Beyond the Plate: How Food Connects LGBTQ+ Women Across Cultures
When queer women travel, we’re often looking for more than a passport stamp or sightseeing checklist. We’re searching for connection, for the feeling of being seen, safe, and understood. And one of the most powerful ways that feeling shows up is through food.
Whether it’s a home-cooked dish in a new friend’s kitchen or a bite shared at a Pride café, food becomes our bridge into culture and community. For LGBTQ+ women, a meal isn’t just about flavor—it’s about belonging.
1. Food is often our first introduction to queer culture
Before we find the club or the queer meetup, we often find the food.
Cafés owned by queer women. Dinners hosted by activist collectives. Pride-themed pop-ups that serve more than just drinks.
These spaces give us more than a full stomach: they give us that moment of “I belong here.” A simple dish shared with someone who gets your story can feel like coming out all over again—but this time, with comfort and celebration.
2. A shared table builds a connection across borders
You don’t need to speak the same language to share a table.
Street food in Bangkok. Tacos with queer locals in Mexico City. Pasta in a lesbian-owned Roman trattoria. These meals become our first friendships in foreign places.
One bite becomes a conversation. A second helping becomes trust. That table becomes a bridge between cultures, identities, and lived experiences.
3. Queer food culture is rooted in resistance
For queer communities, especially women, food has always been more than survival—it’s a form of protest.
From underground potlucks to chosen-family brunches, meals have long been a way to claim space, honor identity, and say, “we’re still here.”
To feed someone in our community is to care for them, protect them, and build something powerful together.
4. Queer-owned food spaces are sacred and safe
Queer women are creating cafés, supper clubs, and pop-ups that do more than serve good food—they nourish queer joy.
Here are just a few worth knowing:
El Cafecito, Mexico City – Queer women-led café focused on activism and visibility
Wildflower Café, London – Trans-inclusive vegan café and creative community space
The Butchery, Melbourne – Butch-led food pop-up serving nostalgic comfort food
These places are more than businesses, they’re home.
5. Meals on the road often lead to chosen family
For solo travellers, it’s the shared moments over a meal that stick.
A bánh mì split with a stranger in Saigon. A surprise picnic during Pride in Lisbon. An invite to dinner in Lima that turns into a night of laughter and lifelong friendship.
The most meaningful moments from our travels aren’t always the landmarks or itineraries. They’re the meals we shared, the flavors we remember, and the people we met around the table.
For LGBTQ+ women, food is the story we tell. It’s the home we carry. It’s the invitation to belong, even far from home.
Travel with Ladies Touch and taste the world in good company
Our group trips are designed to bring queer women together through experiences that matter—from markets to home kitchens to local LGBTQ+ food spaces. Join us and discover what happens when you give everyone a seat at the table.
Peru Is More Than Machu Picchu: A Queer Woman’s Travel Diary
Peru is full of wonder, but for LGBTQ+ women, it’s more than bucket-list photos and ancient ruins. It’s a place to laugh at high altitudes, bond over ceviche and pisco sours, and experience history with a chosen family who truly understands you.
From the colourful streets of Cusco to the sacred stillness of Lake Humantay, Peru invites you in—not just to explore, but to belong. Here’s a glimpse into what makes this destination unforgettable.
1. Cusco: Where History, Heart, and Queer Energy Converge
Cusco welcomes you with open arms and open skies. The cobblestone streets, vibrant textiles, and layered cultural history create a vibrant heartbeat you can feel in your chest. It’s where Indigenous roots meet Spanish architecture, and modern queer joy meets ancient energy.
Here, your journey begins. You’re sipping coca tea, browsing San Pedro Market, and catching your breath in Plaza de Armas. You’re not just adjusting to the altitude—you’re grounding yourself in something bigger.
Why it matters: Cusco invites you to connect—to culture, to yourself, and to your new queer travel family.
2. Rainbow Mountain: A Real-Life Pride Flag at 17,000 Feet
Vinicunca, famously known as Rainbow Mountain, is more than a scenic Instagram moment. It’s a 17,000-foot affirmation of everything colourful, bold, and resilient—just like you.
The hike is challenging, but worth every step. Along the way, your group becomes a support system—swapping encouragement, sharing snacks, and celebrating each other at the summit. When you reach the top, it hits you: this moment is yours.
Why it matters: Climbing Rainbow Mountain isn’t just about the view. It’s about the pride, perseverance, and shared celebration it took to get there.
3. Machu Picchu: Wonder, Stillness, and Sisterhood
No photo does Machu Picchu justice. As the mist lifts and the ruins come into focus, you feel the centuries of spirit held in this sacred place. And beside you? Queer women who laugh with you, hold space for you, and honour the silence with you.
