Vanessa Vanjie Mateo Shares Some Favorite Destinations

“I love going to London, there’s a club called G-A-Y, and it’s really fun. They have a great promoter, and the people are — they love drag, and the show is fun. You get to sit and watch a strip show contest, and kiki, and have a good time. And I also just like going back to Orlando, Florida, or Florida in general, ’cause that’s like, where I kind of started doing drag, and so it’s always fun to go back and show them, ‘Look how I look now.’ Southern Nights, Tampa, and Southern Nights, Orlando, I love going. Roxxxy (Andrews) works at the one in Orlando. It’s an amazing play there, they love drag over there, they tip the dolls, and it’s a kiki.”—RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Vanessa Vanjie Mateo (nee José Cancel) as told to Taylor Henderson

This piece initially ran in the print issue of Out Traveler , which is available on newsstands.