With these five Intrepid trips, you can explore destinations around the world featured in award-winning LGBTQIA+ works.
Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to celebrate diversity. LGBTQIA+ representation in literature, film and television brings us closer to narratives that reflect the mosaic of human experiences and identities. The impact of queer books, movies and shows transcends the page and screen – these stories touch the lives of people across the world.
Travel can breathe life into narratives that have moved us by immersing us in experiences that broaden our understanding of different cultures, encourage empathy and enrich our lives further. With these Intrepid trips, you can explore destinations from renowned LGBTQIA+ works and have adventures that will become part of your story.
Call Me By Your Name
Although this novel was originally published in 2007, Call Me By Your Name had another chapter when it came to life on screen in Luca Guadagnino’s 2017 film adaptation. While Guadagnino shot scenes from the movie in Crema, Bergamo, and Moscazzano, the original story by André Aciman is set in a fictional town in the Italian Riviera. The town is not mentioned by name, but it’s portrayed as a small, coastal town.
On Intrepid’s Essential Italy, you can visit the region that was the inspiration for the backdrop to Elio and Oliver’s love story. Italian destinations mentioned in the book that are on the itinerary include Lake Garda and Venice. You’ll also spend time in the Cinque Terre, which definitely serves up the blissful, sleepy-town vibes depicted in Aciman’s original story.
Brokeback Mountain
Based on the short story by Annie Proulx published in The New Yorker on October 13, 1997, Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain was considered a turning point for queer cinema into the mainstream. Recipient of three Oscars – best director, adapted screenplay and original score – this movie is considered one the best movies of all time. Another reason Brokeback Mountain is memorable is because of its stunning locations.
Although the story of sheep herders Ennis and Jack is set in Wyoming, Lee shot the film almost entirely in Alberta’s Canadian Rockies. Intrepid has plenty of options for Wyoming, but if you want to see scenery similar to what’s found in Brokeback Mountain, Intrepid’s Hiking in the Canadian Rockies will do the trick. As you walk through the wilderness, you’ll experience destinations as epic as Lee’s film: Peyto Lake, Bow Glacier Falls, Valley of the Five Lakes, Jasper, Banff and much more.
Sex Education
Set in the fictional town of Moordale somewhere in the United Kingdom, Sex Education is beloved for its representation of queer characters on screen. Shot in different locations around Wales’ Wye Valley and England, the show has amassed a huge global following for centring narratives on authentic LGBTQIA+ characters versus stereotypes.
While storylines are one of the main reasons for its success, fans of the show also appreciate the captivating mise en scène where all the action happens. If you love Sex Education and want to get a feel for small English towns and Welsh countryside featured in the show, Intrepid’s Best of England and Wales trip is just the ticket.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
This 1994 Australian comedy-drama film is about the journey of two drag queens, Mitzi and Felicia, and a transgender woman, Bernadette, who travel across the Australian Outback in a pink bus named Priscilla. This film is renowned for its fun and vivid approach to bringing transgender and drag performer narratives into the mainstream.
Elliot shot the movie in various locations around Australia: Sydney, Broken Hill, Coober Pedy, Kings Canyon and Alice Springs. Kings Canyon is a natural landmark known for its sandstone cliffs. It’s found in Watarrka National Park in the iconic Red Centre of Australia’s Northern Territory. Intrepid has several trips to this region, all of them beginning in the town of Alice Springs. Each adventure will whisk you away to some of the landscapes found in this film.
Less
When 49-year-old novelist Arthur Less discovers he’s been invited to his ex’s wedding, he tries to avoid attending by accepting assignments and invitations from all over the world. Written by Andrew Sean Greer, Less won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Greer’s novel is celebrated for exploring the complexities of life – ageing, love and identity – through the eyes of a relatable gay protagonist.
On one of his assignments, Less ends up in Japan as a food critic, and Intrepid’s Real Food Adventure in Japan will be more than satisfying after reading this novel. While travelling through cities like Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, you’ll go to food markets, take part in cooking classes, and even visit sake breweries, learning about Japan’s food traditions the whole way. Like Less, you’ll also eat sushi, tempura and ramen to your heart’s content.