It’s not about the perfect selfie. It’s about witnessing greatness together, feeling small in the best way, and knowing this moment will stay with you long after you leave.
Why it matters: Shared awe creates a deep connection. In Machu Picchu, you don’t just see history—you become part of a new one.
4. Sacred Valley: Where Culture, Colour, and Queer Connection Flourish
In the Sacred Valley, every corner tells a story. From ancient salt terraces to villages full of weavers, this is where you learn through experience, touching the fabric, tasting the traditions, and dancing to music that feels both new and familiar.
Here, shopping isn’t just shopping. It’s exchanging smiles with artisans, learning about dyes made from flowers, and finding that one textile that speaks to your soul.
Why it matters: This isn’t passive tourism. It’s queer travellers engaging deeply, respectfully, and joyfully.
5. Beyond the Itinerary: Queer Joy in Every Altitude
Even in places without a defined LGBTQ+ scene, queer joy finds a way. It shows up in the little things: someone saving you a seat, a shared playlist on the bus, the quiet comfort of being seen.
Whether you're stargazing in the Andes or opening up about your journey over dinner, Peru gives you space to feel safe, soft, and celebrated.
Why it matters: You don’t need nightlife to feel visible. You just need the right people—and the courage to show up fully.
Final Thought: Peru Isn’t Just a Destination. It’s a Turning Point.
You won’t just return with souvenirs. You’ll return changed by the stories, the laughter, and the women who walked beside you every step of the way.
Ready for Your Own Peru Chapter?
Join a Ladies Touch Travel group trip and discover why Peru is more than just a stop on your bucket list.
It’s where queer joy, ancient wonder, and chosen family come together—one unforgettable moment at a time.
Solo But Never Alone: Tips for LGBTQ+ Women Joining Their First Group Trip
Traveling solo as an LGBTQ+ woman is a bold act of self-trust and joy.
But joining your first group trip can bring up questions: Will I fit in? Will I feel seen?
The good news? You don’t have to go it alone. You’re stepping into a legacy of queer women who’ve carved out joy, even in unfamiliar places. Whether it’s a retreat in Bali, a Pride cruise, or a cultural tour in Morocco, you’re writing your own chapter. Here’s how to make it one to remember.
1. Choose the Right Group
You deserve more than tolerance — you deserve belonging.
Look for trips that centre LGBTQ+ women or clearly state inclusivity. Read reviews. Scan socials. If queerness feels like an afterthought, keep scrolling.
Ask this:
How are rooms assigned?
Are pronouns respected?
Is staff trained in LGBTQ+ awareness?
2. Pack What Grounds You
Bring more than outfits. Pack reminders of who you are — a playlist, a book, a small token. Something that connects you to yourself when you’re far from home.
Tip: You don’t need rainbow gear to be proud. Your presence says it all.
3. Be Open, But Set Boundaries
Connection is powerful, but so is your boundary. You’re free to share — or not. You’re not here to explain your identity unless you want to.
Use this line: “I’m keeping that one personal, but I’m really glad to be here.”
4. Find Moments of Queer Joy
You don’t need a Pride float to feel queer joy. It’s in the unspoken smiles, the shared meals, the freedom to be soft.
Try this ritual: In each new place, pause and say: “Thank you to the queer women who made this moment possible.”
5. Reclaim the Journey: Make It Personal
Heritage travel reminds us that wherever we go, we’re walking in the footsteps of those who came before. LGBTQ+ history isn’t just in books—it’s in bars, alleyways, and old cafes where revolutions whispered. Take time on your trip to explore the queer stories hidden in the streets.
Try This: Research one LGBTQ+ site or story in each city you visit, no matter how small. Make that your personal pilgrimage.
6. Travel Smart, Travel Proud
Stay aware without shrinking yourself.
Use LGBTQ+ travel safety tools like Equaldex
Share your itinerary
Trust your gut — and your trip leader
7. Own Your Space
Your identity brings value to every room you enter. You are not here to blend in. You are here to shine, contribute, and connect.
This is not someone else’s trip that you are joining. It is your journey too, and you are part of what makes it special.
Final Thoughts: You’re Not Just on a Trip — You’re Reclaiming Joy
You might arrive solo, but you won’t feel alone for long. Group travel offers so much more than sightseeing. It gives you community, connection, and the chance to be seen and celebrated for exactly who you are.
So go ahead and take that leap. Book the trip. Pack with intention. Show up with your whole heart. Somewhere on the road ahead, the next version of you is waiting to be met, ready to grow, connect, and be fully seen
Ready to Travel Solo, but Never Alone?
Join a Ladies Touch Travel group trip and experience a journey that celebrates every part of you.
Community. Connection. Queer joy — it all starts here.