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She’s a professional travel writer. Here are her secrets to having a better trip.
Having chronicled her global adventures since 2012, her journey has taken her to over 75 countries at this point.
Meg Ten Eyck is a trailblazer in the world of queer travel, having chronicled her global adventures since 2012. As an award-winning travel blogger, Meg’s journey has taken her to over 75 countries, navigating a wide spectrum of attitudes toward queer travelers—from acceptance to criminalization. She has used her site, EveryQueer, to inspire and empower LGBTQ+ travelers worldwide by sharing insider travel tips.
Her approach to travel is deeply rooted in her childhood experiences. Growing up, she and her siblings moved between various fostering arrangements; she learned to navigate the world at a young age, often traveling across the country to stay with relatives. These early road trips shaped her understanding of cultural exchange and independence.
Meg does not think of travel and vacation as the same thing.
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“I think of them as very different things, and they both have important roles in the industry. A lot of Americans only get two weeks off each year, and that includes holidays and family obligations. That’s why so many Americans prioritize vacation, but they often see it in the same line as a Lamborghini and a Louis Vuitton bag. Travel can take on so many forms. It can really be an opportunity to learn and engage and explore new things.”
So, how does a world traveler navigate airports most easily?
“I tend to prefer direct flights. I tend to go to South Africa about once a year at this point and there’s a direct flight on United from Newark to Cape Town, and I would rather spend fifteen hours on a flight than spending a couple hours randomly in Europe or tacking on another nine, ten hours to that flight itinerary. It’s less about the airport and more about where I am going and what is the most convenient route to that destination.”
She also touts the benefits of Global Entry and TSA Precheck, noting, “I think that the TSA is inherently anti-Queer and body scanners are inherently anti-Queer because of the way that they out our trans and gender non-conforming friends. When you are in TSA pre-check and have global entry, you can avoid the nightmare that is the body scanner and wondering if they are going to scan you blue or pink.”
She added that the programs also dramatically cut down your time at the airport.
Meg prefers to check a bag, joking, “I’m a card-carrying high femme and I need at least fourteen pounds of weave and makeup to make my day go right.”
When flying, she prefers to dress in what she calls “put-together sweats,” adding, “I do want to be comfortable, but I don’t want to feel like I’m sloppy. If it’s a short trip, like if I’m flying to DC, then I will wear business casual, but I try to avoid that at all costs.”
Meg is on a mission to visit every lesbian bar left in the world and prioritizes women in her content.
“I want to showcase all the different queer women’s spaces that I get to experience while I’m traveling. Everything is very much word of mouth, and it’s much harder to find, so you end up having to do a lot of digging to find our spaces. If I’m a professional and doing this much digging, the average traveler will have no idea. It’s important to highlight cultural preservation in the form of community building. Those spaces are incredibly special, so I prioritize going to lesbian bars everywhere because I think it’s important for our community.”
Asked about a favorite lesbian bar, she leaned into New York City.
One of my favorite Queer parties is called SCOPE; it’s not a bar but a monthly party that’s in Bushwick. I feel like Cubbyhole and Henrietta’s get the most airtime because they’re the oldest bars, but we do have Gingers in Brooklyn, and we have two new lesbian bars: Mary’s and The Bush, which is in Bushwick as well. I do think one of the things that makes New York so special is that there are so many queer parties and queer events for the community to come together.”
A lot of queer travelers travel specifically for pride or pride-driven events. Meg expressed, “I sometimes think of myself as a professional pride attendee because destinations invite me to come to pride all over the world.”
“People forget that Pride isn’t just a parade or an afterparty. It’s political activism, a family reunion, an opportunity for us to come celebrate the progress that we’ve made and mourn the challenges we’ve faced, and action plans for civil rights.”
“I have been to Pride in Kyiv, where it was a political protest that was bombed by Molotov cocktails, and the EuroPride in Riga, Latvia, which was the first post-Soviet country to host a pride. They had to put all their politicians toward the front because they were afraid of violence happening. Then you’ve got all these small-town Prides that are an act of political resistance in deeply conservative states like Mississippi and Texas. The conversation around Pride needs so much more nuance because there are Prides that are a great big party, and there are Prides that are an act of political resistance because you will be victimized in your home country.”
WorldPride is in DC next year and is not to be missed. 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of Pride celebrations in Washington, D.C., and the Capital Pride Alliance is preparing for a vibrant slate of events and programming from the National Mall to Embassy Row. She says it shouldn’t be missed.
Meg also shared that she is attending Pride in Osaka, Japan, this year.
“Japan is really trying to put forth the effort into creating welcoming and affirming policies, creating opportunities for local LGBTQ+ community members to connect, and invite LGBTQ+ visitors to come,” shares Meg, “Not that many people know this, but Tokyo actually has the most LGBTQ+ bars of any gayborhood in the world. There’s a big culture and community there, but it’s not as well-known as some of the other destinations around the world.”
Portugal is one of Meg’s favorite destinations.
“Portugal tends to be a lot of the kid sibling to the other European countries around it, and I think it’s incredibly interesting. The destination often ranks in the top LGBTQ+ friendly destinations around the world but there are so many different and interesting things to see. The National Palace of Pena, which looks like a castle that Ronald McDonald designed, is different from a lot of things you see in other parts of Europe. If you’re a beach person, you can’t do better than in the south of Portugal. It’s super welcoming and affirming. They have all the national policies in place that you would want to feel safe, and people are genuinely welcoming and safe.”
For those looking for a completely relaxing vacation, Meg recommends Mexico, noting it “offers opportunities both cultural exchange and relaxation that doesn’t feel hard or challenging. Particularly if you pick a destination like San Miguel de Allende which is about three hours north of Mexico City.”
She recommends Casa de Sierra Nevada, A Belmond Hotel, San Miguel de Allende or Rosewood San Miguel de Allende. She notes the destination offers “an opportunity to engage in Mexican art because there are so many artist coalitions in the area. It’s near some of the Aztec ruins. You can have a fancy cocktail on the roof of the Rosewood and then the next day go out and explore some of the history and culture of both colonial and pre-colonial Mexico.”
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