LGBTQ+ Travel Safety Guide (2025): Tips for Queer and Trans Travellers Worldwide
Travel should be about freedom, adventure, and exploration—often, it is. But for queer and trans people, it can also come with layers of risk. Questions like: Will I be safe here? Is it worth it? If that’s familiar, you’re not alone.
Safety isn’t guaranteed. Acceptance is inconsistent. And how you’re treated abroad depends not just on your identity, but how it’s perceived: your gender, race, body, accent, passport, ability, and so much more.
This guide is for the enbies booking solo trips, the queer couples navigating customs, the travellers who love to explore but know they need to stay alert. Whether you’re non-binary, trans, femme, visibly queer, or someone who moves through the world as someone multiply marginalised, travelling can mean scanning a space for danger while still trying to enjoy the moment. That double consciousness, holding joy and caution at once, is something many of us know well.
This isn’t a list of “safe countries” or universal rules to follow. It’s a growing collection of strategies, insights, and affirmations from someone who gets it. I’ve pulled together what I’ve learned and what I wish I’d known sooner to help you feel more prepared, more connected, and more empowered to make travel decisions that serve you.
At Enby Meaning, we don’t believe in one-size-fits-all queer advice. We believe in holding space for complexity, naming power dynamics, and celebrating the courage to move through the world authentically, especially when the world doesn’t make it easy.
This guide complements our queer travel blog, which features Bangkok and other upcoming destinations. It will be updated annually with new insights and resources. If you’ve travelled as a queer or trans person and have tips, lessons, or affirmations to share, drop them in the comments as we’d love to include more community voices. Let’s grow this together.
Save it, share it, and let it evolve with you.
Let’s get into it.
Know Before You Go: Researching Queer Safety Across Borders
Before you book flights or plan outfits, it’s worth asking: How will I be perceived there? And how will that affect my safety, access, or experience?
For non-binary, trans, and queer people, especially those of us who are multiply marginalised, this isn’t about paranoia. It’s about being prepared. Because travel isn’t just about where you’re going, it’s about how your identity shows up there, and how others read it.
Start With Context, Not Stereotypes
It’s easy to fall into the trap of “safe countries” vs “unsafe countries”, but that framework is reductive, and often rooted in colonial and racist assumptions. Many of the anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the Global South were introduced by European empires, not homegrown beliefs. And some “progressive” countries still uphold systemic harm through policing, healthcare discrimination, or immigration policy.
So instead of ranking places, understand the local context. Who holds power? What histories have shaped the current climate? Are queer and trans people organising locally, and what do they say?
Safety is always relative. A white, cis-passing non-binary traveller might be welcomed somewhere a visibly gender-nonconforming Black or brown queer person is targeted. Identity isn’t one thing, and neither is safety.
How to Research Without Assumptions?
Here’s how to gather useful, nuanced insight before your trip:
Look beyond legal protections. A country may technically protect LGBTQ+ rights while still being hostile in practice, or vice versa. Don’t just check boxes; dig deeper.
Read lived experiences. Search TikTok, Reddit, or queer travel blogs for stories from people who share some of your identities. Prioritise voices from local LGBTQ+ people and travellers of colour.
Use intersectional resources. Sites like Equaldex and ILGA World offer legal snapshots, but complement them with grassroots sources: local orgs, queer collectives, or mutual aid networks.
Know your documents. If your gender marker or name doesn’t match your passport or ID, learn the entry requirements and customs procedures in advance. This matters even more if you’re trans, non-binary, or undocumented.
Ask the right questions. Instead of “Is [country] safe for LGBTQ+ people?” try:
What’s it like for someone like me to move through this place?
What risks do I need to know based on how I present?
Are there local communities I can connect with or support?
Reflect on your reasons for travelling. Why do you want to visit this place? Suppose it’s for cultural exchange, learning, or to experience life differently than your day-to-day. That may be reason enough to temporarily adapt how you present, for your safety and comfort within that context. There’s no shame in adjusting. But if expressing yourself authentically is part of why you’re travelling, consider destinations where local queer and trans folks are visibly living out loud, because where they are free, chances are, you can be too.
Stay Informed, Not Alarmed
Doing this research isn’t about scaring yourself out of travelling, but equipping yourself. You deserve to enjoy your trip. You also deserve the truth about what might arise so that you can care for yourself accordingly.
There’s no shame in choosing not to go somewhere. And there’s no shame in going anyway, but doing it on your terms, with full awareness and a backup plan.
Your experience of safety matters. Your joy matters. And the more we share what we learn, the stronger our collective knowledge gets.
Packing with Intention: Safety, Expression, and Comfort for Queer Travel
Packing as a non-binary, queer, or trans person isn’t just about what fits in your suitcase. It’s about how you want to feel in your body, how you might be perceived, and how you care for yourself on the move.
