Highlights: AMAZING eats and sights to see! Prado museum is a MUST see and the architecture is a beaut to glance at just walking down the street. You're always gonna have a lot to do in Madrid and learn a ton of history while being there. Definitely go on a wine and tapas tour if you can🍷
Advice: Felt mostly safe but definitely had some sketchy areas at night, especially the transit system. Didn't feel as accepting as Barcelona in terms of PDA with my partner but felt on the better end because of how busy Madrid is. A lot of places in Madrid, especially on historic tours like Segovia, will still have pretty strictly gendered bathrooms so just be aware of that.
Highlights: Beautiful beaches, cool historical sites, Christmas lights on palm trees!
Advice: Going during the "off season" from tourists made for much less busy beaches, although it is not warm enough to lay around on them in December. Visiting with a local made it a cool experience. If you can, ride around the island on a vespa, it seems to be the way to travel and a cool way to see the island! Note: They WILL confiscate any sea glass or sand you try to sneak back with you... But you can buy some overpriced in the airport gift shops.
Highlights: Riot Fest at Douglass Park, deep dish pizza, local coffee shop, big fancy Starbucks
Advice: Seemed pretty Queer friendly, especially the festival crowd. Local coffee shops were friendly and cool to check out. DO NOT TRUST THE BUSES. (Especially the #8.) Unreliable is an understatement.
Highlights: Beautiful scenery, cute town, some friendly people.
Advice: Residents of the town (of less than 500 people) pulled their kids out of school when they heard our organization was coming to do presentations on inclusivity and diversity. Only about 5 kids remained at the school by presentation time. I wouldn't feel safe walking around there as a visibly Queer person or person of colour. (My colleague I was with is Black). Some very kind people at the school, but definitely a collectively worrisome place to be 2SLGBTQI+!
Highlights: The swimming, and finding “out-of-the-way” beaches to eat cheese and drink wine. Easy access to neighbouring villages and spots to tour.
Advice: Do a tour of Antibes! Any free guided tour to meet people :)
Highlights: Driving around the highways and spotting a llama farm. The farmer was nice enough to let us pet and hang out with his llamas for a bit.
Advice: It’s helpful to know some Spanish but there were a decent amount of people who spoke English. The sun sets early and quickly everyday (around 6 and only takes about half an hour to get completely dark). So if you want to avoid walking around at night plan accordingly.
Highlights: Renting a bike and riding down the boardwalk, drinking spicy watermelon margaritas, burning on the beach with all the cute lifeguard stations, laughing at the outrageous prices at the restaurant that was formally Gianni Versace’s house and eating poke.
Advice: I felt really safe being a queer person during the day, but not necessarily safe at night. There was a lot of violence including an assault at our hostel. If you can go on a trip to Key West and go snorkelling!!
Highlights: Eating waffles in Burg square and eating fries in the French fry museum.
Advice: Learn a little Dutch.. the locals were incredibly rude to us and didn’t let us into a restaurant. Wear a Canadian flag pin on your coat/backpack so they are a little kinder. I’d avoid it and just go to Brussels instead. The chocolate and fries are just as good and people aren’t buttholes.
Highlights: Paella @ Can Sole, Park Guell, drinks at Sor Rita, tapas at Quimet & Quimet, a glass of absinthe at Hemingway's favourite bar (Bar Marsella), a sunset catamaran on the Balearic Sea, and hiking up Mount Tibidabo! If you want to see la Sagrada Familia, pay extra for the audio guided tour! It's so worth it!!
Advice: As much as I love Barcelona, it is really *not* a safe place for solo travellers especially at night. I always had someone walk me back to my hostel if it was getting close to sunset, because I've heard of many people getting mugged at night. General rules of thumb: always keep your valuables at home or secured in front of you, and never walk around at night especially in the Gothic or Raval quarters! ⚠
Highlights: Sziget Festival, drinks at Szimpla Kert, ALL OF THE BATHS.
Advice: I was surprised by how generally un-friendly people in Budapest were! Maybe that was just my experience, but something to have in the back of your mind! 👀
Highlights: Veggie pho @ Pho Goodness, Twin Peaks themed bar (The Black Lodge), Fried Artichoke and Waffles @ The Acorn, staring death in the face at the Capilano Suspension Bridge, and a hike up the Deep Cove Quarry Rock.
Advice: If you go to the deep cove and plan on kayaking, you have to have certifications to do so! I can't remember which ones, but look it up in advance if you're interested!
Highlights: Pike Place Market (the first ever Starbucks!!), Empire Roasters & Records for coffee and a waffle, Beth's Cafe for a 12 egg omelette and bottomless hashbrowns, and a tour at London Bridge Studio... the birthplace of grunge 🤩
Advice: Just enjoy the city! It's very walkable and transit friendly, so no need to rent a car. One of my most favourite cities I've visited 💖
Highlights: Stanley Park
Advice: Make sure you visit Davie Village! It’s one of the best parts of Vancouver.
Highlights: Powell's City of Books, Voodoo Doughtnut, the world's smallest park (Mill Ends Park), Salt & Straw Ice Cream, and RIGSKETBALL (please look it up it's incredible).
Advice: Transit is pretty good in Portland, but if you can get your hands on a bike I highly recommend that instead! Also, do not seek out the infamous Unipiper. He will find you.
Highlights: Visit Pier 39 to hang with the seals, get a giant fortune cookie from Golden Gate Fortune Cookies, do some yoga in a cathedral (Grace Cathedral, gay friendly church!), grab coffee and cinnamon toast at Trouble Coffee, visit SFMOMA, and enjoy a stroll through Haight-Ashbury ✌
Advice: If you're a walker like me, PLEASE know that everything in SF is on either an incline or a decline. Learn from my mistakes. Take the bus.
Highlights: Vegan mexican food @ Gracias Madre, yummy breakfast sammy @ Eggslut, Bottega Louie for beautiful (but esspenssssive) pastries... Grab drinks at the legendary Rainbow Bar, walk through Hollywood Forever cemetery, and take a drive on Mullholland Drive at sunset! If you like sci-fi, visit the Bradbury Building where they shot parts of the original Blade Runner! 🤩
Advice: Do not plan on taking transit in LA, it is SO bad. Uber costs about the same amount or a bit more but it is def worth it to not spend your day waiting around for buses and trains that never come 😓
Highlights: Must have the manakeesh from Al Reef Lebanese Bakery, bottomless brunch at the Grand Grill, and shawarma from Eat & Drink restaurant! The Global Village is really cool, but the souks of Old Dubai are even cooler! The Burj Khalifa is even more magnificent in person, and if you have a car/don't mind leaving the city... dune bashing in the desert at sunset is a MUST.
Advice: Dubai is super strict about respectability, so you have to dress modestly. The only restaurants and bars that have a liquor license are in hotels (by law), and if I remember correctly you need a special permit to buy alcohol from a store so keep that in mind! I was visiting a local which made me feel a lot safer, so if you have the option of going with another person I would recommend that over a solo trip.