Politixia
From guide books to influencers, and that P-Town photo dump from that one guy you still follow on Instagram, we know that when it comes to planning your next jet-setting gay vacation, there’s a lot of noise out there.
But definitive answers? Not so much.
That’s why, this year, we did Best of GayCities a little differently and went straight to the people who know LGBTQ+ travel best.
In addition to surveying our super-users and avid travelers, we brought together an editorial board of expert travel writers who shared their expertise, top destination picks, and some hot takes.
The result? The most colorful Best of GayCities guide we’ve ever had, with top-mark recommendations for everywhere from Sydney, Amsterdam, and Iceland, to even Cleveland.
Below, get to know the team behind this year’s Best of GayCities guide.
Tracey E. Gilchrist
I love Pride in another country — I’ve been to a few— but I also love the idea of visiting a place when it’s not at its most hyped. Feeling as though I’ve discovered a queer enclave or spot is the most compelling for me.
Announcement
Travel Bucket List: Iceland
Most Important Travel Factors: Visible LGBTQ+ community, inclusive laws & policies, LGBTQ+-owned businesses
Trending Cities: Berlin, Sydney, Paris
What was your favorite LGBTQ+-friendly destination you visited in the last year, and what made it memorable?
Progressive Stockholm offers myriad delights for LGBTQ+ travelers year-round. A visit to Sweden’s capital for Pride was an immersive queer experience I didn’t realize I needed until I found myself at a Pride party dancing into the wee hours with about 1,000 other sapphics to Swedish pop stars Icona Pop, Robyn, and ABBA. Hosted by Stockholm LGBT and Visit Stockholm, I experienced everything from Sweden’s LGBTQ+ history, given a lineage of queer royals, to a boat ride deep into the archipelago where I bobbed in a kayak on the Baltic, and all with a sense of freedom of being a queer person in a country that celebrates diversity.
What is your favorite LGBTQ+ bar or nightlife venue anywhere in the world? What makes it special?
At Stockholm Pride, I danced with the most queer women I’ve ever seen at a monthly party called Moxy in the cavernous venue of Nacka. I’d never experienced that many queer women enjoying themselves together before.
What’s the best gayborhood for travelers?
Toronto’s The Village, with its queer-owned restaurants, 519 queer community center, and its diverse, politically active queer residents, is a draw. It’s queer heaven with a bit of revolution in the air.
What is the most underrated LGBTQ+-friendly destination you’ve visited?
Prince Edward County, a few hours outside of Toronto on Lake Ontario (I refuse to call it anything else), particularly the town of Picton, felt like Schitt’s Creek to me — small-town vibes free from homophobia. I was there during Pride Month, and all of the shops in town were decorated for the occasion. But it was more than Pride flags. Each storefront had curated queerness for its customer base. The bookstore displayed books by queer authors, both known and new, and the local record store featured albums in its window from queer artists, from Grace Jones to Jobriath. The care that went into the town’s curation impressed me. Within a few kilometers of the town center, art galleries and wineries catered to queer clientele.
Tracy E. Gilchrist (she/her) is the host and executive producer of her podcast, Holding Space with Tracy E. Gilchrist. She was editor-in-chief of The Advocate from March 2020 to August 2022. As EIC, she led The Advocateprint team in winning the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage in 2021 and 2022. A media veteran who went viral in 2024 with her Wicked“holding space” interview with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, she writes about the intersections of bipop culture and social issues.
www.gaycities.com
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