For some, packing is a chance to express gender joy. For others, it’s about navigating dysphoria or planning for worst-case scenarios. Both are valid. What matters most is intention. Pack in a way that aligns with your needs, identity, and where you’re going.
Gender-Affirming Items: Take What You Need
If binders, tucking supplies, shapewear, makeup, or wigs help you feel like yourself, bring them. You don’t owe anyone androgyny or invisibility to stay safe, but you don’t owe visibility if it puts you at risk. Pack what makes you feel good, and permit yourself to adapt that as needed.
TIPS
Carry affirming items in your hand luggage for easier access.
Print out a simple doctor’s letter for anything medical (like HRT or syringes).
If you're concerned about airport security, research local procedures and request private screening.
Medication & Documents: Be Overprepared
If you take hormones, psych meds, or other regular prescriptions, bring more than you need. Travel delays occur, and replacements aren’t always available, especially abroad.
CHECKLIST
Prescriptions (paper + digital)
Doctor’s letter (especially if your meds or ID might be questioned)
Original packaging with your name and dosage
Backups of your passport, visa, and important documents stored securely (cloud + USB)
This is less about paranoia and more about having your own back.
Clothing: Adaptability, Safety, and Gender Euphoria
There’s no single way to “look queer” or “dress non-binary.” But depending on where you’re headed, how you dress may affect how others treat you and how safe you feel.
This doesn’t mean hiding who you are. It means choosing how you want to show up.
Pack in layers to adjust the presentation as needed across different settings.
Include one or two joy outfits—even just for the hotel mirror or a private dinner.
Use transitional pieces that can be read as masculine, feminine, or neutral, depending on the context.
You’re still valid if you tone it down. You’re still valid if you don’t.
Digital Safety: Travel Light, Stay Protected
Sometimes, the most sensitive things we carry are on our devices. Depending on where you’re going:
Use a VPN to protect your data.
Turn off biometric unlocks before going through customs.
Consider removing personal or queer content from your phone in surveillance-heavy countries.
Back up your info to encrypted storage or cloud platforms if devices are taken or searched.
Emotional Tools: Grounding in Motion
Travel can bring joy and expansion, but also dysphoria, isolation, or culture shock. Make space for your inner landscape as well.
CONSIDER
A travel journal or photo log
Voice notes to yourself or friends when Wi-Fi is spotty
A grounding playlist or comfort show
Check-in rituals with loved ones
At the Border and Beyond: Navigating Transit, Customs, and Culture Shock
Getting there is never just about getting there. Airports, border crossings, bus stations, security checkpoints—these are spaces where identity is often scrutinised, questioned, or erased.
And once you arrive, there’s the next layer: local norms, assumptions, stares, questions, and the very real need to assess who you can be where.
Whether you’re visibly non-binary, quietly queer, trans and stealth, or constantly code-switching, this section is about helping you move through those in-between spaces with confidence and care.
Transit Zones: Your Rights, Your Strategy
Traveling while queer or trans often means prepping for things others never have to think about—like whether your gender marker will match your face at passport control, or if your binder will set off a body scanner.
What helps:
Request a private screening at security if you're wearing affirming gear or concerned about being misgendered.
Have printed documentation (doctor’s letter, prescription, etc.) if carrying HRT, needles, or medical items.
Know your name and marker situation: If they differ between your documents and your appearance, plan for how you’ll respond to questions. No one should be interrogated for their identity, but many of us have been.
Mentally rehearse short phrases in the local language like “I don’t speak [language],” “I’m a tourist,” or “Please be respectful.” These can defuse tension quickly in customs or police interactions.
Border zones aren’t neutral. They’re often sites of state control, racial profiling, and gender policing. Do what you need to do to get through them. That’s not giving in, it’s staying safe.
Choosing Where to Stay: Queer-Friendly Accommodation Tips
Hotels, hostels, and rentals can either be havens or huge sources of stress. Sharing bathrooms, booking under your legal name, being misgendered at check-in—these are all realities for trans and non-binary travellers.
TIPS
Look for reviews from other LGBTQ+ travellers. Use keywords like “non-binary,” “trans,” or “safe for queer people” in searches.
Platforms like misterb&b and FabStayz are queer-run, but always vet listings carefully.
If you’re travelling with a partner or friend, consider how your relationship might be perceived and what story you’re comfortable telling if asked.
Trust your gut: If a host’s vibe feels off online, don’t ignore it. Book somewhere else.
Where you stay should feel like a place to exhale—not somewhere you have to shrink yourself.
