and social media strangers for years with planning their trips. Also, I just wanted to cut back on my travel a bit as I’m now domesticated with an amazing partner and I don’t’ want to be away from home as much, although I’m probably still travelling more each month than most people.

I have a slight obsession with the Middle East. I was going to make a beard joke but I’m sure the readers will come up with those on their own. Oddly enough, I took one of those DNA tests and I had zero per cent come up from the Middle East. Anyways, I just love everything about it. Each time I am there, I feel as if I am in another world. Things are just so incredibly different there. From the culture rich and non-existent skyscrapers in Oman to the overly built insanities in the UAE, all of it fascinates me. Obviously, as a gay man, I think that element of danger also excites me, but that could also be the news reporter in me.

Hawaii. I know, it sounds cliché to say, but I’m happiest when I’m there. I’ve been to all of the islands, with Maui being my favourite, but it’s beyond the destination, and it truly is about the warmth and kindness of the people and culture. Aloha is not just a word, it’s a way of life, and I think that after 25+ times of spending time on the islands, I’ve learned what it means to live and embody the aloha spirit. There was a period in my life where I would refuse to leave Hawaii unless I had booked a return trip. There’s just something magical about those islands.

A lot of what I enjoy about travelling involves the people I meet and the things I learn. Whether that’s trying a new type of food or cuisine, or just chatting with someone about their daily life, it’s all important to me and it inspires me. Forgive me as I get deep for a moment, but I truly believe that most of the hatred in the world stems from ignorance and lack of information. With my travels, I’ve met and experienced so many different types of humans and cultures and through all of that, it has provided me with a deep understanding of what it’s like to be different. There are so many places in this world to visit and explore, but don’t do yourself a disservice when travelling and forget to engage with the locals – the more different types of people you interact with, the more compassionate you become towards diversity.

Another tough one because depending on the criteria, I could list hundreds of amazing properties I’ve been privileged to stay in. But my initial answer was the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain. I’m a bit of luxury hotel snob and have been to hundreds (maybe thousands, who knows) of properties around the world, and this particular property is owned by the royal family of Bahrain, I think. I have never seen ornate green marble so casually used throughout hotel suites and the artwork around the property was just inspiring. There was nothing I could think to complain about while there, which is a rarity for a travel writer. From the butter cream Bentley, one of the many luxury house cars at the property that picked me up from the airport to the Hermes bath products in the suites, this property reigns supreme.

I’ve met a lot of interesting people during my travels but there are a couple that immediately come to mind. I spent time with a female butler in a 5-star hotel in Buenos Aires who just captured my attention. At the time, she was the first and only female butler on the team and she was telling me all about her life and specialized training that was involved with her career. She was inspiring to say the least. Another incredible woman I met in Zanzibar in a tiny art shop in Stone Town. I was walking past her shop and she called me over to talk. That talk lasted 2 hours and during that time, I learned about how she was the only, if not one of the first, female entrepreneurs (I didn’t verify that, nor does it matter because she’s amazing) on the island. I’m not sure I’ve ever enjoyed the company of a stranger more than I did with Hellen.

As someone who grew up in Southern California and spent years in New York City, I never imagined I would settle down in Phoenix, but beyond the politics, Arizona is a beautiful and naturally diverse state. We currently live in downtown Phoenix, which is still developing, but already has a ton of really fun restaurants and places to hang out. I personally love walking around or riding my bike in the true centre of downtown on the weekends because it’s a ghost town, and oddly satisfying. But I also enjoy the proximity of nature to downtown. We are minutes away from Papago Park, Camelback Mountain and Phoenix Mountain Reserve, three of the best hiking spots in the city.

Travel in comfort. Whether I am in first class or cattle class, I always board an aeroplane in comfortable clothing. And I bring everything I would ever need from cleaning wipes to facial moisturizers to a travel toothbrush. I also carry a mini-pharmacy with me just in case. And I often bring a pillow and always carry a bigger coat or jacket on the plane with me so that I can sit on it as an extra cushion unless I’m up front and then I just hand it to the flight attendant so that they can hang it for me.

One thing: go and explore places that don’t always make those “top ten places for gays” type of lists.

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