The Scoop: EveryQueer is a popular travel and culture website offering endless advice on traveling while queer. What started as a personal blog 11 years ago has now developed into an all-encompassing resource for eager LGBTQ+ travelers, EveryQueer provides tips, tricks, and shopping recommendations — including input on safety and preparedness when traveling internationally — for any identity under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. Whether you’re in the mood for a relaxing tropical getaway or a challenging trek across exciting terrain, you can think of EveryQueer as your personal guide to all things queer travel.
It’s no secret that social norms in the dating world have shifted tremendously over the years, and that includes how and who people love. According to a 2022 survey by the Pew Research Center, roughly 7% of adults in the United States identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community. The growing number of people who consciously embody their queerness is representative of the progress we’ve made in accepting people and lifestyles different from our own, and this often makes the world a safer place for those who are LGBTQ+ — especially when it comes to traveling as a queer person.
Similarly, going on trips alone or with loved ones may prove to be a challenge for some women depending on where they go and what activities they engage in. A queer woman’s identity sometimes adds an additional layer of caution and consideration.
While North American society has grown more open to the various orientations and identities of others, different cultures across the globe may not share the same ideology. In some countries, being under the LGBTQ+ umbrella is even illegal — thus making it difficult or anxiety-inducing for queer women to travel. This is where EveryQueer comes in.
Founder and CEO Meg Ten Eyck said that EveryQueer has “just exploded” since it started as a personal blog in 2012. Today, it’s a multi-faceted travel and lifestyle publication. “Initially, it was more of a personal diary of travel… Now we have a full time staff and contractors that we work with, we do a ton of consulting on LGBTQ marketing campaigns, and we run events and tours as well,” she says. “Things have changed a lot in the last 11 years.”
EveryQueer Is the Authority on LGBTQ+ Travel
Ten Eyck has built a safe haven online for LGBTQ+ people who value adventure and exploration, but hold comfort as paramount as a traveler. The travel enthusiast turned CEO said she was inspired to found EveryQueer when she realized the lack of resources and information available to the community. “At the time, there was almost no information about LGBT travel, and what was available was all targeted at gay men.” This deficit — along with the network and following she had already built — sparked the idea behind the publication, which provides information and advice on anything from swimming binder recommendations to where to shop and dine in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The site provides countless ideas and advice for traveling to just about anywhere you can think of, including small towns in New Jersey and astonishing getaways like Buenos Aries. Their articles are a comprehensive resource for any queer explorers looking to broaden their horizons, no matter how near or far. They cover the gamut with recommendations for eating destinations, queer-owned hotels or businesses, fun activities and excursions to try, and even pride-related events in places that may surprise you.
EveryQueer also provides suggestions on travel in places that aren’t LGBTQ+-friendly. Ten Eyck says that the site’s stance on queer people traveling to places that aren’t accepting of their identity is simple: It shouldn’t stop them. “As an organization, we don’t support travel bans,” the founder says. “And the reason for that is because for queer people in every destination and every place, travel can be a gateway for cultural understanding and cultural exchange.”
She also notes that there is a bit of a “duality” with the concept of avoiding travel to anti-LGBTQ+ destinations. “There are a lot of people boycotting states with anti-trans legislation and anti-LGB legislation, while simultaneously queer travel internationally to destinations that have anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is booming. I think that’s interesting in a way, because the LGBTQ+ traveler is holding our own country in the U.S. to a higher standard than they are other destinations around the world.”
Don’t Miss Out on EveryQueer Events
Beyond its impressive compilation of information on travel destinations and ideas for the community, EveryQueer knows how to throw a dang good party. According to Ten Eyck, one of the things that most inspired her to start hosting events with EveryQueer were the major misconceptions about queer women that she discovered among the media. Having had experience working with luxury brands and media outlets alike, she said she realized she would need to take matters into her own hands when it came to offering valuable gatherings to successful LGBTQ+ women.
One of EveryQueer’s staple events, a New York City-based luxury dinner party called VIQ, began in 2022 after Ten Eyck decided enough was enough. “I would meet with brands and they would say the most ridiculously inconsistent or factually incorrect things about queer women as a community. One of them was that ‘queer women have no money’ or ‘queer women don’t travel’… I got really annoyed and tired with people saying that,” she explains.
She also came across the stereotype that queer women aren’t affluent enough to afford high-end events. As a true New Yorker, however, Ten Eyck notes that some of the most powerful and successful women are in the city — and many of them are queer.
From these misconceptions was born a slew of fantastic, larger-than-life events for LGBTQ+ women to network, form community, and enjoy themselves. Ten Eyck’s big ideas have manifested into some incredible events to celebrate queer women. Those ideas range from circus performers in a bathtub suspended from the ceiling to a high-end cabaret with a live band and an open bar.
In January, EveryQueer will partner with the Stonewall Inn — the iconic backdrop for some of the most significant LGBTQ+ events in history — on a party called “The Queer 100” honoring 100 different movers and shakers impacting the queer tourism industry.
Queer People Can (and Should) Travel Safely and In Style
If you were to brainstorm some of the most popular travel destinations you’ve heard rumbles about in the last few years, destinations like Japan or Turks and Caicos would likely come to mind. According to Ten Eyck, queer travelers deserve some credit for these trending spots. “We have a joke in the travel industry that if gay people start traveling there, then it’ll be a hotspot in a few years for straight people,” she says. “And it’s funny because it’s true.”
As Ten Eyck previously expressed, the common misconception that queer people, especially women, don’t travel or lack the funds to travel couldn’t be more incorrect. It’s thanks to the countless travelers in the community that EveryQueer can continue to build their comprehensive and engaging coverage on all things LGBTQ+ travel and lifestyle.
With all the chatter about queer people leading the charge on popular tourism destinations, you may be wondering about the best places for gay travelers. Ten Eyck has you covered on this front, but she first wants to make it clear that there is a difference between travel and a vacation. “If you’re going on vacation, the theme is rest, relaxation and recharging. And it’s generally at a resort or something of that nature. If you’re going to travel, it’s a mind altering cultural exchange. It’s an experience that is more authentic to the local people and things like that.” While sipping a Mai Tai by the ocean works for one person, the ideal travel day for another might be train hopping between countries to experience more cultural immersion.
EveryQueer is a one-stop shop for any information LGBTQ+ explorers need to know, whether you’re looking to hike Machu Picchu or take a relaxing dip in the Mexican Cenotes.. Eyck and her team have built an entertaining and well-rounded resource that anyone in the community can trust — and she has plenty of her own experiences and advice to share, as well.
In terms of her most critical tips for traveling the world while queer, Ten Eyck says it’s so important to be “mindful that a couple different things like social acceptance and policy are different. Be mindful that your actions impact the local people in a way that they may not impact yourself. And that cultural acceptance and understanding of queer values are very different depending on where you are in the world.” No matter where you want to shop, eat, or take an adventure, EveryQueer has advice you can trust.