In Public: Reading the Room (and the Street)
Once you’re out and about, how you’re seen can shift dramatically. Depending on your race, gender presentation, accent, or body, you may be read in ways that feel totally outside your control.
Things to keep in mind:
Trust your instincts. If you feel unsafe, leave. You don’t owe anyone an explanation for prioritising yourself.
Dress in ways that help you move confidently through your environment—whether that means blending in or being visibly queer. It’s your call.
Note safe zones: queer-friendly cafés, bookstores, cultural centres, or community spaces can offer connection or just a place to regroup.
Expect some microaggressions, even in “progressive” places. Being prepared doesn’t mean bracing for impact, but it can help you stay grounded when it happens.
Reminder: you’re allowed to take up space. You’re also allowed to pull back. Safety and visibility aren’t binaries—they’re fluid, like us.
Culture Shock, Code-Switching, and Care
Travel can be beautiful, but it can also be disorienting. Adapting to a new place’s customs, language, or gender expectations can leave you feeling disconnected from yourself.
To support yourself:
Let your pronouns or identity shift if that helps you feel safe or aligned. You don’t owe consistency to anyone but yourself.
Journal or voice-note your reactions. Sometimes we only realise something impacted us days later.
Be compassionate when your energy dips. Culture shock, dysphoria, and burnout are real—even if everything “looks fine” from the outside.
Have a “soft place to land”—a check-in person, a comfort ritual, or a way to come back to yourself at the end of the day.
You’re not failing if you feel overwhelmed. You’re just human.
After the Trip: Recovery, Reflection, and Reconnection
The return home is often overlooked in travel guides—but for queer and trans people, it can be one of the most emotionally complex parts of the journey.
Maybe you felt freer than you ever have. Maybe you were constantly on edge. Maybe you navigated code-switching so smoothly you forgot how much it cost you. Or maybe you didn’t realise how much you’d been holding until you finally exhaled at home.
This section is about tending to that after—the come-down, the unpacking (emotional and literal), and the return to yourself.
Reflect on What Came Up (Even If It Was Messy)
You don’t need to create a perfect narrative or turn your trip into a story. But giving yourself space to reflect can help integrate what you experienced.
Consider:
* Journaling, voice notes, or casual chats with someone you trust
* Questions like: What surprised me? What was hard? What felt good in my body? What will I do differently next time?
* Naming your wins—especially the quiet ones. You wore the outfit. You asked the pronoun question. You protected your peace.
You travelled as your whole self. That matters.
Rest and Recalibrate
Travel can be exhausting even when it’s wonderful. And if you spent the whole trip scanning for safety or adjusting your presentation, that takes a toll—even if it felt “normal.”
Give yourself permission to:
* Do nothing for a day or two
* Reconnect to your rituals or routines
* Be antisocial or quiet, even if you feel pressure to share
* Let your body return to baseline
Rest is queer resistance. You don’t have to earn it by being productive.
Share If You Can (But Only If You Want To)
Your experiences—good, bad, complicated—might be exactly what someone else needs to hear. If you feel safe doing so, consider sharing:
* A quick review of a queer-friendly hotel, café, or community space
* A short TikTok, Instagram story, or blog reflection
* A comment on this guide so we can keep growing it together
If you don’t want to share publicly, that’s okay too. Just know your story matters.
Update Your Toolkit
Each trip gives you new data—about yourself, the world, and what you need.
After you rest, take stock:
* What worked (clothes, routines, safety strategies)?
* What didn’t (a certain destination, a certain binder, a certain assumption)?
* What would you do the same—or differently—next time?
Your travel skills are evolving. Let your packing list, mindset, and map evolve with them.
Reclaim Your Joy
Sometimes, after a heavy trip, joy can feel distant. But remember: you made it through. You did something bold. You moved through unfamiliar places as yourself, or as much of yourself as you could safely carry.
That’s worth celebrating.
Take a walk. Book your next dream trip. Write a letter to your future self. Let travel remind you—not just of where you’ve been, but of who you are when you’re free.
Travel as a Queer Act of Courage
There’s no one way to travel as a non-binary, queer, or trans person. No perfect packing list. No guaranteed safe route. But there is intention. There is preparation. And there is power in knowing you're not navigating this alone.
Whether you’re venturing out for the first time or you’re a seasoned queer nomad, your experience is valid. You’re allowed to adapt, to assert, to shrink or expand, to find joy in the little things—even when the world isn’t always built for you.
This guide will keep evolving, just like we do. If you’ve got a tip, story, or resource that made your journey better, please share it in the comments. Your voice helps make this guide stronger for everyone who comes after you.
You deserve to feel free. You deserve to feel safe. You deserve to see the world—and be seen, on your own terms.
Wherever you go next, go with care. Go with pride. And most importantly, go as you.
