Travel Safety for LGBTQ Travelers

Everyone deserves to feel safe when they travel. Everyone. While I hope that everywhere we go is equally tolerant to all tourists, that isn't always the case. There are places I won't go - or won't go alone - as a woman and I know I'm not the only one. Here are some tips on how to travel safely as a queer traveler:

 

For more places to go, check out Thrillist's collection of LGBTQ destination articles. Matador Network wants you to travel well in Eastern Europe. Maybe you don't want to go that far and the Caribbean is calling.  Learn why Global Entry might be your best investment for traveling as a trans or non-binary traveler. Learn more about your rights before you get to the airport. Find queer-owned businesses with the app Everywhere Is Queer. You can also use it on your desktop to plan your trips without the app. If you are an outdoorsy person and want to get outside, because outside is for everyone, check out Outdoorist Oath, a group looking to make outdoor adventure (and helping our planet) inclusive and awesome for all people. And, last but not least, a list of resources to use before and during your travels.

If you aren't a queer traveler, you can still be an ally when you travel. Support queer businesses and other travelers where you can and provide them a safe person to be around. There's even a webinar from Skyscanner to help you travel with Pride and be a good ally.

Now you can plan your trip, make new connections, find inclusive businesses and make awesome memories. Do you have a favorite LGBTQ-friendly city?

Pride + Travel

Traveling for Pride is not new, but it seems to be a lot more popular, or easier to share, now. Pride is a celebration and a party, and a sense of community wherever you are. I love the idea that people want to experience Pride outside of their hometown, but also that they may not have celebrations at home, or even feel safe there, so they go where they can be themselves. 

The LGBTQIA+ community experiences similar discrimination wherever they are, so being able to engage with others is always joyful, celebratory, and has a feeling of understanding. Pride is so accepting and lovely, that I love going to events as an ally. It's one of those atmospheres where I always feel safe in the people around me and I hope that's how everyone feels. 

Outside of Pride celebrations, there are other ways you can learn about the history of Pride when you travel. A few places that are very important to the protest that has gotten us to where we are today:

California

The Black Cat in Los Angeles might sound familiar to you, as it was the site of a peaceful protest of 200 people in 1967; however, the LA area has many other great places to learn about the city's place in Pride history. 

You already know that San Francisco is sort of a gay mecca, but did you know that it also has the world's first official transgender district? I didn't, and I think that's amazing.

Georgia

The Atlanta Eagle bar is a leather bar that has moved locations, but still kept its community and welcoming atmosphere, plus it has officially been declared a landmark as of 2020.

Florida

Despite all the politics and intolerance of the state of Florida right now, it still houses one of the U.S.'s more important museums for Pride history. The World AIDS Museum in Fort Lauderdale. Wilton Manors is next door and is one of the country's most welcoming and LGBTQ-friendly communities. Now you can frequent a bunch of queer-owned businesses and historical sites, but you can also indulge in some of the many Pride events they put on every June. 

Louisiana

New Orleans is known for it's good times and party vibes, so it's no surprise that Pride has it's foothold there, too. Café Lafitte in Exile opened in 1933 and is the oldest continuously-operating gay bar in the U.S. (according to them). 

New York

Stonewall Inn in New York City is the beginning of most people's knowledge of Pride and where it all went down. But it's not the only landmark in New York that's important. Here are 14 other places to visit while you're there.

If you're traveling to New York during the warmer months and hope to get away from the city, there are even quite a few "gay" beaches, so bring your suit and sunscreen and relax at one of these places.

Texas

While religious organizations aren't really known for being that accepting of the LBGTQ+ community, but Dallas's Cathedral of Hope is known as being the largest LGBTQ+-welcoming congregation in the U.S. Their Interfaith Peace Chapel was designed by famous gay architect Philip Johnson.

Before it became known for it's accepting and "weird" reputation, Austin had a small district where the LGBTQ community found a safe space to be themselves and Oilcan Harry's was one such place, known to invest quite a lot in the art of drag, it is the city's longest-running gay bar.

A hotel in Port Aransas known for welcoming everyone, the Seahorse Inn has been a site for activism, art, politics, community, and also leisure and recreation. Not only was Pride a big part of the Seahorse, but you can enjoy the mid-century modern architecture, too. 

I hope this helps you find more Pride in your travels and life in general. We can all use more tolerance, diversity, and rainbows in our world. Do you have a favorite LBGTQ+ business, destination or event?

Halfway Through 2024: Summer Travels

We are nearly halfway through this year and my summer has gone from busy at home to a busy travel season, too. As you know, I usually spend a week in July in Las Vegas, but this year we won't be doing that. I made it to Vegas in March for the Travel Goods Show, where I was able to meet up with friends and family, along with doing some solo things and spending 2 1/2 days at the show. 

This July Leaky Con is coming back to Portland, which gives me another weekend to indulge in Harry Potter. The other weekend of Potter goodness is our annual Wizarding Weekend at the end of July. That's all at home. Eric's fam is having a reunion, too, so I'll be heading to Sacramento to do that and get some quick sightseeing in before I have to be home to set up for my own Harry Potter celebration. 

Photo by Pieter van de Sande on Unsplash

In August, Eric has a work conference in Denver and we had been talking about going there for a few years now in order to check out their Meow Wolf installation, Convergence Station. If you've been following for a while, you might remember our trip to Omega Mart in Vegas. That was so amazing, we've made it a mission to visit all the Meow Wolf locations. 

So, we've booked ourselves into a new vacation rental for a few nights before his conference started and we'll be doing Convergence Station and a couple days of quick touristy things. We'll be there for 3 full days before I come home and he has to do work. I'm definitely looking to pack my days with the best of the city and I'm open to restaurant recs, though I have already made a reservation for brunch at Linger. 

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

After this, I'll have a pretty big break from travel that will include working our non-profit booth at Rose City Comic Con and repacking my bag for my next trip to...Nashville! I haven't been since I was very little and I don't think Eric has ever been. We'll be seeing all that the city has to offer, but also doing a side trip to Pigeon Forge to do Dollywood and stop at a couple places along the way back. 

That might be the end of our summer, but possibly not the end of our travels for the year. We have talked about the possibility of going to Vegas in early December, but we don't have solid plans for that yet. I'll keep you updated though. And, as always, you can follow me on Instagram for more photos of my trips, closer to when I'm actually on them.

Where are you going this summer?