In the warm hush of a stone courtyard in Gjirokastër, I found a private kind of freedom: coffee, sunlight, and the easy intimacy of being understood without explanation.
Read more
Tens of thousands taking part in Budapest Pride is the kind of sentence that should feel ordinary in a city with a major international profile. Instead, it lands like a report from the edge of a larger question: what does safety mean for LGBTQ+ travelers when permission can be granted, withheld, or reversed by a government’s mood? The news that the event was allowed to proceed without restrictions matters, but so does the reason it matters. For queer travelers, the right to walk a street openly is never just about a parade. It is about whether a place treats us as people who belong there, or as guests who must wait to be tolerated.
Read more
I still think about that first night out in Albania: the salt on my skin, the taxi’s tired suspension, the low hum of music leaking from a bar that looked too ordinary to matter, and the strange relief of being anonymous in a place I had barely learned to name.
Read more
As a passionate traveler and LGBTQ+ advocate, I’ve explored numerous cities around the globe, each with its own unique charm and character. While some places have embraced diversity and provided a safe haven for queer travelers, others have left me feeling less than welcome. Join me as I share my top five LGBTQ+ friendly destinations, where love and acceptance reign supreme, alongside five places that, for various reasons, I would hesitate to revisit.
Read more