5 Queer Travel Books to Add to Your Must-Read List

Who better to shed light on the experiences of queer travelers than well, queer travelers? We searched for some of the best queer travel books and although we found some amazing titles, we were a bit dismayed that there weren’t more. The way we as LGBTQ+ people travel and interact with others in new unfamiliar surroundings is truly unique – sometimes factors that our straight cis counterparts don’t need to consider when traveling. Let’s keep telling our stories and expand the literary travel catalog so we can help make the travel industry more diverse and inclusive.

For now, however, here are a few amazing titles for you should consider checking out!

“Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States” by Samantha Allen

A transgender reporter’s narrative tour through the surprisingly vibrant queer communities sprouting up in red states, offering a vision of a stronger, more humane America.

Ten years ago, Samantha Allen was a suit-and-tie-wearing Mormon missionary. Now she’s a senior Daily Beast reporter happily married to another woman. A lot in her life has changed, but what hasn’t changed is her deep love of Red State America, and of queer people who stay in so-called “flyover country” rather than moving to the liberal coasts. 

In “Real Queer America,” Allen takes us on a cross-country road trip stretching all the way from Provo, Utah to the Rio Grande Valley to the Bible Belt to the Deep South. Her motto for the trip: “Something gay every day.” Making pit stops at drag shows, political rallies, and hubs of queer life across the heartland, she introduces us to scores of extraordinary LGBT people working for change, from the first openly transgender mayor in Texas history to the manager of the only queer night club in Bloomington, Indiana, and many more.

“Mr. Hudson Explores: The Gay Man’s Travel Companion” by Gestalten, 2019

“Mr. Hudson Explores” shows that every part of a trip can be an incredible experience. The core content of the book showcases 20 cities in the Northern Hemisphere and details about what each place has to offer. Each entry will give a general introduction to the city and, if applicable, its relevance for the gay community. It highlights various locations based on culture and art, recommends the most inspiring museums to visit, reviews traditional and upcoming restaurants, describes the best shopping experiences, and delves into the city’s music and nightlife- where to go out, which bars do have the best drinks, and which clubs you can have the most fun at. Depending on the location, day trips and activities will be included.

The book also provides details about luxury accommodations and places to stay. The guide will not just give descriptions of the places but also background information, telling the story of the owner, history, and/or anecdotes.

“Gaysia: Adventures in the Queer East” by Benjamin Law, 2014

Benjamin Law considers himself pretty lucky to live in Australia: he can hold his boyfriend’s hand in public and lobby his politicians to recognize same-sex marriage. But as the child of immigrants, he’s also curious about how different life might have been if he had grown up in Asia. So he sets off to meet his fellow Gaysians.

Law takes his investigative duties seriously, going nude where required in Balinese sex resorts, sitting backstage for hours with Thai ladyboy beauty contestants, and trying Indian yoga classes designed to cure his homosexuality. The characters he meets – from Tokyo’s celebrity drag queens to HIV-positive Burmese sex workers and Malaysian ex-gay Christian fundamentalists to Chinese gays and lesbians who marry each other to please their parents – all teach him something new about being queer in Asia.

At once entertaining and moving, “Gaysia” is a wild ride and a fascinating quest by a leading Australian writer.

“Something to Declare: Good Lesbian Travel Writing” – Edited by Gillian Kendall

Editor Gillian Kendall has brought together a collection of impressionistic, literary travel essays that explore the sense of place and the pull of wanderlust and reveal what happens when a traveler follows her heart. On these pages, established and emerging lesbian travel writers present accounts ranging from the poetic and internal to the exhilarating and life-altering.
    Rather than reporting on places to stay, local fare, or politics, these women share personal stories of exploration and adventure. Lucy Jane Bledsoe and her partner camp out and negotiate their way through the Tierra del Fuego in “Fruits at the Border.” Lesléa Newman’s “Bashert” tells the retrospective journey of a college graduate undergoing a simultaneous awakening of her sexuality and artistic talent while working on a kibbutz in Israel. Lori Soderlind’s “Hot Springs, Montana” describes her return—with the help of a native woman—to the place in Montana where her family once made their home.
    Whether set in Italian changing rooms, a Cadillac hearse, an ashram, a medieval labyrinth, a wheelchair, or a kayak, and whether amid Japanese typhoons, Caribbean rain, or rare Irish sunshine, “Something to Declare” offers stories of reflection, challenge, and growth. 

“Gay Travels in the Muslim World” – Edited by Michael Luongo

Gay Travels in the Muslim World journeys where other gay travel books fear to tread: Muslim countries. This thought-provoking book tells both Muslim and non-Muslim gay men’s stories of traveling in the Middle East during these difficult political times. These true, very personal tales reveal how gay men celebrate their lives, including a gay soldier’s story of his tour of duty in Iraq. Insightful and at times sexy, this intelligent book goes beyond 9-11 and the present political and cultural divides to illustrate the real experiences of gay men in the region in an effort to seek mutual understanding.

“Gay Travels in the Muslim World” challenges readers’ preconceptions and assumptions about both homosexuality and being Muslim while showing the wide range of experiences, both good and bad within the region.

For more ideas for queer travel-related books to snag for your next trip, you can check out our list of queer books to liven up your journey as well as our list of audiobooks.