When you think of Costa Del Sol you think classy beach bars, warm relaxing poolsides, and plenty of designer shopping. But the popular area isn’t necessarily known for its LGBTQ scene.

GAY TIMES has teamed up with James Villas for a new video series exploring local communities in locations where queer visibility isn’t always apparent upon arrival.

Tapping into these communities offers an interesting and unique way of accessing new destinations and experiences across Europe.

For our third video in the series we head over to Costa Del Sol to visit gay vlogger Borja who enjoys travelling all over the globe.

Back in 2017 while taking a sabbatical from work, Borja started his YouTube channel The Gay Explorer.

The first series saw him go on dates with guys all over the world, from San Francisco to Peru and discussing dating life and LGBTQ issues that face queer people locally.

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We met up with Borja in the Costa Del Sol, exploring the local Old Town of Marbella.

“Meeting local communities really allows you to experience a destination in a completely different way,” he said. “You see it through someone else’s eyes and it’s something I really enjoy doing.” 

Borja comes from a family with two mothers and says he’s lucky that he grew up in an open-minded and accepting environment.

It was because of this that he wanted to travel and speak with people who had very different experiences than himself.

“I wanted to portray how other countries, other cities and other individuals are not going through the same experience that I have, and that it’s very important to support each other and raise awareness of what is happening,” he said.

“Meeting them and being exposed to their lifestyle provides a very real and authentic experience of how it is to be LGBTQ in that destination.”

Discover local communities by booking your next holiday at jamesvillas.co.uk.