LGBTQ+ Americans are more than twice as likely as the general population to hold a valid passport. That stat sits at the heart of (Out )on the Road: The Radical Joy of Queer Travel, a new book from writer Lindsey Danis that's part memoir, part guide.

Most conversations about queer travel start and end with safety. Lindsey wanted to write past that, toward joy, belonging, and power. In this episode, they and Aislyn talk about the honeymoon trip that reshaped Lindsey's whole life, the research that turns fear into freedom, and why traveling as exactly who you are is its own kind of homecoming.

Meet this week's guest

Lindsey Danis is a writer and the author of (Out )on the Road, a travel memoir and reported guide written by and for LGBTQ+ travelers. Their work explores queer travel, belonging, and the search for joy on the road. You can find their work at lindseydanis.com.

In this episode you'll learn

Why Lindsey scrapped an entire early draft that was a straightforward travel memoir, and what they wrote instead.
How research becomes the bridge from fear to joy, and the two tools Lindsey relies on before every trip.
Why a honeymoon in Vietnam and Thailand changed not just how Lindsey travels, but where and how they live.
What Lindsey hopes allies take away from the book, including readers who never expected to see themselves in it.

Episode chapters

00:00 A Surprising Stat
02:00 The Book They Needed
05:00 Scrapping The Memoir
09:00 Hiding And Choice
12:00 On Passing
16:00 Two Favorite Tools
18:00 A Toast In Vietnam
20:00 The Honeymoon Shift
25:00 The Galapagos
27:00 A Note For Allies
30:00 Next Stop, Sri Lanka

Resources

Movement Advancement Project — a color-coded database comparing US state laws on gender identity and sexual orientation: mapresearch.org
EqualDex — a country-by-country index of LGBTQ+ rights and attitudes worldwide: equaldex.com

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