We were thrilled that Josh Garcia took time to virtually talk with MeetMeOnboard. Josh is the host of the TV show “The Voyager with Josh Garcia,” now in its third season. In each episode, viewers find him on one of the Carnival family of ships and in a different cruise port. We’re avid watchers of the show, and from our email, we know that many of our LGBTQ cruise enthusiasts are fans as well.

If you don’t know about Josh (Joshua) and this show you should. It airs on NBC Saturday mornings and is available on Hulu. Josh is engaging, genuine, and his passion for travel and learning about cultures is obvious. We get cruise fever every time an episode features a port we haven’t yet visited. He’s also “easy on the eyes,” which is a bonus!  

I was born in Corona CA, then we moved to Temecula CA from ages 5 -17. I went to college in San Luis Obispo and graduated from Sonoma State University.

I was never interested in performance. But video-journalism intrigued me. It took me 6 years doing what I didn’t like (engineering), to realize what I love. There was a great deal of rejection, more failure, and still nothing to show for it. I was scared but failure was not an option.

As season 3 wraps up, I’ve spent a lot of time getting back to my routine. Fitness and wellness are very important to me. I’ve enjoyed spending time with my gorgeous nieces and family, catching up with friends, and working on a remodel for my home. I’m always posting my journal entries on Instagram, or my personal projects on my YouTube page. And a mix of the two on Facebook.

I lost my job as an engineer and decided to figure out what I wanted to do. By that, I mean what I wanted to do, not what others thought I should want to do. I was unemployed, and all my friends were raking in the money. With zero experience and even less cash, I decided to switch gears and become a Host/Video journalist.

I worked as a trainer in NYC and rented out the extra rooms in my West Village flat to pay the rent. I bought a camera, then started making videos which got me in with Abrams Artists. My agent sent me out for 8 years and we barely ever got any bites. Eventually, I got a call from the weather channel to co-host a weather phenomena show. Then the year to follow, I lost my house and my job and decided to take a big risk and travel the globe to make videos. Voyager called and basically offered to help out. Ha!  It’s crazy, I’ve been doing this for 3 years now.

I spend about 8 months a year shooting each season with a few breaks in between. In each season I visit 22 different international locations. I do collaborate with the ships and their excursion specialists. The ship excursions consultants are incredibly accommodating and they’re in all the episodes.

Lisbon – the hilly, coastal history, unique architecture, incredible produce, and creative cuisine made me fall in love.

Google is an incredible resource, so do your research, make a plan and go for it. Find out what interests you, contact the locals and the specialists in that area and MAKE IT HAPPEN. Life belongs to the doers.

I’ve learned that most big cities like Tokyo, Paris, Barcelona are quite accommodating. However, I  think minorities like the LGBTQ community will find they’re generally embraced in the many of the lesser-known destinations as well. The LGBTQ community thrives all over the world and you’ll even see these communities come together in unlikely places like St. Petersburg, Russia or in Dubai. You may just have to look a little harder.

I already did Alaska, but there are several more ports there I would love to see and spend more time in. And if the captain doesn’t mind, I wouldn’t mind taking the wheel and stopping in Greenland, Iceland & Labrador/Quebec as well, but definitely during their summertime.