A group of people standing side by side.
Pierluigi Longo
Couples Travel

Celebrating Queer Love and Travel

This Pride month, we are honoring travel's capacity for discovery, renewal, and love through a lens of queerness—and its power to open up ourselves to seeing not just the world, but also who we are, in a new light.

There is nothing that can help us try on new versions of ourselves quite like traveling. When experiencing an unfamiliar place, invigorated by new sounds, smells, and sights, it's often the ideal time to experiment with where you fit in this world. It can also encourage us to more easily shed old patterns and solidify existing bonds with those we hold dearest. Travel is the ultimate educator, shining a light on our own identity and where our relationships stand.

At Condé Nast Traveler, we believe that traveling is almost always about love—for yourself, others, and the world itself. This year, to celebrate Pride month, we are exploring these truths through a lens of queerness. In the following stories, our writers, who all identify as members of the LGBTQIA+ community, venture to new places that both alter and connect them with their loved ones (and themselves) in meaningful and lasting ways: from finding chosen family in Costa Rica and moving to a different continent after marriage to learning new aspects of one's personality by flirting in a foreign language. Read on for stories of connection and, of course, inspiration to get you out there and falling in love. 

In the Darkness of the ‘L Clubs’ of Hongdae, Seoul, I Finally Felt Seen

How I went from craving anonymity for my differences to finding a voice for my queerness.

By: Caitlyn Ng Man Chuen


Finding My Chosen Family During a Spontaneous Trip to Costa Rica

Every day unfolded like a new Magic School Bus adventure, and taught me that strengthening bonds during travel can be life changing. 

By: Chala June


In Spanish Speaking Countries, I Always Challenge Myself to Date the Language

Spanish has come to feel like it allows me to be my queerest self, which was a vibrant, joyful surprise even unto me.

By: Richard Morgan


The Importance of Traveling Together as a Queer Family

My husband and I have always been passionate travelers, and we’ve worked hard to show our sons the variety of cultures in America and beyond.

By: Paul J. Heney


How Moving to Zürich Opened My Eyes to A World of Acceptance

As a New Yorker, I was seeking the freedom I was used to. In my life in Zürich, I found a different version of it.

By: Adam H. Graham


Credits

Lead editor: Scott Bay

Additional editors: Lale Arikoglu, Arati Menon, Megan Spurrell

Visuals: Pierluigi Longo, Pallavi Kumar

Social media: Mercedes Bleth, Kayla Brock

Audience development: Lara Kramer