When Tennessee-born photographer Kirstie met her partner Christine in 2017, she knew she had found exactly what she had been looking for. Kirstie had all but manifested Christine into existence; she ticked all the boxes, a best friend and life partner who was “not only wife material, but also super hot”. Kirstie was taken in by Christine’s brilliant, artistic mind, her sense of humor, the little things about her that she only revealed to the people she loved- but perhaps the thing that really meant the two were destined for each other was how much they both loved to travel.
Like something out of a Valentine’s day movie, Kirstie and Christine’s whirlwind romance began with Kirstie jokingly asking Christine to quit her job to travel the world with her- until it wasn’t a joke anymore. The couple moved to southeast Asia and started their social media journey, kickstarting their passion for photography in 2019. They shot their travels around South East Asia on their iPhone, and as their social media platform grew, they discovered that their story and content resonated with LGBTQ+ communities around the world, who started reaching out to them asking for advice on places they could travel with their partners. The outpouring of love inspired Kirstie and Christine even more, and they realized their true passion lay in “helping people explore their sense of adventure without fear”.
Like any couple in love, Kirstie and Christine discovered that finding each other unlocked a piece of themselves they hadn’t encountered before. For Kirstie, she realized that she had never felt homesick before meeting Christine, who represented to her all the family values, roots and stability which Kirstie had never felt before. Christine, who comes from Mexican, Peruvian and Chinese descent which made her extremely family oriented and grounded, was the sort of anchor that Kirstie needed. Together, the two of them got an apartment in Colorado and grew some strong roots of their own.
But although the two immensely enjoy the comfort of their Colorado home, and the subliminal comfort of watching netflix together on the couch, their true home would always be from one destination to the other, exploring the world together. During their trip throughout South East Asia, they traveled to over 14 countries together over the course of ten months, but collectively they have been to over 50 countries. They are documenting their journey on their blog, On Airplane Mode along the way. According to them, “Our slogan “Hustle. Travel. Repeat.” is our daily motto as we find so much importance to hustle for what makes you happy.”. The blog has become a fan-favorite, with LGBTQ+ communities around the world benefitting from Kirstie and Christine’s travel experience to plan their own trips.
Even with their impressive travel repertoire, traveling hasn’t always been so smooth for this power couple- but it does make for some amusing stories. During their time in Malaysia, the two were at the airport to book a flight to Singapore when they realized Christine had run out of passport pages and hence couldn’t leave Malaysia. The two had to stay there for a month before the American government issued Christine a new passport. Instead of letting the situation take control of them, and ruining the trip, they turned it into some of their best memories, utilizing their time visiting different Malaysian towns, meeting locals, swimming with turtles, and getting their scuba diving certification.
To their fans who want to travel like they do, Kirstie and Christine have this advice to give “You should research the culture, religion, and practices as well as the history of each destination before you visit. Becoming knowledgeable about a destination prior to traveling there will help you to travel safely, respectfully, and with more of an open mind. For LGBTQ+ travelers, this is especially important, as over 70+ countries around the world still criminalize being gay. However, you shouldn’t avoid traveling out of fear. Sometimes there is little-to-no exposure of the LGBTQ+ community in other places, but that does not mean queer people do not exist in those places. A lot of times people have predetermined insecurities or discrimination when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community, but after we have genuinely gotten to know people all around the world we realize that people are more accepting than not, and at the end of the day, all everyone really wants is love.”.
When the pandemic hit, and the world came to a standstill, the two worried about the long-term implications on travel. They had to navigate this new normal all on their own and start again, learning about mandates, vaccine requirements, and other changing policies at borders and airports. But they never lost sight of their goal, which would always be to continue to help others and travel. They encourage their fans to take every situation in stride, and learn to adapt toCOVID instead of putting traveling on hold.
Kirstie and Chrisitne are determined to ensure that this year is as full of adventure as ever. They have back to back trips all the way through July, and are planning to cross off Mexico, Guatemala, England, Wales, San Diego and Aruba. To follow them on their journey, you can visit their Instagram or check out their blog.
