Travel Is Political: What It’s Actually Like to Travel as a Queer, Disabled Woman of Color

April 13, 2026

This episode is for you if you’ve ever assumed travel looks the same for everyone — and you want to understand the extra layers of planning, safety calculus, and exhaustion that come with traveling while queer, disabled, fat, or a woman of color.

This one starts easy — rainy days, Taina’s upcoming trip to Paris, croissants — and then turns into one of the more honest conversations this show has had about travel. Becky asks Taina to walk through what actually goes into a trip when you’re queer, disabled, fat-bodied, and a woman of color, and Taina doesn’t sand down any of it.

From destinations that are simply off the table, to the unspoken “we’re roommates” shorthand, to medication logistics and masking-induced claustrophobia, this is a conversation about all the invisible labor that goes into “just” getting somewhere — and why travel, like everything else, is never neutral.

In This Episode, We Get Into:

• Why some destinations are simply off the table, no matter how much the world changes
• The unspoken “we’re roommates” shorthand queer couples use to gauge safety in public
• How disability, chronic illness, and body size shape every part of a trip — seatbelt extenders, wheelchair assistance, medication prep
• Masking on planes, claustrophobia, anxiety, and the judgment that comes with all three
• A rare compliment for the U.S.: the Americans with Disabilities Act, and what accessibility actually requires
• Traveling as visibly queer women of color abroad vs. domestically
• Why being American now carries its own kind of risk and reputation overseas
• Cultural etiquette — restaurant norms, tipping, and not taking up excessive space
• Presentation, safety, and the calculus of not standing out as a target
• A teenage trip to the USSR that permanently reshaped one host’s worldview — and why travel is a gift too few people get to access